I was just browsing around and remembered that Pete Harris shot some pretty good video from the Masters World Cyclo-Cross Champioships in Mol, Belgium.

Here is a video from Marc’s race. Massive thanks to Pete for capturing Marc on video – nice bonus for me since I didn’t get to see much of the race action from the pits.

Pete has a lot of great video on his site. Go check it out.

And so it begins. The rest period is over. The cold and sore throat are long forgotten miseries. The evenings with nothing to do but read a book are soon to be a distant memory. That’s right, I’ve started. Started to get ready for the 2009 – 2010 season. No time like the present.

I’ve been back on the bike for two days now. Felt good. Felt bad. It was super nice to get the legs moving and to feel that body heat that comes from revving up the muscles. But I also felt pretty rotten. Three weeks isn’t long. But just long enough for me to forget what it feels like. I didn’t go hard at all. Just a super low mileage and focused on keeping the legs ticking over with a smooth rhythm. The upside of taking such a break in February is that I really won’t have to spend much time on the trainer. Soon enough it will be the middle of March and then April – with some luck I’ll be able to start riding outside. Have to admit I don’t mind the trainer right now – I can get caught up on Grey’s and ER….

Had an excellent session with John Z at the Ottawa High Performance Centre today. He put me through my paces, testing my flexibility and strength. I worked with John last season but this year will be different. I’ll actually be lifting and hitting the gym three times a week. I know strength training and cycling are very controversial topics. I used to be opposed to strength training, but evidence is pointing to the benefit of hitting the heavy stuff. A lot of endurance athletes stay away from the gym because they don’t want to gain weight. Well, the chances of making significant weight gains are slim to none – a lot of factors have to come into play to really build/gain muscle mass. Anyway, I’m going to give it a go. I’ll be in the gym for a long time as well. The plan is to keep lifting right through the road season. Yep – to the middle of August.

Like I said, we’re taking a totally different approach to the upcoming cyclo-cross season. Trying some different things. Some we’ll keep. Others we’ll change. And I’m sure others we’ll drop.

I’m excited to see how my body and brain respond to the new training. I’ve committed to doing what it takes to get to the next level. I’m feeling pretty darn excited right now.

I can imagine a few of you are shaking your heads. Wondering why I would make so many changes. Why I would spend time in the gym. Why a reduced road racing schedule? Why…? Well, all I can say is every athlete is an individual. A cookie-cutter approach only works for so long. An untrained person will see gains from any form of “training plan”. But once a certain level of fitness is achieved, things need to be changed and mixed up to get to the next level. This is where I’m at. Don’t worry I’ll be out at the local crits. I’ll be sprinting out of corner four with you on Tuesday nights. I just might not be at “every” race this year. I’ve got a goal and darn it, I’m going to get there.

If there is one thing I’ve learned: I can only worry about myself – I don’t have the energy to spend thinking about what others are saying/thinking about me. I can only control my situation – so I better make sure it is the best I can.

Oh, just to get your ‘cross juices flowing, the preliminary UCI cyclo-cross schedule is out….

Don’t have a lot of time this morning. Lots going on. But Marc sent me a link to a very useful/purposeful article. Grab a cup of coffee/tea, your morning snack and take a few minutes to learn about your mental muscle.

More Minds of Mentally Fit Pros

I need to get started on developing my “mental bubble”. No time like the present.

Well, it has started. The road racing season is fully underway. I know the racing season started a few weeks ago in Europe but for us living here in North America, the Tour of California kicks it all off. Lots of Canadian racers making their mark in this challenging stage race. Thanks to Cycling TV, we’re able to stay up-to-date with the racing action.

Came across this article about the women’s crit yesterday. Less so about the race, this article really highlights the differences between the pro men’s and women’s peletons. Anyway, worth a read.

Still no training for me. I had planned to start last week. But I got sick. The sore throat progressed to a double ear infection and swollen/infected lymph nodes. Sigh. So now I’m on antibiotics. Plan is to get some pedaling in late this week. I’m not in panic mode yet. More so I just want to feel my body moving again. Thinking of going to yoga tonight – don’t think it will do any harm.

Scheduled an appointment at OHPC to meet with JZ and get a strength and conditioning program worked out for the season. Plans are slowly taking shape. Looks like the mountain bike will get some good work outs this summer. I’ll be exploring some new trails (for me) in the Gatineau Park on my ‘cross bike. Doing some riding at Kanata Lakes. Getting in my share of quality road rides and races as well. It is going to be a busy spring and summer of building more fitness, more strength, increasing my technical skills, and building the all-important confidence.

Looks like all the local road teams are taking shape. Funny it is the same cast of characters, just shuffled around a bit. Some interesting new ventures. But as usual, it will be the tried and true who rise to the top. Any predictions?

To read another feature on Svein Tuft, check out today’s Globe and Mail.

Nice to see the Canadian press giving some attention to something other than hockey, baseball drug scandals and the 2010 winter Olympics.