Today was one of those training days… Since it is Wednesday, we went to Floreal Lichtaart to train in the woods. This is our weekly routine. Well, it seems that is is the routine for most ‘cross racers here. So even though there is snow on the ground we loaded up the trusty Kangoo and made our way.

I’ll be honest here – it was a tough one out there. I got into that “trying too hard” thing. I was trying to do everything and do it all perfect. You know – spin, stay loose, look up, and nail all the technical sections as well. Of course, when you’re learning – it is not optimum to try to work on everything at once! Sigh. Luckily Marc was there to remind me of this and to give me some good tips.

Number one lesson I can take from this training session – I need to focus on my cadence. With a higher cadence, the bike will float more easily through and over the snow. When I get into the slow cadence I start to stomp, this causes traction issues with the rear wheel and causes me to sink in the snow. So the name of the game for me is “spin”.

I know that if I can get this, the other things will come as well. So this was a great training session. With Marc’s help, we identified the biggest thing to work on right now. No more of this trying to fix everything at once. Back to basics and put the puzzle together one piece at a time.

So I’m going to switch gears now….

As you a lot of you know, I’ll be racing at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic. I’m stoked to be able to represent Canada and to fulfill a goal I set last season. You may also know that in order to reach this goal, I switched to part-time work and stopped working entirely in October. This was a necessary move so that I could focus on training, racing, and recovery. Not an easy decision to make when I’m in the “prime” of my “career”. But you know what, last time I checked you only live once. To help make this year possible I’ve been super lucky to have the support of some truly amazing sponsor and of course Marc has been ever at the ready to do whatever it takes.

But now I need to do something I’ve never had to do before… I need to rustle up some money. The trip to the World Championships is fully athlete-funded. So I have to pay for my clothing, accommodation, various team fees, food, and travel to and from the Czech Republic. Needless to say I have a big bill pay to pay in mid-January. Yeesh, this is so hard to write. I’ve always said I’d never be one of those bike racers who quits her job and then asks for money from people. But now I have to. Plain and simple – I need some cash. I knew there would be a cost associated with going to the World Championships – I just didn’t know it would be so big. So there you have it.

So this being said – if you want to help support my trip to the World Championships, drop me an email.

I’m embarrassed to have written these previous paragraphs. I so hope you don’t read it and take it the wrong way. I am a planner and a saver – I just wasn’t ready for this extra expense. Next year, I’ll know and I’ll be ready for it….

(P.S. Check out my latest article on Cyclocross Magazine.)

Pretty quiet day here on the training front. After Monday’s three hour ride on slippery and snow-covered paths, today was all about recovery. I totally wimped out and rode the trainer… Yes, it was above zero and the sun was shining and I rode the trainer. Really, I just couldn’t face cleaning the bike and doing all the laundry afterwards.

So I rode indoors. Watched the last episode of Californication and started watching the first season of the Wire. But don’t worry, I’m not staying soft for long. Tomorrow will see me out ripping it up in the woods of Floreal Lichtaart. I’ve got a bunch of intervals to do in the woods. Should be a good fun day. Lots of time to practice riding in the white stuff and to get even better at “letting my bike do the work”.

It is a bit of a funny training week with the big race of the week on Saturday. Nothing like a World Cup on Boxing Day in front of 30,000 fans to keep you pedaling fast and staying off the front brake.

Onwards. Upwards. Forward. Moving ahead. Looking up.

Looking forward to the future. I’ve had a few good days of racing, training, and learning. Some highs and lows in both races. But all in all, lots to look forward to and more lessons to transfer from my brain to my legs. Of course, I always a higher result on the score sheet. (Who doesn’t it?)

But I can take satisfaction with the small successes from each race and really from each lap of the race.

If there is one thing I’ve learned this weekend is that a clean ride really is a fast ride. This is the trick to the sport of cyclo-cross. Going fast. Keeping the feet moving. Stopping the brain from doing too much work. Staying loose. And most importantly, staying upright. But on the flipside, a true sign of riding on the edge and pushing your limits, is when you hit the deck a few times. Granted, hitting the deck is not optimum. But mistakes have to be made to learn.

This being said, I’m happy to have stayed upright on my three hours in the snow. Had a great ride today. It has warmed up a bit and the wet roads were a nice change from the crazy snow and wind we experienced at Kalmthout.

Not sure what is up for tomorrow – I think recovery. On Christmas Day, we are off to Zolder to pre-ride the Zolder World Cup course and then on Boxing Day, I’ll be racing in the World Cup. Pretty cool way to spend Christmas. Definitely a true cyclo-cross Christmas!

Alright, I’m out for now. Time to chill out with the gang at the house here and watch Four Christmases. Hope your Christmas week is not too crazy. See you at Zolder.

Big race day here today. The Kalmthout World Cup is a popular race for riders and fans. The course lends itself to a very exciting and fast race. Good for spectators and racers. Today the extra dimension of snow, more snow, and even more snow – made the day that much more for everyone. The morning was pretty calm without a few flakes but by the time we raced at 1:30, we were battling some massive snow flakes and lots of ice. It was so bad the organizers had to order a snowplow and salt truck!

Today was a good day. My race went okay. Not terrible. Not first class. But definitely a step in the right direction. I’m not super satisfied with my ride because I made some mistakes that cost me today. The old adage that “the slowest way around a course is on your ass” definitely rung true for me today. I’ve written a full race report. Click over and give it a read.

Before I go any further I have to thank a bunch of people. First off, many many thanks to Marc for giving up his race today to come out and support me all day. Marc did everything for me today. Cleaned bikes. Calmed nerves. Prepped tires. Checked tire pressure. Worked the pits. Reminded me to stop talking and to get changed. Gave me lots of positive reinforcement after the race. Not to mention he battled the crazy traffic this morning and drove home at the end of the day. This race today wouldn’t have been doable without Marc’s help and experience. Thanks Marc!

Next on the thank-you list are our housemates Rachael and Brad. They were rockstars today – took my warm-up clothing at the start, were out on the course cheering me on, and were around in case we needed anything last minute. So thanks so much Rachael and Brad for the help! Much appreciated.

Many many thanks to Luc for more photos and for hanging out with us all day. Luc was an expert at taking us around the course during the men’s race to find the best spots to watch. Thanks Luc! Super awesome to have a new friend here in Belgium.

Huge thanks to Karl and Ken Hoppner for their cheering and for helping out at the start. Karl raced his first race in Belgium today. And he did really well. Congrats Karl on a fine race! In addition to racing today, Karl and his dad Ken helped me out by being at the start with extra wheels and a pump. Then they were all over the course cheering me on. Thanks guys! Super awesome to have some hometown support out there today.

Also thanks as usual to Rudy. I didn’t talk to him today but I heard him cheering me on and giving more advice on the course. One thing he said today really stuck in my brain “pedal – don’t be afraid”. This is a sure sign that I was tensing up. It is not that I’m afraid – rather, I’m trying to hard… My brain is thinking. My shoulders get tense. My feet stop moving. So, I’m super happy that Rudy said this to me during the race – it is a reminder of the work to be done.

So the day was good. I crashed a lot. I’ve got road rash now. A rip in my fancy Sealskin gloves. More bruises on my legs. But I came out of it a better racer. I learned more about my limits and riding on the edge of my technical abilities. I had some success on the course and a few missteps. This is bike racing. I had a good start. I rode some sections faster than I could have ever thought of. I crashed into trees, course barriers, and tripped over my self. Can’t ask for much more. Looking forward to taking the lessons I learned today and putting them into practice in Zolder at the next World Cup.

Small steps is all I can ask for. I would love to have giant steps forward. But if there is one thing I’ve learned these past two months, is that true learning and improvement comes slowly but surely. Nose to the grindstone is all I can do.

Okay, enough blathering and philosophizing, here are some awesome photos. Many thanks to Luc for the pictures.

Well, it has been a busy couple of days. Hence the lack of updating and writing on this little web site. Sorry for this. In fact, I didn’t even get on the computer on Friday! I know – terrible.

Friday was taken over with racing. Just as it should be for a bike racer. We set off early on Friday with hopes of avoiding the rush hour and making it through the ridiculously slow winter driving… Neither happened. But we still made it to the Scheldecross race venue with plenty of time to land a solid parking spot and to get in a few laps. I really wasn’t too excited about the race this year. A big hill was added. This introduced two descents that I was not jazzed about. But Marc is a smart and patient man. He took me out and got me down the descents on my first try! A massive win and breakthrough for me. The race? Well it went okay. Could have and should have been better. But I’m considering it to be a win for me. I crossed a major hurdle on Friday. I’m not a fan of unstable, fast, or “scary” descents. They are my nemesis. But I beat this fear back with a big stick and came out on top. Some races, this is all I can ask for.

Many many thanks for the cheering, the encouragement, the friendly smiles, etc. It was super cool to meet Luc and his daughter. Luc was took a bunch of photos of me at Averbode and did the same yesterday. So with many thanks to Luc and Kelly, here are some photos from Scheldecross. (And yes, that is snow on the ground and those are my bare legs – I forgot to put on my leg warmers… But I’m a tough Canadian!)

After the race we hooked up with Ken and Karl Hoppner of Ottawa. They had arrived in Antwerp on Thursday for some Christmas cyclo-cross racing. Scheldecross was their first Belgium ‘cross race. It was awesome to hear some friendly voices from home out there on the course. After watching a bit of the men’s race, we went over to Ken and Karl’s swank house in downtown Antwerp. We hung out with them and then Ken treated us to dinner at the Hippodrome. A pretty fabulous restaurant across from the Museum of Modern Art. Thanks Ken and Karl – we had a great night.

Today was all about ‘cross racing again. As it should be! Marc raced in Lichtervelde this morning – so we took off bright and early to get to his race. A smooth drive and a warm cafe made it all easy peasy. Extra bonus was hooking up with our pal Rene Swinnen. We had been hoping to run into Rene earlier this season, but today it was. It was great to catch up with him and many thanks to his friend for helping me out with the pit today. We also saw some of our other Belgian cyclo-cross friends. Always nice when people remember you and take the time to ask how you are doing. Really makes you feel comfortable and welcome. Marc had a good race and finished 7th! After his race we quickly hopped in the car and drove to Kalmthout.

I needed to pre-ride the Kalmthout World Cup course and get my numbers. Made it there quite easily and immediately ran into more friends. Saw Rudy pedaling along the bicycle path – he looked cold! Then we saw Nikoline and Jacob (who are staying here) and then we saw Karl! Hung out with these guys for a bit – chatting and getting ready to ride. Rudy reminded me to remember my leg warmers for Sunday… No more bare legs in the -10 celsius! I did a couple laps with Karl – thanks for going so slowly Karl! Then I hooked up with Rudy for a few laps – he gave me some super good pointer and reminders. Then I rode with Marc for a lap and a bit. He helped me a lot with conquering one tricky fly-over. Then it was off to the number pick-up. On the way I bumped into Serge (my friend and mechanic at Koksijde) and then I caught up a bit with Geoff Proctor from the U.S. Crazy how many people you get to know over the years. Got the numbers and various passes with no trouble and then it was back home for bike cleaning, laundry, and food.

All in all, a most excellent day. I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow. The course is fast. I have to remember to stay relaxed and to keep pedaling. If I can do these two things, my outcome will be heading in the right direction. Also need to focus on re-accelerating and of course, the all mighty start…

We are leaving early tomorrow so that Marc can pit for Karl at his first Belgian race. I’m not complaining – I like to arrive nice and early. Gives me time to relax, talk to people and soak it all in. Have a good one. Check back tomorrow for a race report from the Kalmthout World Cup.