We are at the end. The end of our stay here in Belgium. We arrived here on Dec. 10. And now a fast two months later, we’re leaving. This has been a solid trip. It tested my will and desire. It tested my ambitions. In the end, I came out on top. My will and desire are stronger than ever. My ambition is just the same – still there with a big goal for 2009-2010 cyclo-cross season.

The racing and training here are top notch. Can’t beat the quiet country roads and bicycle paths. The best ride was perhaps a three hour jaunt along the canal. The Tues/Thurs group ride can’t be missed. The ‘cross training is the best – choose a spot: Langdorp, Kasterlee, or Averbode – each location gives you something different.

We’ve made some good friends here. At first the other races are a bit “cool” but after a few races, smiles and conversations are exchanged. By the end you’re having a coffee/warm cecemel/coke after the race and telling “race stories”. The fans – well what can I say about the Belgian fans? They cheer you, the jeer you – in the end, we are racing for them. Without the fans we couldn’t do what we do.

Going to miss this place. If we could get Murphy here, we’d stay. But “real life” beckons.

Stopped by a couple bike stores today to say our good-byes. Everyone said the same thing: “Come earlier next year. Do more racing here.” Sigh. Maybe. Hopefully.

We’ve got everything packed up. Picked up the last gifts and souvenirs. The bikes are safely stowed away in their bike boxes. We managed to cram everything into our baggage.

We’ll miss our Belgian friends. We’ve had some great times. Massive thanks to Jos and Tim for their hospitality. They opened their home to us and we’ve been in their way for the past two months. I subjected Tim to some crazy food – quinoa, scrambled eggs with dijon mustard, natural peanut butter, and a few creative chicken and beef dishes. I learned to really appreciate home made hummus – thanks to Jos. We went on some good rides. I learned some new insights from Tim about training and how to become one of the greats. I’m stoked to come back next year and hear more great stories, learn more lessons, have some more delicious meals. And most importantly share some more laughs.

I’ll be back next year – stronger, faster, smarter, and really hungry for it.

For any of you interested in nutrition and sport, check out these two articles by John Berardi: Lean Eatin’ Part I and Lean Eatin’ Part II.

John Berardi is the man behind Precision Nutrition. I’ve signed up for Precision Nutrition and will be starting on this program when I get home. From the research I’ve done about this way of eating and my own personal experience this past year with clean-eating, I think the Precision Nutrition program takes things a step further ahead.

On this site, I’ll keep you updated with my progress on the Precision Nutrition program. My goals are to loose a bit more weight and to really learn and understand how best to fuel my body for training, racing, and recovery. I’ve come along way in the past season, but there is still some fine-tuning to be done.

(By the way, I’m getting pretty excited for the 2009 – 2010 ‘cross season. My brain is refreshed and recharged and I’m really starting to want to get back training and really getting on track for my season goals.) So much better to be in this present headspace than the one I was in a while ago.

Marc finished the season in fine form – capturing 2nd place in a very hard front race. He and the leader were away from the beginning of the race putting a solid gap behind them. The course featured a couple of steep descents, some twists and turns on the bottom and a hard head section on the pavement.

It was cold and windy. But it was worth it to see Marc race so well. Super proud of him.

Marc has come a long way since our first trip to Belgium last year. Definitely an inspiration and a model for me.

Congrats Marc on an awesome ride today and a very solid 2008 – 2009 cyclo-cross season. More great things are to come for you.

The big day is here. The world champs. Very cool. Massive shout out to the Canadian team. I’m sending you my fast and speedy vibes. I know you’ll give it your all. Can’t wait to read and hear all about the experience. (Yes, I’m super jealous.)

We’re off to another race today. Marc is racing his last race of the season today. Should be a good one. One last crack of it for fun after a week of basically no riding but lots of walking. We’ve set the television up to record the races so we’ll be watching when we get back. I’ve got a few hopes for the women’s race. We’ll have to see what happens.

Wow – can’t believe the two months is almost up. Tomorrow will be nutty. Packing. Washing. Last minute gift buying. You know how it is. At least the packing to go home is easier than the packing to leave.

Might get in one last ride tomorrow. Or not. Depends on the weather. I’m supposed to be on a break right now. So hard with the weather here.

Looking forward to getting home and back to the comforts of our place on Tamarack Place. Definitely stoked to see Mr. Murphy. Not sure how much he has missed us. We’ve heard from our housesitter that Murphy has been a massive suck. Normal I suppose for a spoiled cat.

The second part of the Andy Jacques-Mayne interview is up. Go check it out.

Okay time is tick tocking away and I’ve still got a few things to do before we jump in the super van for the drive to one last race.

Have a good one. Cheer hard for the Canadians.

Well, it is the weekend of the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. A super important weekend for us racers. I really wanted to be racing this weekend. I tried. But didn’t make it. Such is life. I’ll try again for next year. So instead of spending my last week here in Belgium, resting and gearing up for the big race, I’ve taken it pretty easy.

I only rode on Tuesday and Saturday. Rest of the days were spent sightseeing – Brussels, Bruges, and Paris. A great way to spend my last week here. Though I must admit, I’d rather have been fussing with my bikes, trying to keep my nerves down and preparing for the big race. Guess I’ll just have to wait until next year.

Marc and I spent a couple of great days in Paris. You can read all about it over at Victoria’s Island. We were a bit wiped out today from all the walking and sightseeing but it was well worth it. Can’t believe how fast and easy it is to get to Paris. It took us two hours traveling by train and the TGV.

Chilled out today and did the group ride. First time we’ve ever done the Saturday group ride. There were four groups of 50 out! Amazing. The route was a bit longer and definitely faster. In fact at one point I thought I was done for as we went super hard up a hill – but luckily we settled down a bit afterwards. After a few twists and turns, I ended up riding for 3.5 hours – not bad for the rest week!

So not much else happening really. Marc is racing tomorrow so we’re off to that and then we’ll come home and watch the races on the television. Yes, the World Champs are a mere one hour from us – but we are not interested in watching the race “live” with 40, 000 other people… Monday will be busy with packing and getting ourselves sorted for the trip home.

It has been a really good two months. A hard two months. But definitely the two months I needed. A solid dose of reality. A good bit of perspective. I’ve come along way from last year but I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m reignited and ready to give it another go. The plans are coming together. Thanks for the comments and suggestions about training – very much appreciated – keep them coming.

Well, I’m off to bed. Be sure to send Team Canada some super fast vibes tomorrow. It is going to be a good day on the bike for everyone.