Here are some photos that Luc took of me racing in Hoogerheide yesterday. Thanks Luc! See you in Tabor.

Suffice it to say, today was an awesome day. Just from waking up to this point – the day has been truly great. I had a great time at the bike race today. I had spectacular support. I had good legs. I had a great head on my shoulders. My bikes were working great. Just a sweet day.

I’ve written a race report over here. My result really wasn’t that different from any other. With one major difference…. I did not get lapped! That’s right – you read correctly – I did not get lapped. I heard the bell. What a sweet sweet sound. Really, it was like a symphony in my ears.

I had so much fun out there. I kept things in perspective. I raced in a World Cup. I raced with past, present, and future World Champions. I held my own. I finished on the lead lap. I had fun. I smiled. I accomplished a few of my goals. And even better – I smiled while doing it.

The crowd support was incredible. People were supporting me through-out the day. From the warm-up, to the start, to the finish. Marc and Alex were awesome in the pits. Luc took some awesome photos. The Canadians were awesome today – the three juniors did their first World Cup, Erik did his second World Cup – they all cheered me on as well. This was just a great day.

We capped it off with a fine dinner at Sultan’s – many thanks to Erik for the supper. We even had dessert, I had a double chocolate Magnum bar – sweet nectar. Now I’m relaxing with a warm mug of chai tea.

(I don’t know what the Internet connection will be like in Tabor, so this might be the last you hear from me until after the World Championships.)

Great day today. Very relaxing morning this morning. Just me, Erik and Connor here relaxing and feeling the vibe. Marc and Alex were off at the Master’s World Cyclo-Cross Championships at Mol.

We loaded up the team van and hit the road to Hoogerheide. We did it without a GPS! One wrong turn but really no issues.

So the course. Well, it is different than it has been in years past. From what I understand, it is very different. This means one thing – no massive descent. In fact we go up the descent (running). There is a steep fast descent off the start that will be interesting tomorrow. The course was not too soggy while we were there. The rain was just drizzling but already the course was starting to get a bit soggy.

It will be interesting to see how the course will be tomorrow. If the rain keeps coming down it will be a mud bog. Cool. There are some interesting little twists and turns. One steep pitch before the fly-over. Some nice power sections as well. A good mix of technical, power, brains, and brawn.

How am I feeling? I’m feeling good. Had a great time on the course today. Had some good pre-ride laps. Good sensations. The thumb felt good. I opened it up a bit, but not too much. Just wanted to get in some good solid laps. It is always a challenge to not do too much the day before a World Cup. It is tempting to ride and ride, especially when you run into people that you know.

It was good to see lots of friends that I hadn’t seen in a while. This is one the best things about ‘cross racing – seeing friends you don’t get to see normally.

Looking forward to racing tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for a race report and report on the day. Thanks for the emails and fast vibes.

Another day is close to being in the books here. And as usual, it ranks up there as a good one. A very good one.

Great morning hanging out with the Canadian gang here. So nice to have such familiar faces here as I get ready for these next two races. We’ve got a good mix of racers and supporters here so it keeps everything pretty balanced. Chilled out a bit appreciating my new Illy medium roast espresso coffee – makes a very smooth cappuccino.

Then it was off for a fun recovery ride. Tossed the Michelin Jets on my bike and went off in search of a bit of dirt and a bit of road. It all came together perfectly. Zipped around Averbode on the trails for a bit. Then some time on the bike path took me to the Wandelpark by Tessenderlo. Zipped around on the trails there. Out onto the road. Bit of pedaling on some twisty country roads. Popped back into the Wandelpark and then back to Averbode. Took the long route home and checked out some of my favorite neighbourhoods. A great ride. Amazing what you can pack into 90 minutes!

I’m feeling good. The thumb is pretty good. Gets a bit tired. But I don’t pedal with my thumbs! Head is on straight. Perspective is in check. Smile is on my face. Looking forward to fun on bikes. And I’m serious. Just going to soak up these last two races. Enjoy being a bike racer.

Looks like we’ll be taking off on Monday morning for the drive to Tabor, Czech Republic. I’ll have my computer but I’m not sure about the Internet access at our hotel… I’ll do my best. But if you don’t see anything from me – don’t worry – it is only because there is no WWW access. Just send me your positive vibes on Jan. 31!

Off to pre-ride Hoogerheide tomorrow. I’ll let you know what I think.

Thanks again for the support. I can feel you helping the pedals turn.

Do you ever have a couple of days where everything just seems to click. You feel good. Legs are solid. You’re getting some good sleep so recovery is spot on. Downtime from the bike is fun and relaxing. The head is on straight. Really you feel like a million bucks. The pedals seem to turn a little more easily and you’re flying along the road/trails.

This is what this week has been like for me. Can’t put my finger on one thing that has contributed to this feeling. Really it is a feeling of euphoria. I really do believe it is because I’m in the best mental space I’ve ever been in. I’m feeling so damn good about myself. I just want to go out and race. I know I’m not going to pull some “miracle” result out of the bag. Most likely, I’ll probably finish where I normally do. But this is okay. This is not the end of the journey for me.

I’m only getting started. This will not be my last World Championships or my last European cyclo-cross season. Nope. This is the year where I came, I learned, I tried, I fell down, I picked myself up, put the smile back on my face and lined up again. Can’t buy this kind of experience.

I know the next two races are going to be hard. The last World Cup and then the World Championships. Cool. Lucky me. I’m doing something that not just anyone can do. I’ve earned it. So I’m going to go out and enjoy it. I predict that I’ll be racing with a big smile on my face this weekend and next.

Had a super training ride today. Close to three hours with a steady two hours of endurance followed by 30 minutes of tempo and then some recovery time. I rolled all over the place. Bicycle paths. Small twisting country roads. Busier roads. You name the town in this area, I probably road by it! An excellent ride.

And now here at the house we’re at maximum capacity. Four more Canadians/Ottawans arrived today. It is great to have some familiar faces from home here. Looking forward to a relaxing trail ride tomorrow and then off to Hoogerheide for pre-ride on Saturday.