The pieces are falling into place. Clothing design finalized and clothing being produced. Team is currently being registered. Bikes are almost ready. New equipment is on order. Training is in full swing. Registration has already opened for early season races. Travel plans are being made. Injuries are a distant memory. Nutrition is dialed and the weight is good (uh, yah I did just eat Nutella straight from the jar…). Skills training is underway and progress is coming. The brain, well it is full.

This is where I am – in full flight of the big old head game. A head game that I’m playing with myself. Yes, I know dumb. Especially considering it is August. But, this is the way I am. Crazy and intense at times. Went for ‘cross ride with Steve and Marc yesterday. We played follow the leader for a while and then set up our grid on some gravel. This is where I unraveled. I quickly became frustrated because I couldn’t keep up with the guys and that my turning wasn’t perfect. Luckily Marc noticed my disintegration and dug me out of the hole. He reminded me that it was my first time working on turns in loose terrain and that the reason I wasn’t keeping up was simply because I was pedaling more slowly then he and Steve. At times like these, Marc has to be harsh with me. It is the only way to get through my thick head. Eventually I get so pissed off that I start listening and doing things correctly.

All this to say, that the brain is so important in athletic performance. When you’re going through your checklist for cyclo-cross season readiness – don’t forget to do a brain check. New for me this season are race plans. This is a “general” plan that allows me to block out my crazy brain on race day. I have things to focus on leading up to the race start and then during the race.

Here are some links that just might help your brain:

Summit Consulting
Sportsminded

Additionally there are a number of excellent books out there:

Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior
Mistakes Worth Making

Here are some links I’ve come across in the last few days:

Fast Boy Cycles
Little Belgium Movie
Belgian Cyclo-Cross Championships
Laaste Ronde

That’s all for today. Have a good one. Make sure you get to BikeReg and start registering!

Dudes – check it out. The Ottawa Cross kit is done and is getting produced as we speak.

Massive thanks to the Fearless Leader for his tireless work on this clothing. Couldn’t have done it without you! Sorry for being high maintenance.

There are a couple of changes to the final clothing design that aren’t on this rendering – namely the Cycle-Smart logo was added to the back collar.

What do you think? I think it looks pretty hot and fast.

Massive thanks to my sponsors for making the 2008-2009 cyclo-cross season a reality.

Huh? Olympics? Why a post about the Olympics on a web site about cyclo-cross? Well, why not? Everyone I know is absorbed with the Olympics right now. This sporting spectacle brings out the athlete in everyone. It opens our eyes to sports we didn’t know existed (for me – women’s wrestling), we get to watch sports that get little to no coverage (judo, fencing, taekwon-do – to name a few), and most importantly – we draw inspiration from the Olympics.

I sit watching athletes who have given their live to their sport to make it to the big show. Wow! Not many of us can say we have devoted ourselves to one single and ultimate goal. So to watch athletes from all over the world give their best with the eyes of the world on them is something else. I don’t think pressure even describes it.

This brings me to the start of the ‘cross season… There are times when I’m out on the bike and I’m not having a good time. It is raining. I’m tired. I’m not feeling the drills. But something keeps me going. My goal of making the national team helps me get up early and get my skill sessions in. Knowing that I’ll have to race many wet races helps me stay focused on the wet grass and ignore the cold. My race schedule helps me to get through the drills and work on the “small” things that will make a big difference against the world’s best.

It really all comes down to inspiration. Olympics. Race plans. Goals. Whatever works for you – grab that nugget of inspiration and use it.

Had a solid session yesterday with Marc. We got out for a couple of hours of skills. It helps me so much to train with Marc. He has a very keen eye and catch the things that will make a big difference. We spent a lot of time on mounting the bike. Yes – mounting the bike. The faster this skill is the better. The sooner I can get my foot to the pedal, the sooner I can sprint away from you. Then we set up our turning grid and worked on fast and tight turns. Lots was accomplished. Marc really reinforced that one has to “go slow to go fast”.

Just a reminder that I’m heading to Mass. for the Cycle-Smart Cyclo-Cross camp so if you are in the Ottawa area and are interested in heading down, just drop me an email or post here on the site. It will be a good weekend of ‘cross, new and old friends, and just plain old fun.

Can you feel it? The excitement? The quiver when you walk into your garage and look at the tubulars? Yep – it is nearly cyclo-cross time.

It is amazing how cyclo-cross has grown over the last few years. I started racing ‘cross way back in 1994. Ottawa had (and still does) a very strong cyclo-cross racing schedule – every Sunday for 12 weeks. At the time it was a small group of riders but it helped launch many riders onto bigger and better racing. A number of racers who learned to race ‘cross in our “little local series” went on to be national champions. I remember going out with my Specialized Rockhopper with toe clips. That bike was heavy. Those toe clips were inconvenient. But I loved it. I eventually moved on to a Myata Alumnicross – complete with barcon shifter and a downtube shifter. Sweet. I raced ‘cross for a couple more years and then took a long break from bike racing.

But now I’m back. And it was ‘cross that got me back. I decided four years to go to race in the local series again. Wow – had it ever grown. We get over 200 riders out to the Ottawa Bicycle Club ‘cross series. The thing about this race series is that it is the most welcoming place for a new rider. Everyone is there to have fun. Lots of fans. Lots of cheering. Coffee and treats afterwards. And it is all volunteer run. Most impressive.

And now here we are – on the edge of a new season. A season that I hope for me will be big. I’ve got some big goals and a packed race schedule. But thanks to the support of my sponsors and people like you – I am brimming with excitement and confidence. I don’t know what the season will hold, only that I know I’m going into it prepared and ready.

What about you – do you have any big goals for ‘cross this year? Maybe it is to travel to a few races? Perhaps it is to race in a new category? Or maybe the goal is to go out and finish each race with a smile on your face?

I got in an excellent ‘cross ride yesterday with one of my team mates from last year. We kicked things off with some “follow the leader” and then set up the flags. Lots of twisting and turning. It is these skills sessions that I think really pay off during the race season. The body and brain are programmed to run on instinct. The corners come naturally, the dismounts and remounts flow, the sand is no longer a challenge. This is the beauty of a solid cyclo-cross race – everything just comes together and the body, brain, and bike move as one.

Here are few links to things happening on the WWW:

Looks like Boudler, CO is really on the cutting edge of cyclo-cross – check out the Valmont Bike Park.

Are you in the Ottawa area? Want to attend a ‘cross skills session? Greg Reain is hosting a ‘cross workshop.

Time to start thinking about race registration. For some of you guys, being the first to register is key – it means you’re not stuck in the back of a 100-man field. Keep your eyes on BikeReg.com.

So you’ve got the new ‘cross bike. Got some fast tires. You’ve been working on your technique. But your skinsuit is a bit tight… Take a look at The Eat Clean Diet. I don’t consider this a diet – rather it is a common sense approach to eating. I lost 15 lbs by following the Eat Clean principles. It was effortless and tasty.

Okay, I’ve got to jet. My road bike is calling my name. Coach Steve has got an interval session scheduled for today. Best I get to it. Have a good one. Enjoy the weekend.

Just got in from a great cyclo-cross training session. Me, the park, some flags and my homemade PVC piping barrier. The crisp cool air and the wet grass helped as well. I typically get out three to four times a week for cyclo-cross skills work. Depending on the location and company, these sessions vary from a hard paced “follow-the-leader” ride to more precision time spent with a small circuit.

Today I worked on uphill barrier dismounts, fast-paced downhill turns, and lots of twisting and turning in a flag grid. I set up a little circuit that allowed me to link together the key components of the session. I think this is a decent way to simulate a race scenario. Forced to deal with the speed and the thought process that is required.

It is amazing what can be accomplished in one focused hour of training. I find when training with a group, an hour isn’t adequate as the inevitable breaks and conversations happen. But don’t get me wrong – I love training with other people – I can learn from them and my limits are pushed.

How about you? What kind of training are you doing? Do you have some favorite drills you want to share?

In the racing front, here are some links to some upcoming races and series:

CrossVegas – the big show at Interbike.
North American Cyclocross Trophy – new for 2008 – 2009. So cool to see more of this.
Magog, Quebec race – this is a great race that a bunch of us from Ottawa did. The Quebec series is excellent and each race offers something different.

Yesterday a posted some links to some cyclo-cross camp… I am heading down to Mass. for the Cyclo-Smart Cyclo-Cross camp from Sept. 5 – 7. This will be the third year for me at this camp. If you are interested in the camp – have questions about it, want to hook up for a drive down – just send me an email. I always learn a lot at this weekend of ‘cross riding. The coaches are excellent. The environment is perfect.

That’s it for today. Sorry for the short post. I’m juggling a few balls in the air today! Keep the comments coming!