Yesterday in Surhuisterveen – I did all three: swimming, biking, and running… Perhaps I have triathlons in my future? Yes, I went to a ‘cross race and ended up swimming.

To be quite blunt about it – I fell in the river. One moment I was riding along on the nice firm green grass and the next moment I was in the river. Completely submerged. My bike made the trip into the river with me. It was so sudden. I must have hit a root or some mud and my bike just took off to the right. Right into the river.

I couldn’t believe it. The river was deep. I couldn’t touch bottom. It was also extremely cold (particularly since I was wearing my skinsuit (with lots of white on it) and only a sleeveless (white) undershirt). I dragged myself up the river bank. This was not easy – the bank was pure mud and thorns. Hauled my bike out.

I wasn’t far from the pit so I walked to the pit. No way I was going to get back on my bike and risk falling into the river again! What a sight I must have been. Marc knew something was up and was at the edge of the pit. Apparently all I said was “I fell in the river!”. Marc tried to give me his coat but I didn’t want to get it all wet and for him to get cold. (Later he told me he wanted me to take the coat because the white on my skinsuit and undershirt – were now see-through… Luckily I was wearing a black bra…)

I walked back to the car. I got a lot of stares and comments from spectators. Not only was I soaked but I was bleeding a lot. I scraped up both my legs quite badly on the thorns and whatever else what was in that darn river. Crazy Canadian – goes to a ‘cross race in Holland and falls in the river.

I don’t want to mislead you and make you think that the course was unsafe. It was completely safe. I made a poor decision. There were two options for the section where I crashed – ride in the greasy mud along a thorny bush or ride on the firmer green grass kind of closer to the edge of the river bank. I chose the green grass because I knew it would be faster – not once did I think there was potential for a swim!

After getting cleaned up and packing the super van, Marc and I chilled out in a nice little bakery and had some lunch. We watched a bit of the elite race and then started the trip home. We made our way to Amsterdam but didn’t stop – the timing wasn’t quite right.

Marc rode really well and finished 8th yesterday. If it hadn’t been for a pit debacle he would have been 5th…. I was supporting both Ed and Marc in the pit. No problem, I’m used to supporting two riders. Ed pitted – he had a problem with a cable. So I got his bike over to the super powerful power washer (yes, Rob, people were still losing stickers off their wheels…) and got his bike cleaned. This took a while since I had to let someone else do it. This was a double pit. Marc’s bike was on the wrong side of the pit. I see the leaders coming. I start to run. I see Marc. He looks like he is going to pit…. I run faster. But not fast enough. Marc is in the pit. Standing there. His bike is on the other side of the pit. (A few words were shouted. Much to the amusement of the others in the pit…) Marc got his bike and rode super well to finish 8th (but should have been 5th…). By the way – Marc beat the Belgian National Champ yesterday! So I’m happy to say that at least Marc had a good ride.

So that was the trip to Holland. Not what I expected. I kind of wrote a race report…

Dudes, can you believe this amazing journey is almost over? In January 2008 I set a big goal – to represent Canada at the 2009 World Cyclo-Cross Championships. This goal did a lot for me. It really changed me – internally and externally. It gave me a real purpose. A reason to make the sacrifices and to keep pushing deep. I felt like I had a real reason for being.

This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time. Reason for being. Why am I here and what am I supposed to do with this life? I so badly needed/wanted to make a difference that I would get stressed out when I couldn’t figure out how I was supposed to make a difference in this world. I tried writing the great Canadian novel. I volunteered. I have a World Vision sponsor child (Daniela Nicole who lives in Colombia). I considered quitting my job and moving to a “developing country” to volunteer. I really was at a crossroads. I truly believe that I was put here to do something special. I just couldn’t figure out what it was. I looked for signs. I hunted for meaning.

Guess what – I finally figured it out. This past year has been it. This is what I was supposed to do (for now). I set a goal. I worked hard and stayed focused on the path to the goal. I became engrossed in this goal. The goal made me a better person – more considerate of others, more appreciative of the people around me, and more thankful for this gift that I have. This goal made me a better person.

Yes, I struggled at times. I wanted to quit. I wanted to give up. At times it seemed “too hard” or “impossible”. But I kept going. I told myself I couldn’t quit because of you. I told you I was going to do it and even if I didn’t achieve my goal, at the end of the day I’d be able to say I did everything I could. I became impassioned. I had focus. Structure. Meaning.

Funny. This goal. That had nothing to do with ending world hunger, achieving world peace or making sure every kid starts and ends the day with food and happiness. Seems like it did do this in a off-beat kind of way. Maybe I inspired you to set a goal. And through that goal you made changes that made you live better. Perhaps someone else saw you making changes, this person became inspired and decided to “go for it” and do that one thing he always wanted.

Imagine what this creates. A real “pay it forward”. Everyone is making small steps towards their goal. This creates change. The trickle down effect is astounding.

As you know I didn’t achieve my goal. This was hard. I had setbacks. I spent part of the season rather listless. Trying to figure out the point of everything. I wanted to quit. I tried damn hard to quit. But luckily I have you guys. I received some amazing emails, comments and messages. You kept me in this crazy game. I thank-you. You made my goal seem so much more achievable thanks to your confidence.

It really does take a community.

Not everyone wants to “change the world”. This doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have purpose – purpose that only you can determine and define for yourself.

Marc and I were talking about the snowball effect over supper. (A fine supper at Sultan’s…) The snowball effect is essentially the idea of letting things build and build until ostensibly you have a snowball. To use this as a verb: one is snowballing. Now this is not a good thing. This is a negative thing, this snowball effect. It is dangerous and if one is not careful, it can drag you down.

I struggle with avoiding the snowballs. Generally I’m fairly optimistic. But in times of stress and uncertainty, I can definitely let things build and turn into a massive snowball. This is one of my goals for 2009 – to put the snowball effect to rest. No more for me. It won’t be easy, but I think really keeping things in perspective and remembering to be appreciate what I have and have done will go far in preventing the abominable snowball.

On the topic of snow – it is finally melting here in Belgium. We had a fine day of plus 5. Got in a pretty smooth ride outside. Found some new roads. Pedaled along some of my favorite roads. Generally had a great time on the bike. Got soaked but luckily I was wearing my trusty MEC waterproof pants. Gotta love those sealed seams. Followed the ride up with a most excellent yoga session. The yoga via DVD is good but I do miss my regular hot power classes – there is something about the heat that is so soothing.

On Sunday I went to Kasterlee and rode with Marc. This is a pretty sweet place to train. Fully marked cyclo-cross loop that is 2.5 km long. Not sure what the terrain is really like since we were riding in snow. There are some good climbs, fast corners, and lots of dodging of trees.

Just getting the details sorted out for Surhuisterveen. Hotel is booked. Same place we stayed last year – the hotel with the bowling alley attached to it. I do remember the excellent buffet breakfast we had last year. One thing I do like about European hotels are the breakfasts. So we are heading out tomorrow, racing Wednesday and then we are going to Amsterdam for some touring around. A pretty good way to spend the day.

The World Cup in Roubaix is on Sunday. This will be my last ‘cross race of the season. So far the plan is for Marc and I to go to Roubaix on Thursday to pre-ride (he can’t come to this race since he is racing in Belgium on Saturday and Sunday).

So that’s all the action there is to report here in Belgium. Had a fun time at the market in Heist-Op-Den-Berg. Check out Victoria’s Island for some pictures and a details of the trip.

Massive congrats to Nikki Harris on being selected to the Great Britain team for the Cyclo-Cross World Champs in Hoogerheide. Check out the article about Nikki on Pezcycling.

Friday ended up being pretty darn good and Saturday was equally solid. Didn’t ride on Friday. Took the day off from the bike. Did some yoga – 30 minutes of core work followed up by 30 minutes of power yoga. Not bad for a rest day. Had a pretty chilled morning and afternoon. Marc and I hit the road looking for a little adventure.

We weren’t sure what or where. We just knew we wanted some excitement. Not in the mood for cities or shopping, we chose Baarle-Nassau or is that Baarle-Hertog. This place is difficult to describe. It is a community of both Belgians and Dutch. Parts of the town are in Belgium and other parts are in Holland. We were pretty curious to check out the community. We got there in the dark so we couldn’t see much but we wandered around a bit, had a tasty meal of pancakes and made our way home. Fascinating conversation with the waitress at the restaurant. A smooth way to cap off a pretty good Friday.

Marc and the Map

Curious Marc

Another frosty day here in Belgium. But I wasn’t interested in the trainer. Two pairs of shoe covers. Two hats. Two pairs of gloves. Three shirts. One jacket. One pair of bib shorts. One pair of bib tights. One pair of wind-breaker type pants. One helmet. One iPod. One fleece neck tube.

Two hour ride. A great ride. Discovered some new roads. Checked out some cool little towns. Enjoyed the fresh air. Listened to my latest audio book. Pedaled along with a big goofy grin on my face. Saw one dude in shorts – he was running. Those crazy runners – can’t trust them!

I could have gone longer. The cold was not really getting to me. But my chest was a bit cold. So two hours was good. Much better than the garage. Gobbled down some lunch and then hit up the shops with Tim and Jos. Fabulous second hand bookstore, Prik and Tik (bulk discount drinks place) and the health food store. Busy but productive. Picked up a couple of new to me books and two old copies of National Geographic. The bookstore had National Geographics dating back to 1974!

Second Hand Books

Mmm, books

Pricey Drinks

Just chilling out now watching 21. Tomorrow is looking promising as well. Going to check out the famous market in Heist-Op-Den-Berg, chased by a ride at Kasterlee and then flake out on the couch to watch the Belgian ‘Cross Champs. I’m cheering for Vervecken. Go Erwin!

Yep, still here in frosty Belgium. Sorry for not posting on Thursday. Just didn’t really have much to say. (Not sure if I have much more to say today – but you know me – I can talk/write.)

After two days of trainer riding in the garage I cracked and went outside. I’m cool with trainer rides – in fact I do super epic ones at home during the “off-season”. But there is something different between riding in my basement with a fan, heat, a bigish television, and wearing only shorts and a bra and my Belgian trainer reality: trainer in the freezing cold garage, laptop propped up on the washing machine, wearing legwarmers, thermal shirts, gloves, and shoe covers.

See not really the samething. In fact a totally different trainer experience. So that’s why I decided to ride outside on the wet gritty roads. I bundled up but not enough. My legs actually got cold. And my feet well, my toes were in agony. The roads were so wet that my shoe covers were basically useless. My toes looked like red strawberries! Oh well, makes you stronger right?

No racing this weekend with the national champs happening everywhere. We are thinking of checking out a cool looking cafe in Ramsel on Sunday to watch the race at. I say cool looking because the cafe has a massively large flat screen television and leather couches. Anyway, we’ll see.

This has been an odd week. Nice to have a break from the racing. But with the weather being less than ideal for long training rides, the week hasn’t lived up to expectations. In fact the group ride didn’t even happen. I was really looking forward to this. But I suppose in the long run it is still better than the alternatives.

Not sure what today holds. Darn cold again. Yoga probably. Knitting. We may go out and do some exploring. Marc is out on an important errand right now. Buying a headlight bulb for the super van. Got pulled over by the police yesterday for said burned out bulb. Luckily we met a very friendly police officer. He was interested in the cyclo-cross and then let us go without a fine or ticket. Nice!

It’s funny really. For most cyclists in Canada they are in the first phase of getting ready for the road season. Dreading the trainer and convincing themselves to do the work-out. Some riders substitute cross-country skiing with trainer time. Others do nothing and hope for the best. And me? Well, I have only two races left. I’ll most likely keep riding until we leave – assuming the weather warms up. If it stays cold, I’ll talk to Coach Steve about my break… Then when I get home, it will be back on the trainer and time to build for 2009. I don’t have many goals mapped out for the 2009 road season yet. I do know that I’m going to change up a few things and add in some mountain bike time. (I meant to do this last year but didn’t…. Well, now I really can see that I need to.)

I like to race. But I also understand that racing doesn’t necessarily make you stronger. Guess I’ll have to sit down and determine what I want out of my road season and see how this meshes with my cyclo-cross goals. Almost time to start thinking big picture again. Strangely, I think this will be a tough season of training. Harder than last season. Why? Well, because last year I had no choice but to make huge gains (which I did). This year my fitness is pretty good, it still needs to improve but I think my real improvements on the road and ‘cross bikes will come from the “hard to define aspects of bike racing”. Brains. Grit. Focus. Luck. Determination.

You know that guy. The guy who is just a smart, hard bike racer. Well, I need to become that guy. This is more than power to weight ratio. This is what makes bike racing so damn beautiful.