Sorry for not posting on Wednesday. Frankly, I was wiped out. So very tired. I had a good hard training day and I found I just didn’t have the brain cells or energy left to write anything intelligent. Sometimes it is best to err on the side of caution and not put the fingers on the keyboard – I never know what will come out!

I kicked off Wednesday with a 90 minute road ride. The work-out was innocent enough with two 10 minute tempo intervals. Have to say, I felt like dynamite during these intervals, found myself having to pull back a bit. Nice feeling to find that spark in my legs. Had a good roll around some of my favorite training routes and then it was back to the house for a bit of recovery.

This recovery was short-lived though as a couple hours later Karl and I loaded up the Peugeot and hit the open road bound for Floreal Lichtaart. At Floreal Lichtaart there is a network of 38 kilometers of mountain bike trails and included in this trail system is a designated cyclo-cross training course. The course is signed with black route markers and has everything you want/need in a training loop. Fast descents. Tight corners. Two sandy run-ups. One sandy ride-up. Open wide road for really opening up the legs. Steep sharp climbs. Swooping corners. Plenty of ruts, berms, grooves and terrain changes. All in all a pretty ideal place to train.

Wednesdays are a traditional cyclo-cross training day here. Kids don’t have school on Wednesday afternoons, so often you’ll find various teams and clubs out training at Floreal Lichtaart. This past Wednesday was no different – there were about 15 “kids” out training – age ranging from 8 to 18. There were also a variety of adults out training as well. Karl and I started riding together and then I quickly sent him on his way and he spent his time riding with various other people. We hooked up towards the end to work on a trick corner that leads into this sandy climb:

While Karl was out ripping it up with the young and old guns, I was working my way around the course. I would ride to a section and practice it three or four times and then continue along to the next section that had features I wanted to practice. I had a pretty darn good training session. I set up a little mini-loop that involved two sandy run-ups and two fast descents – all things I need to work on. I really felt the fatigue starting to set in by the end of the ride – first time I can say I’ve had my legs buckle under me when hopping off the bike to run. Yep, a good work-out.

We had a surprise visit from Tim last night. So this was great to catch-up with him and chat about everything has been going on. He gave Karl and I some more training tips – which are always appreciated. Looking forward to getting him out on some rides this year.

Here are a couple photos of the route maps posted at Floreal Lichtaart:

Today thankfully was a recovery ride. I really needed it. Normally I’m tempted to go hard on my recovery rides or to go ride in the woods. But not today. Today I just let my pedals flow nice and easy and rolled around on some fantastic twisty roads. I even took the time to snap a few pictures for you!

This is a route marker for cycling routes. Basically you simply ride along following the numbered routes. Great way to put together a training loop and mostly avoid getting lost…

This is similar but for walking. Today I saw three different groups out walking along the road and in the forest. Pretty refreshing to see people out enjoying the fresh air and getting some exercise.

One of the roads I found myself pedaling down.

So there you have it, a snapshot of my Wednesday and Thursday. This afternoon I’m off to Westerlo for a bit of walking around and to enjoy the fine Cafe Libro. Then it is off to Herentals for a doctor’s appointment – hoping to get an iron infusion today or at the very least get one scheduled. The doctor I’m seeing is the team doctor for Vacansoleil, so he is familiar with cyclists and what we need our bodies to do.

Double-header this weekend – Hasselt on Saturday and Aspere Gavere on Sunday. I’m looking forward to both races. Last year Aspere Gavere was a shock to my system in every possible manner, but this year I know what to expect so I’m looking forward to it. My focus will be to “keep pedaling”, “stay off the brake”, “eyes forward”, “keep smiling”, and “go faster”.

One week until Marc arrives! Yay!