School stuff and riding

Had a fun time at the loop ride on Tuesday. Good to see so many familiar faces again. Legs were not quite there, as expected. But had some fun anyways. Drove out to Perth on Wednesday for a orientation thing for school. Spent a few hundred bucks on books, got my student id, and took full advantage of the free food. Got home, rode the tt bike up to the Bourn's cottage. Super hot out, and unfortunately got a little caught out by the wicked thunder storms. Riding along, looked around and realized just how black the sky was, then the lightning started, then the wind. Serious wind too. From all over, even got out of the aero bars cause it was getting a little sketch. Then the rain hit, real hard. Soaked me completely in about 10 seconds. Luckily I was only about 15 minutes from the cottage, and most drivers seemed too scared to drive in these conditions. Had a nice evening relaxing at the cottage, then rode home this morning. Again, caught in some rain. But thought ahead and went Belgian. Brought a rain cape even though it was sunny when I started. Today gotta try to figure out some math and buy many tools. Yes, the tools sound much more fun to me too. Relaxing weekend of training and hanging out at the cottage should be good. And then classes start Tuesday for me. Gotta move too. Lame. Next step in the day: coffee and some pants. Ciao

home

Made it. After so many hours in planes, on a train, and of course in airports being searched and questions, I made it. Had a bit of a fun time explaining to the Canadian customs official that yes I spent nearly 3 months in Europe but had only $20 worth of stuff to claim. I offered to show him my bank statements to prove that even if I could have fit more in my suitcase, I could not afford it. The 6 beer I did bring back had already cost me an extra 25 Euro due to them putting my bike bad overweight. 3.5 kilos over the limit! But I made it. Nice flight overall, personal TVs, and of course the wonderful direct London to Ottawa flight. Haven't really unpacked per se, really more of simply rooting through the bags for anything I need. Got a nice 1.5 hours on the tt bike this morning and the legs felt quite decent. Quick stop by the shop to say hello to the boys (and Jenny) and then family stuff to take care of. Little tired this aft for sure though, I think a nap will be in order before re-assembling my bike and then a decision on the park ride will be made. I think I will at least head over there to say hey, see how the legs feel when we get going. Good to see many of you already, home to see more soon. But don't bother me during my nap. No one likes a cranky Sandy.

last day

Here it is. My last day. Time does fly. This is important for several reasons:
a) I have to go back to real life, ie. school, work, not napping when I feel the need (maybe...)
b) School. Weird to think about that again.
c) People will be addressing me in English again.
d) I have to pack several times in the next few days. I hate packing.
There it is. Hope you all enjoyed reading these posts. Not to worry, they will continue. Maybe with slightly less consistency (ie. not every day). I have had a ridiculously good time these last few months and have learned more than I probably even know at this point in time. It is for sure not the last Europe and Belgium, more specifically, have seen of this Canuck. Got my last Belgian ride for the season in this morning. Just cruised for 2 hours. No particular route, no training goal, just to cruise some of my favourite local training roads and of course to ride some cobbles. I had to. Got home, gave the ol' Stevens Vuelta (thanks Peter) a nice cleaning and packed her up in the nice blue bag from the Cyclery (thanks Vince). Now I fully need to thank many people for helping to get me over here, and many more should be thanked but I will undoubtedly forget a few. Vince and the Cyclery crew for employing me and then allowing me to skip work for almost 3 months. Peter, John and the rest of the Wheelers for helping to show me the ropes of bicycle racing, and of course Peter specifically for the bike. My parents for supporting me in this crazy current career choice and my general reluctance in life to follow the beaten path. Ross and the rest of the group on the Seenite bursary board, the bursary has helped to fund this entire trip. And of course the Ottawa cycling crowd in general. Both with your donations to such things as the bursary to your general support of young cyclists here is unsurpassed. Every one has some advice, some words of wisdom, or at very least a story to share. Now perhaps I'll be able to pass some wisdom along. This is not the last of my adventures, it has only momentarily quenched the thirst. My first words of advice, go out and take a chance. Try something over your head, and don't look back.
For now, I need to crack a cold one to help with this packing and cleaning. Sorry if I went a little deep for a blog, not sure on internet protocol for that. People deserve thanks, and I'll be sure to do some of that in person when I get home. I have heard through the grapevine that it is a loop ride on Tuesday, and I will try to be there. Legs or no legs.

"It never gets easier, you just go faster." - Greg Lemond

2 days

Basically my dream bike. Merckx frame, full campag, with Deda accessories.

On of the old strong men of cycling. Micheal Boogaard. Retiring this season.

David Millar's spare Scott Addict.

Nice day today, stayed up a little late with Santiago last watching Superbad, enjoying a few pizzas, and generally hanging out. Needless to say, I stayed in bed a little late this morning. After a good breakfast, we hit the road up to Knokke-Heist for the start of the Eneco Tour. Spent most of the morning there, hanging out with the pro teams and the riders. Parading through the parked cars and buses, checking out the sweet bikes and greeting the riders as they headed off to the sign-in. Pretty cool though, to be able to touch the bikes, talk to the riders and generally explore. What other sport can you get this close to the athletes? That is one of the reasons this sport is so loved here in Europe, you can go right up to your favourite star, tap him on the shoulder and then pose with them for a photo and a signature. Kids run all over the place with little books to collect signatures and trading cards. Old men debate bikes and who will win, and most likely why non of them could beat Eddy Merckx! Pretty cool experience for sure. Got some close looks at some pretty wicked bikes, talked some tech, wished luck to a select group of riders... And found out that I couldn't say hello to the only Canadian of the Pro-Tour (Micheal Barry) as he was not racing. Also tried to find Kiwi Julian Dean, thought it would hilarious to bring kiwi Mike a picture of Julian wearing my Kiwi Mike's hat. Again, no luck though. Sorry Kiwi. After a quick lunch, set out for a nice 2 hour spin in the sun. Get the legs moving and take advantage of the few riding days I have left here in Belgium for this year. Followed it up with a wicked dinner (seriously one of my best) of Mediterranean rice with fresh veggies, steamed broccoli and salmon with fresh dill and lemon. Wow. Best part, the whole deal must have cost me about 2 Euro total. For now, movie time. Tomorrow should bring a nice morning ride, and then a wonderful afternoon of packing and cleaning. Wait, thats not wonderful. I hate packing. Well, time to procrastinate packing, see most of you pretty soon.

Last race report from Belgium..for now

Last race is done. And I went down in flames. Was actually quite upset with myself originally. Got popped from the group somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour. I wanted to leave on a high note. I had distinct goals for the race, I was to: right smartly aggressive (ie. at the front, go with dangerous moves) and most importantly I was to make the break. That is something I have wanted to do. But have always spent myself in the wrong moves. But the more I thought about how I got got dropped, the more I realized how I had accomplished my goals and how much I had learned, not only today - but during my stay.
I used as many of the tricks I have learned as possible. I got to the line, backed myself right into the front with confidence, nodded a few hellos to riders I recognized. And then went. Fought hard, took a good hip check early while fighting for the top 10 spot I knew I wanted. But didn't back down, in fact just looked over and moved my bars up and a head of his. Checkmate, the spot is mine. The first few laps were hectic, many attacks going, but nothing too threatening. Followed the attacking wheels, but stayed out of the wind myself as the whole pack continued to be dragged along single file. Moved up in corners or out of the wind. But generally just stayed at the front. Got up in a few attacks, but nothing stuck long. Finally the move went. You could tell, 10 is generally the magic number here. If a break has 10 decent guys (everyone knows whom must be there) it will probably stick. Usually starts with 2-3 attacking, then 2 more bridge up, then 2 more... Until the group is large enough to motor away. That is what was happening. I went. The gap was already decent, so I probably should have gone earlier, but it was now or never. Two guys from Beveren (Quick Step development team) stuck themselves to my wheel, and would not pull through as they already had a teammate up the road. I buried myself in the wind to get across, but I made it. I touched the break. Unfortunately, I latched on right on the longest of the cross wind sections. So my stay was not long lived. But I had made it. Pop. Back towards the peleton, which was quite far back at this point. Tried to recover with some deep breaths. The field came by quite some time later, single file death line. Latched myself on. But could only hold on for about 5-10 minutes. Before exploding. The pack would not slow up to give me the recovery I so desperately needed. Apparently someone was missing the move, and wanted to be there bad. In the end, the break stuck, winning over the field (which got pulled a lap early) by about 5 minutes. And as I sat, I realized this. That is what racing is about: pushing yourself, making yourself uncomfortable and then learning from it. That is how you get stronger, and that is how you improve. Still not able to win here, but have learned some of the lessons that will help me come back stronger later. I know what must be done over the winter to help bring me to that level. For now, its back home for me. Time for a new school, more new experiences and a whole lot of training. But maybe a break from the bike first. I'm off to go watch the pros at work, maybe I'll get some good pictures today. Going with Ann, Bernard and Santi to watch the start of Stage 3 of the Eneco Tour of Belgium. Maybe some more free schwag to stuff my suitcase with?

The final countdown

Its on. One more race remains in Belgium. Kermis tomorrow, then a couple of days watching the Tour of Belgium and riding. Monday morning back home. How time has flown. Its been so long, yet so not long enough at the same time. Nice day today. Not really gorgeous weather, but Belgian. Not quite rain, but sprinkled and generally threatened all day. Nice 2 hours in along the canals. Bunch of sprints to get the legs going. Oh, and I got a haircut. The people (you folks) have spoken. Call me mullet man. Was almost difficult to get though. The hair cutting lady next door doesn't really speak much english. Tried to describe it first as "shorter on top and sides, but longer in back". Yes, yes came the reply. But I wasn't convinced, so grabbed a Belgian news mag from a stand and pointed at a picture of Tom Boonen on the front. Ah, now she understood. And laughed. Got it done though. I feel more Euro already. Plus I feel fast. We'll test that theory tomorrow at the race. I will make the break tomorrow. Last race. Now or never.
Spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with Bernard and Santi. Discussed plans for the Center for next season, and cycling in general. Things are good in life right now. I have my offer to return next season. Ideally as Bernard put it, for a little longer - and earlier in the season. And to be honest, I'd love to. We'll have to see about how feasible it will be, but I have expressed my interest. First, I have to get home first. Get back out to a NRC crit - the "real world" I came from. It will be a little weird adjusting to normal society again, yet alone North American society. Many things that are funny to 20 young cyclists packed into a house for too long may not be funny to the rest of you. Or so I'm told; I'm still laughing over some of the conversations and games. All I'll say is I'm bringing a jock next time. Maybe I'll watch some more Seinfeld to re-teach myself the rules of normal society. I will consider putting up a picture of the new haircut, but to be honest I am debating shrouding it in a cloud of mullet secrecy. Much better surprise that way. Not sure yet, things to ponder. For now, it is somehow 9pm already. I'm partying it up here, enjoying a nice fresh glass of lemon water having just stuffed my laundry in the machine. Perhaps if I really feel crazy, I might even... I don't know anymore. But don't worry, we'll make up for it when I get back with a rockin party. Ciao

One more race

Thats what remains for me. One more Kermis tomorrow. Get a nice ride in today, 4:30 race tomorrow. Should be good. Time to go out with another good race. For now, the house is quite empty. Two of us North American's left here. Last couple days have been busy, loosing 2 guys a day. Weird having so much emptiness in a house this size you used to share with so many. On the plus side, I am bursting with food right now. Had steak last night. I didn't buy steak. Salmon tonight, perhaps with some of the 18kg of frozen veggies that apparently everyone bought, but never even opened. Odd to know that my stay here is coming to a close. I have learned so much in my time, and as Bernard pointed out, I will probably need most of the winter to digest much of it and figure it all out. Perhaps I'll learn a few more tricks tomorrow, or perhaps at the ENECO Tour. Going to go watch some of the Pro-Tour ENECO Tour of Belgium should be cool. Not every day you are in the country where a Pro-Tour race paces within a 1 hour ride of your house on several occasions. Going to go watch the start one day and the finish another day with Ann and Bernard. For now, working on a few movies, and time for a ride.

Phew

The race is done. Almost 200 started, about 40-50 finished. We got 5th and another top 15. But we had to earn it. Proud to say I lasted longer than a long portion of the field, and could have made it much further I feel (I had some pretty good legs) if not having my duty called on. Basically the story goes like this, flats. And lots of them. We had 3 leaders on the road with the rest of us riding as needed. Poor Bruno, one of our leaders on the road, flatted 3 times. This is where I come in. But I guess I'll start a little closer to the start of the day...
Wicked sketch neutral start through these narrow streets in town with tons of corners. Plus the fact that there was 200 guys all fighting for front real estate, which was quite limited. Luckily I used my new Belgian riding skills with some prowess by hopping sidewalks, squeezing gaps, riding on bike paths and generally playing spectator slalom. Wicked. Finally the real race got underway and I worked hard to maintain a position close to the front, basically keeping myself in sight of one of the Belgian riders from the team at all times. Took some risks a few times, lots of concrete traffic furniture around and plenty of bike paths to exploit! Felt mostly comfortable, in that weird going hard and fast racing kind of way, and had decent position when we hit the first cobbled sections. Luckily these cobbled sections had bike paths along each side, unfortunately the whole pack saw them too so we squeezed the entire pack onto bike paths. Oh well. This is where stuff started hitting the fan, about 1 hour in. The flats started. Me and Santiago were designated as transport personnel, basically falling back to the back of the back when an incident would happen and then tow the dude back up to the front. Nice. Now the problem arises when an important rider flats at a bad time, like say when we are 10km out from the Kemmelberg. Poor Bruno. But he made it back to the pack, where I was sitting on the back waiting. Now it is not crazy hard to just sit on, you are breathing hard and hurting, but that hurt is nothing compared to sticking yourself out in the wind, dropping it into your 11t cog and haulin butt up a single file death line to the front. Luckily to prove why I was suffering so hard, Bernard came on the radio to announce that Beveren 200 (Quick Step's development team) had set up their train on the front to drill it to both set up their leaders and finish off a break. Nice. Apparently it is hard to hold this pace in line, but incredible hard to try and move faster in the wind then a train of pros. Lesson learned. Probably should have pulled Bruno into the shelter of the death line sooner and waited until stuff calmed down a bit. But I decided to try and simply get him up to Santiago, who I could see up the line. Got about half way before I detonated. Nothing in the tank, into the caravan, tried to jump on a bumper but was completely cooked. Job done. Day not done. Rode into the feed zone just before the Kemmel, changed into some warmer clothes, fresh bottles and set off to make it back to the finish along the course. In the end, long day, good day. Learned a lot, especially about bringing riders up and moving around. For now, time to relax. Do a nice morning ride I think then the afternoon perhaps in Brugges with some of the boys who are leaving soon. We'll see. Gotta use my final bus trip from my pass. Ciao

its on

Last minute post. Its on. The race is a go. Got my call up. Time to rip off some legs. Received my suitcase and team track suit, just gotta pack and put my legs up for the evening. Luckily I worked today as if it were a pre-race day anyways. Terrible weather so did my ride on the rollers with some high cadence and big gear leg openers. Had a wicked good pre-race meal of kangaroo steak, potatoes, and veggies. Time to get the legs up. Here's to a good race!

The return of rain

So weather shows a steady downward spiral for weather here in the next few days. Summer is done in Belgium. Some pretty serious rain on the way for tomorrow's race too. House getting a little empty lately, and my food cupboard is starting to get ridiculously full again. My excitement is high, and I'm raring to race. I need/want a really good race to leave on. Don't care about finishing position in the end, just want to get myself to the front and ideally off the front. Suffer like I have never suffered before. If I DNF, I want to know that there was nothing else I could have done. I only have 1 week left on this season's European oddessy. Its time to put everything I have learned together, give me some winter training motivation. In other news, bigs ups to the Keir/Jamie train in Elliot Lake. Always pumps me up a bit in the morning to listen to Nate's ritual belittling of Santiago and to go check on the weekends results from some races back home. Hope the boys did well in Montreal-Quebec too. Considering riding the rollers today, but will talk to Bernard first to get the final word on tomorrow's UCI. Cold and rainy here, don't want to get sick like much of the rest of the house at this point of the season. For now, time to relax a bit with a movie on this rainy Belgian morning, perhaps another coffee....

Recon riding

Set out with members of the Cycling Center team for the recon ride today of this Tuesday's UCI race. Loaded up the team van with bikes, wheels, and myself, Peter, Jim, Bruno, and Santi. And I just need to say, this race will be cattywompus. The course is hard. There seems to be very little actually flat. More rollers really. Plus the real climbs, which was what we went out to see. Our man for the day will be Steven Van Vooren. A top Belgian. The dude is fast. And so is everyone else racing. Other than me and Santi, this is mostly made up of the A team. Steven was third here last year and is looking for the win. Not sure if I'm racing yet, that decision will be made today. Basically the race consists of a local "parade lap", 2 loops, then into some local finishing circuits, Kermis style. The 2 loops are what we focused on, cause that is where the race will be made. Particularly one section. The Monteberg and Kemmelberg. We hit the Monteberg first, a long tough paved climb of a little over a km. Its hard cause its not consistent. Goes steep then flatter, over and over. Plus will be made harder as everyone will fight like dogs for position leading into it, and then even more going over it cause right after a very short descent... you hit a hard left onto The Kemmelberg. Rough corner onto the cobbled climb of Gent-Wevelgem fame. And pretty rough cobbles up it. Gotta hold the speed and push a big gear. Hold on for dear life then sprint over the top and onto the cobbled descent. Nice right hand corner at the bottom on the cobbles and then that is where the the pace will get even higher to really splinter whatever is left of groups. Then rollers to the next climb on the loop (can't remember the name, but it hurt) and back to do it again. I know I m not as fast as many, so the key for me will be position and suffering if I race. Position near the front so I can fall back a few spots and not have to sprint as hard over the tops, and suffer like a dog to hold wheels and not have to chase. Simply because the pace will only get harder for a while after the climbs. If you are off, you are probably not getting back on. Time to cross your eyes and hold that wheel. Needless to say I was tired last night. Three hours easy today, and then we'll find out the plan. We're getting down to the wire here in Belgium, so I need a wicked race or 2 here in Belgium before I leave. Time to lay it on the line. Ciao

shenanigans , tom-foolery, and cattywompus

Pannakoken time! Jim is excited. Peter, mildly confused.

Vince, more top-sporter than excited.

Meet Scott Wenzel, new owner of blue steel. Ladies watch out.

Football match. Go Brugges!

Things got dangerous with this game. Tensions ran high.

Wicked day in Belgium. Especially for a day involving no biking, whatsoever. For a day that was originally looking a little bland and full of nothing, it certainly turned out pretty flippin' good. Started off normal enough, a little breakfast and internet. But then stuff, went further into the cool zone. House cleaning. Thats right, thats just how crazy we roll around here. Oh wait, cool started next with a massive pannakoken cook off and team brunch. Everyone brought some pancake related supplies and master chef Peter whipped it together on a massive assembly line. We had banana, chocolate, and pineapple kiwi pancakes. Topped off with a massive spread of fruits, jams, honey, syrop... Needless to say, it was wicked good. Little clean up, quick shower then boarded a bus with Jim into Brugges. Weather wasn't top notch, but things were looking good. Jim showed me what is without a doubt the best coffee shop in Belgium. Wicked cool kinda gypsy place... Incredible coffee. You order a coffee, and they give you a spread (ice cream, pudding, whipped cream...). You even get like 12 kinds of sugar for your coffee. De Medici. Remember the name. Plus then we met a nice lady from Hertberge at the bus stop who recognized us and gave us a ride home from Oostkamp in her car. Had a cool conversation, as she wanted to practice her English and learn about Canada and the US.
After this afternoon, back home to prepare for... the football match! Uncle Heert, the PR guy and one of the big guys who works with the team, had 7 tickets into the VIP box for the Klub Football Brugges match! Loaded up the fun bus, and headed at warp speed to the pitch. Check out the lingo I'm learning... Thats cool. Got into our box, where we figured we not only the only English speakers, the only sober people, but also the only people around with salaries less than 1 million Euro's a year. Wicked game, we (Brugges) won 3-2 on a penalty kick goal in the second half. Many seriously drunk Belgians partied like they had just won the World Cup. We sipped water with our dozens of free drink tickets. Cause we're top sporter and potentially racing a very important UCI race soon. Today should be a recon ride for the UCI race and a run to the fruit stand. Good stuff to come. Time to get competitive again. But for now, here's some pics...

Bad day in the saddle

Upset with myself and the race. Started off well enough, second row on the line. We went from the gun. Super windy and cross windy. New with super curvy narrow roads for most of the race how important is would be to stay near the front. Spent the first 2-3 laps top 15, following moves and generally riding aggressively with my teammate Jim. This guy is an awesome strong rider, one of the full season dudes. After a few laps my mind wandered a bit and I started to focus on the hurt instead of what needed to be done. And I drifted back. And this is where the race got painful. I was no longer cornering well, letting gaps go, plus having to close other gaps, I was sprinting from the corners badly - no jump and my timing was off. Overall a bad day. Lasted about an hour before getting popped with a small group and then not being able to close this new gap. Like I said, I was not happy. Needless to say, I will be taking a nice easy day away from the bike today. Taking the bus into Brugges with Jim. Sit on some patios and relax for the afternoon. No time to dwell on the past, gotta take the lessons and come back angry and strong for the next race. I need to get more aggressive fighting for wheels sometimes. Thats it. Not much else to say, really pretty upset with myself and my performance. I know I have the legs to do better right now. Just gotta focus. Only 10 days left here in Europe for this season, gotta make the most of it. Gotta go back with a few more decent races in me. I'll talk to Bernard today and see how many more races I can squeeze in. Hopefully 2-3 more would be good, but honestly I'd rather leave with one more really good race than 3 half-asses ones. Perhaps a few drinks with my sports psyc Nicky are in order when I get home?

Sun rain wind, just missing snow from this day...

Quite the day today... Got up this morning to a wicked sunny day. Windy, even more than usual in Belgium, but hey... I can deal with the wind. Nice slow morning of breakfast and coffee, some conversations with the dwindling rider membership and the usual email and internet check. Set out on the ride about 11 with the intention of riding up to Maldegem to find the Belgian National tt championships to watch for a bit. Sunny and warm, what could be better? But man, that wind was strong today! Did my leg openers in preparation for tomorrow's race, and suddenly the weather began to change... Looked behind me and saw the sky darkening towards home. Never a good sign, and on one of only 2 days so far in Belgium I have not brought my rain cape with me. And of course I was already arriving in Maldegem, the furthest point from home on my ride. Decided to skip the tt, and work my way home. Not to interested in being caught out in the rain without a rain cape. Headwind home - no worries, at least my legs felt good today! Made it home, luckily for the Ipod and camera in my pockets, had a quick sandwich for lunch and then off for the nap. Definitely feeling pretty tired today... No sooner had I lay down when the skies opened up. Luckily, I had been home about 30 minutes... Sandy 1, weather 0. Knock on wood. Awesome fish and rice dinner with some fresh greens, and I feel ready to race again. Time to get off the front and get in a good race. I feel my legs are strong right now, and looking to hurt some Belgians. Plus gotta put in a good race to look good for the selections for the next UCI! Couple of sick guys around the house still too, so gotta be careful. From looking at the weather coming up here, it appears that summer is done in Belgium. Should be alright for me, as I definitely feel better in the somewhat cooler and less humid temperatures. But I would definitely be ok with some sun for the race tomorrow. Only a few days remaining in Euro mullet count 2007...

Apparently Holland is also windy

Wicked ride today, legs felt nice and fresh after the day off. Got the word that 4 hours was the thing to do. Went a little longer as I just felt so good and lost track of time. Kept the pace easy, the cadence high as I spun out to the coast (Knokke-Heist) and then continued north along the coast of the North Sea up into Holland. Hard to actually tell when I made it in, kind of like going between provinces back home. No real "border", just some signs. But I was on a bike path along the coast, so I didn't even realize it until I noticed the local bars were advertising Palm instead of Jupiler as the local cheep brand. Checked a map to confirm, and then set out exploring a bit. Wicked wind all day, especially on the way home coming off the sea. But the weather held out with sunny patches even coming through from time to time. Even managed to find some new Power Tap batteries on the way home so that I can use the stupid thing again! Life is good. Got home, showered, ate, and then watched the finale of today's stage of the Tour of Deutshland. Jens Voight is seriously THE man. Dropped all the climbers including little Damiano Cunego on the final climb to finish second on the stage. That man can suffer. I will try to picture his suffering face during the race on Thursday to keep me going and racing. I think my new racing mantra or moto will be, "what would Jens do?". Kind of enjoying the craziness of the house right now with people packing and leaving, mostly cause I am not. I can simply ride, relax, and avoid that stress and hassle for the next little bit.
Also, for the last couple of days, I have actually been looking forward to riding my time trial bike and racing a tt when I get home. This is quite odd for me, as I hate time trials. Could be worse cravings.

Rest, recovery & bbq

Easy day today. Which is nice, cause my legs were dead this morning. Even slept in a bit until 8! Quick breakfast then off on the shop run. Kept well below budget (meat, fruit, & veggies) due to my currently overflowing supplies of staples... Wicked. I am actually quite impressed with how well I have been eating, and within a small budget. After getting back, quick fruit snack and then relaxation time. Watched the new Bourne Ultimatum movie (god I love the internet) and then headed down to the butcher to get some supplies for the evening with my remaining grocery budget. Little bit of a celebration here tonight, bbq time. With many guys leaving in the next days or week, its time for a bit of a communal dinner slash celebration. After spending so much time with a group of guys; eating, sleeping, racing, and generally living, you really start to get to know each other and get used to living together. Sad days when all are split up, feels a little odd for most as we have all begun to call this home. It will be weird to be waking up somewhere else again, and then I will have to move again in a few days for school. Going to be a lot of new adaptations coming my way. Back to the bbq subject, sorry, but bought myself some shrimp and chicken skewers for tonight. Make up a batch of beans and rice with some curry sauce and call it dinner. Otherwise a pretty simple day. Legs are kinda itching to ride right now, but at this point I know they need some down time after yesterday. Sometimes it really is harder to not ride... Lucky we have the internet here, other wise I might go slightly more crazy...
ps - good job on the poll so far, as of the moment I would say I'm getting a mullet... Really am actually surprised how many people are reading this and voting! I'll leave with a picture of my new saddle...

Wicked!

Some lessons in suffering

So today I felt pain. Pushed myself harder and deeper than I have in quite some time. And all to simply hold onto the pack. Out of 100 and something starters, about 25 finished. I got pulled/popped with 5 laps of 16 to go. No breaks stayed until 2 dudes got away with 2 to go. There seemed to constantly be someone at the front unhappy with the break and many willing to chase him. My legs felt like lead all day. Luckily, my mind was in the right place and I kept talking myself through the tough times. First lap, I moved myself up slowly into the top 20, and that was basically as far as I got. I fought tooth and nail for several laps for that placing and to move up, my legs just simply had no jump. I could move up on the cobbled section and corner after the start/finish, and the following 6 corners, but then we would hit basically 2 long cross wind straights separated by a 180 turn. Ouch. I started to fall back, and the pack basically stayed death line for the duration of the race. Hard like nothing else to move up on these straights when you are strung out in the gutter in your 53x12 I found. Pissed due to my lack of legs, but happy that I suffered through it and closed any gaps needed and simply stayed glued to the wheel in front of me through these sections. My mind would say move up (as I knew I needed too), but my legs would just not respond. I moved up when I could, but people where just getting shelled so fast that I was basically just keeping myself in the race. My legs finally gave out after 2 hours. Only about 45 minutes from the finish, but they had nothing left. Not a good feeling, either in my legs or in my head. But I suffered, and I was happy with that. At least the weather was decent. Little humid for Belgium though, had the asthma acting up a bit. Looking forward to a nice recovery day tomorrow. Perhaps into the patios of Brugges...

Race prep in the sun...

Wicked sweet day in Belgium here. Really wish I had a nice long ride scheduled. Unfortunately, the long day will come the day after with a Kermis. Rolled out after a relaxing and slow morning for a noon time ride. Hour and a half of random exploring with some sprints. Well, to be fair, there was a destination in mind. Just not a route. Managed to make my way via farm roads and bike paths into Tielt and from there road the streets until I found our bike shop, Vega Bike. I say our as they know us well and give us discounts. Kind of like a sponsor I guess, but really just super nice people. I have had my eye on a new saddle sitting there for some time, mine is quite worn right now and this one is impossible to find anywhere else, no idea how these folks even found it... a brand new Selle San Marco Regal in team edition white with the big letters on it.... Wicked. Not too bad of a price either, I will consider it my souvenir from Belgium. My only real splurge for this trip to date. Road home, made a nice lunch and sat in the sun to eat and enjoy a nice coffee. Watched part of the Tour of Germany ttt and then time for dinner. Made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce, full of veggies and ground beef.... Should last me for a few meals. Plus I should be "adopting" plenty more non-perishable items with a good portion of the team leaving in the next week. I do love free food, I know this may be surprising to some... Relaxing evening of enjoying Dogtown & Z Boys, a wicked movie if you haven't seen it. 3 o'clock race start tomorrow, which will be nice as we should get home by about 8. Internet says sunny and warm, outside currently says cool and cloudy... Here's to hoping for a nice day for 5 hours in the saddle...
ps-good job on the vote so far, so far the Euro mullet is winning out pretty significantly. But don't worry, you still have 5 days to get your vote in... Ciao

Survey says...

Survey says.... Sandy needs a haircut. On one hand I could just get my hair trimmed, either by a teammate with some clippers (no cost) or by the hair cutter person around the corner (10 Euro). I figure, if I am to pay, I might as well get a Euro stylin' haircut - aka a swanky Euro mullet. This seems to be the "in" thing all over Europe, especially with cyclists. See a picture of Tom Boonen. I also happened to be bored, and found that I can poll my readers... hence the haircut poll is born. In 6 days (?) I will get a haircut... You decide what. Go ahead, vote.... Tell your friends.

Long day

Ride time: 6.5 hours
Distance: 165km
Named Climbs: 10 (6 cobbled, 4 paved + other unnamed)
One pair of tired legs.
Finally went out and did the the White 165km route. Wanted to do this before I left. Follows a bunch of the Tour of Flanders route including such climbs as: the Kluisberg, Kopenberg, Patterberg... Tough climbs. Nice thing about long days is that the weather changes, looked like rain and overcast when I left, got home in sunshine. Needless to say, a good day in the office. Spent most of the day riding at a nice easy pace, pushing only on the climbs. Because of the steepness and cobbled-ness, there is no way to climb these things easily. Fun to attack these climbs as you pass the names of the cobbled greats written on the roads. Needless to say, I slept like a baby last night and feel nice and refreshed this morning. No pictures unfortunately, I'll have to ride it again before I leave - maybe leave something behind to make room for the camera. Today will be another pre-race day. Hour to hour and a half easy with some leg openers to get my head and legs in the zone for an awesome race tomorrow. Racing in Bekegem tomorrow with a nice 3pm start time. These are a good start time, enough time to relax and spin the legs in morning if needed, time to ride to and from the race usually, and you can eat lunch at a normal time while still allowing 3 hours for digestion. That is one of Euro rules courtesy of Dr. Dag (Discovery team head doctor, sorry soon to be former!), no eating within 3 hours of the start of a race. Your body will not have time to digest and make use of it before the start. Makes sense to me, and we all live by the rule. Generally, for a 3pm start, I will eat breakfast at the normal time, have some fruit for a snack at midmorning, and then a nice bowl of pasta with olive oil just before noon. Then its rest and prepare race stuff until we leave. Final check of the bike, fill bottles, pack my bag, and prepare any food needed. For now, time to have that mid-morning fruit snack and then put my feet up for a bit. Maybe chillax in the sun for a while... Ciao

Rest and Rain

Rainy yesterday, in fact rained steadily all day. Almost felt bad for the boys racing Tour of Antwerpen, double stage day. But then again, made it a lot easier for me to take my prescribed rest day. That and I am still a little stuffed up. Seems to be running through the house, quite a few of us are sneezing. Nothing serious, but that is one problem with living with this many people. Sickness spreads. Spent the day relaxing on the net, watching movies and going through season 4 of Seinfeld. Wishing I was riding, but at the same time happy to not be outside in the cold rain. My outing for the day consisted of an outing to the pharmacy and the corner store. Feeling quite a bit better today, so will get out for my prescribed ride in a bit. Still overcast, and threatening to rain. But hey, its Belgium. Think a long, easy ride is in order today. I feel like just cruising and getting some miles in the legs. The weather will apparently get nice again for the weekend (if you can believe the weather networks?) which will be nice for race day Sunday if it holds. For now, its time to hit the narrow roads of Belgium...

Sandy the human missle

Thats how I felt yesterday. Pretty big breakthrough for me. Went to the race with my head in a good place, and just decided today was a good day to go for broke. Left "finishing" out of my head, and replaced it with pain. Started at the front and didn't leave the front until I went shooting out the back. Spent 45-1 hour minutes not out of the top 20 (about 150-200 strong group) fighting tooth and nail for wheels. Super fun and windy course. Long for a Kermis course, about 9km, with 2 super long cross wind sections along the canals, crossing brides at either end with some sweet 180 and 90 turns. Super important to be in that front echelon on the long cross wind sections. Something clicked in my mind, I no longer shied away from the front and being in the wind. No longer worried about fighting hard for my spot. Stayed calm, and dug deep. Followed attacks, launched my own attacks, bridged to moves, and worked the front of the pack. If this were a race I was planning on winning, I would say I raced like an idiot. Spent too much energy too early (as shown by a DNF), but I raced. I raced until my legs could not get me back on. I knew I made my presence known as while riding around after, I heard some kids talking in French saying, "there's the American who was off the front!". Thats how you know you raced here, when the local fans recognize you. The move that finally undid me, was a longish break with 2 Belgian tanks. I attacked going over the bridge heading into the 180 then 90 combination turn onto the hardest long cross wind section and these 2 came with me. We worked well together, trading pulls through the wind for some time until the pack closed us down and the counters went. Suddenly with me on the front, dudes started counter attacking us, from all sides, and back I went. I tried a few times to jump in line, but my legs wouldn't jump hard enough in the wind with the pack strung out single file. Pop. Tried to just drop it down a gear and catch back on, but there is very little chance for anyone to get back on when dropped in one of these races, so called it a day. Changed into my warmer clothes and did some easy miles for the legs around the course.
Now I have the taste and it is all I can do to not go out and ride hard today. Need the recovery day, I know. But I just look forward to the next race on Sunday.
Today will be an easy day, filled with movies, naps, some eating and general recovery. Many of the guys are into their last week or 2 here, weird to think I still have almost 3 weeks now instead of a week... But nice, I have learned so much, but will learn even more now. On the plus side, with all sorts of dudes leaving, I should clean up on "adopted food" and leftovers for a while! As for a lesson of riding the front, didn't make the winning break, the race ended in a pack sprint (not a large pack). But I did learn that riding hard and aggressively will earn you some respect in the pack. If you ride hard and confidently, the pack will "allow" you to remain unscathed. Next time, more undercover work. I will make that break.

Kermis

So, I have gotten a question. What is a Kermis? I feel a little odd, as I guess I really have not explained it. Basically the Kermis is the Belgian equivalent of a local race/criterium on steroids. They are never less than 105km, on a short 5-9km course with plenty of corners and and raced very aggressively. Generally about 70-200 dudes start and 30 finish the whole thing. They are designed for spectators. Of whom generally line the course, being densest at the bar by the start finish. They are also generally quite drunk/friendly and enjoy to gamble on us like horses. They actually have a big white board where they give you odds and take bets. The dudes who run this are generally very on top of their game, keeping track of who is dropped even better than the commissars. The races are generally very fast, except in the corners as Belgians corner like little old ladies (12km/h) but then launch themselves out of the corners like a nuclear missile (50-60km/h). Hence the many non-finishers. The trick to finishing these races is to stay at the front. The trick to doing well is to pay off some people and attack like have been offered a pro contract. No one sits in for long. The break is generally "decided" before the race, others who sneak in are generally "asked" to leave as this is a serious business. As an American team, we are generally not liked by some (we get along with some teams fine) but some of the riders do not like the fact that we are surviving in this harsh environment. Many of you may call me crazy for saying that we should be able to stay in the break. Apparently you have never had some of the games played on you that we have. Luckily, we are fast learners. Just a few days ago, one of our guys got punched in the jaw by a Belgian because they could not drop him from the break. Luckily that lead to another lesson, Belgian's punch like girls. Not all the other riders are this upset by our presence, but some don't take it well. The best thing to do is simply ride hard, NEVER miss a pull, and show that you will not take their tricks. These races almost never finish in a group larger than 10 at a time. Belgians don't like big groups, that means there was negative racing! They prefer to race by attacking each other endlessly until the pack lies shattered across the road. There is no way to avoid work in this race if you even wish to simply finish. That is why it is so wonderful. As for me, weather is garbage today and I will go deep undercover into a Belgian Kermis and discover just how crazy the break really gets. More reports to follow...

Summer returns with another pre-race day

Belgian weather was back with a vengeance yesterday. Rain, wind and cold. Headed out for my ride, in 15 degrees and pissing rain. Made the mental call to keep going and continue with my planned 4 hours. Hit up the 110km white H loop, complete with cobbled sections and climbs. Felt good to get going and put in a few hard efforts. The hardest part of a day like that is just to get rolling. Once you're wet, you way as well keep going. Slowing down just makes you colder and you really appreciate that hot shower after a couple of hours. Either way, came back tired but happy at the end of the ride. Stupid Power Tap cut out again, as usual I guess in the rain. Stupid thing really bugs me sometimes.
Luckily, the sun and warmth has made its return. Had a nice morning ride, tried to find tomorrow evenings Kermis course. Thought I had it for a while but then ended up in some random field down the canal. So decided to simply explore and try to find a new route home. Also in exciting news: Sandy has a new favourite lunch - spinach omelet with cheese and hot sauce. Wicked. Tasty, nutricious and quick to make... Sorry, thats the problem with rest days, plenty of time spare time. Looking forward to racing again though, time to suffer a little more and a little harder. Apparently it is a very open and windy course, not many corners. Most likely a sprint finish with a group as the straight aways are long and open. It is a course for power and working the 12t of the cassette. Time for some relaxing with South Park and then some dinner...

Heat and racing

Hot today. Sign read 34 degrees as we pulled out of the Cycling Center. Damn. At least its not as humid as home, much drier heat and there is the ever present wind to help while you are moving. None the less, 35 is still 35. Legs felt a little dead, so pretty glad we were riding to the race. Only about a 40 minute ride. Packed lots of water, some food and set out. Got to the race site, registered, scouted the course and got my head in the game. Very windy and open course, plenty of corners, but nothing too tight, mostly sweeping. Long headwind home straight, 90 degree left into cross long cross wind straight, leading into several winding corn field sections, quick chicane, couple of tighter corners back into the long finishing straight. The race went a little oddly by Belgian standards. Started off ridiculously slow, held my position at near the front on the narrow roads at about 25km/h. We had about 5 minutes at this speed, which was worrying as you know that eventually some maniacs will jump and string it out. And it happened. Good position, legs responded and we were off. After a few laps of general attacks and bridging, the real racing started. We had a solid 2 laps (laps were about 7km each) of the hardest racing I have had. This is a time where everyone hurts and every one works. This is the key time in a Kermis when the break gets established. Where you go if you have the legs, or try to hold on for dear life and close gaps otherwise. This is also normally the time where I find myself suddenly riding on my own. Not today. I found the point where I usually give up, and gritted my teeth and attacked. The field had split into about a million small groups, so I along with every one else who could would attack their groups to bridge up to a group up the road. Over and over again. The pain was incredible, but I am happy to say I survived and got myself into a zone where I simply focused on the task at hand and ended up in the third group on the road. After this period subsided, we settled into a rotation to hope that we may pull back the second group, who by this point was apparently about 2 minutes up the road and the break was a further minute or two beyond that. They were motoring with some serious horsepower. As happens in these races, the attack began again. No Belgian wants to sit in a group, never happy to simply work together. So, following th trend we continued to break up the group. Seeing a small chase group up the road getting away, I made my move to attempt to bridge up. Attacked coming into the twisty cross wind section to try and move up. Got about halfway across the gap before I absolutely exploded. Seriously was beyond cross-eyed. Little light headed, unfortunately no one had come with me. Oh well. Passed by my group, tried to get back on but the legs would not go. Just could not hold the wheel. No groups left behind us, all had been pulled. In the end only the break finished the whole race. So about 8 finishers. Even the chase group got sprinted out. Tough day, yet a good learning day. Managed to play a role in the race, still not racing for the win but racing. Next up, Berneem on Wednesday. Another race, another 3 hours of pain. I can't wait. Weather so far not as nice today, but I'll be out soon to get a couple of hours of easy rolling in.
Grocery run this morning, kept to the budget. Lots of fruit and veggies plus some meat. Should be a good week. Met some cool people at the race as well. Amazing how having two small Canadian flags on my bike can start so many conversations. Belgians love Canadians. Met a cool older couple at the race who noticed the flag and felt the need to come over and meet me. We talked about Canada, Belgium, how I was enjoying myself and then about the war. Yes the war. They invited me to some kind of big march and party involving some old Canadian war veterans the second weekend in September they are involved in. Apparently to help celebrate the Canadians freeing Belgium in the Second World War. Very nice people, just out for a day in the sun like hundreds of others lining the course. Perfect day in Belgium to get drunk while watching a bike race. I'm off. Enjoy your days.

Race day

Race day has dawned again, though the sun will be in the other side of the sky by the time we are racing. Evening Kermis in Knesselare, 5pm start time. Word. Unfortunately my body still doesn't feel a full 100% yet. Probably around 80%, so I will at least ride over and see how my legs feel in the race. This worries me a little bit. But at the same time, I've had 3 days off the bike and feel that perhaps a good ride and then a good sleep after may be what I need. Time to put out some pain on these Belgian pansies.
Decided in the end after a day of napping and relaxing, that I would be best to squeeze out a bit of a ride. Did a nice easy hour, just spin the legs right before dinner. Hot days in Belgium lately too. Didn't even need leg warmers... like 30 something out all day. Been pretty hot in the house. I even wore shorts! Today will be spent more relaxing to get ready to race. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is take it easy. My body says easy, my brain says hard. Luckily I have become fairly adapt at ignoring that part of my body. Especially hard to simply not ride when good weather finally comes here. Here's to riding...

Time to harden up, after some rest

Got some very wise advice from two hard men the other day that I would like to share with some of the other riders:
"Take note of the battle you have with yourself as you are getting dropped. That point where suffering meets giving up is critical.So many times the pace eases off only a few minutes after you have surrendered - often you don;t know this as the group is around the corner and you are hanging your head." - JL

"Don't wait for them to go, you go - go until you crack, 'cause the next time you will be able to go a little longer and little harder. As soon as you let others dictate, then things become a little more difficult.You are under your control." - PM
The last couple of days have been in recovery mode for me. My legs are not feeling 100%. I felt on the verge of a sickness after the last race, so talked with Bernard and agreed that the best course of action was a couple days away from the bike. I still have almost a month left of racing. I have learned a lot so far, so much that it will probably take me all winter to even figure most of it out. But these lessons pointed out really strike it home for what has to be done. Every time I race, I suffer a little bit more that I thought I could. The problem was, I was actually suffering more than I had to just to stay in the race. I was too far back, waiting for the race to come to me. The back of a 200 man pack is hard. Much harder than it has to be. And to be fair, I don't have the strength to sit it on the back. The last race helped me to realize this. I raced much more competitively and came out feeling much better with my race after riding much closer to the front, and then not giving up when I got into trouble. It is always worth it to spend a little extra energy to move up or go with an attack when the going gets a little easier. If you hurt a little more while the going is easy, it will make it easier for you when the going really gets tough. Less gaps to close, less effort required sprinting out of a corner. And the simple fact that you will at least be there when the race is made. Whether you have the legs to make the race will be seen, but at least you will not be left wondering what if? This is seen even more here in Europe at all levels. Back home, many feel pride in sprinting for 50th place, here, the race was made long ago so most will keep trying until they have to stop, but no one sprints for a place that doesn't pay. The chase never gives up, though no one tows around a group. Races break up. Thats when you must suffer if you really want it. There is a hard point like this in every race, it is up to the rider to grit his teeth and stay with it.

More tales from the caravan

Not a good day in the saddle for the race yesterday unfortunately. Suffered like a dog. Hard course, flippin hot weather, and some bad legs. No good feelings. The main part of the course consisted of the middle section with several climbs about 10km apart. Narrow, Belgian climbs. Tried to do all I could to make the day easier for myself. Pulled a Belgian slide by showing up later to the start (only 10 minuted before the gun went off) and parked myself confidently (as though I knew I belonged) right into the front row by means of backing my bike in. Good start. Maybe the legs will come around. We went from the gun. Held my spot fairly decently while dozens launched themselves off the front in the usual suicide attacks. As we came to the first climb of the day, things started to get a little crazy as people all began to swarm to try to be at the front for the narrow climb. Needless to say, that even with my best attempts I found myself sliding back into the peleton. Not where I needed to be. Tried to move up, but the speed was so high and the fighting so tough, that I only managed to make it into the top 50 or so. Not terrible, but I had to be higher considering the condition of my legs. I ate a lot too, needed the energy. Sharp right hand turn, the road turns from highway to friggin goat path like that. Managed to weasel myself up a bit more, and I felt ok on the climb. I was able to keep pasing riders without pushing myself too far into the red. Non the less, of course gaps opened. Crash about 300m from the top. Now the gap is bigger as the remnants of the pack sprint over the top and keep sprinting right down. Got together with 2 other dudes and hauled arse over the top and down. Flew through the switchback descent and then the narrow farm roads finally catching back on on the next riser. Wow. There went a bullet of energy, and I don't have many. Luckily the pack is still hammering as a lead group has now been established ahead of us. Joy. Cling on for dear life at 55km/h, I hear in my ear "don't forget to move up guys. Next climb in 10km". I threw up. Seriously, puked a little on the side of the road and pulled over, luckily no one yelled at me cause most of the others behind me had also been dropped. Got passed by them. Tried to jump, but the legs said no. Took a drink as the caravan came up to me. Shook my head, swore a little and decided that I was not done. Jumped in behind a car and settled in a bit, regrouped and calmed myself down. I was down but not out. Moved up much better than last time, allowing myself to drift back a few cars if needed and then move up when easiest. No wasting more energy than needed! Finally we hit a section with several tight corners, blew through the remaining corners and made the final jump up to the pack. Another bullet spent, "eat and drink guys, help Alex move up". The look on Bernard's face was priceless when I passed out car to get back in. Pure surprise, he had written me off after seeing my face getting dropped. By this point I am spent. Physically and mentally. Threw down a gel and moved up as I could but as is strung out again coming into the next climb, the elastic snapped. Back through the caravan, but not enough to move back up on the climb. Got all shivery with goosebumps in the heat and a little confused as to what was going on when Noelle spotted me coming into the feed zone and flagged me over. Day done. Change, drink, and be upset with myself. Not really a good day for any of us. 3 of 6 finished, but just in the main back, with many riders up the road. Oh well, we'll try again soon. Today on the other hand, is rest. Feeling shoddy today again, feel like I could be on the verge of getting a little sick. So I'm taking it easy, drinking tea, eating super healthy (had a humus, cucumber, and turkey wrap for lunch). In fact, I'll probably settle down for a nap next followed by some easy time with a movie perhaps. Gotta treat the body well right now. Hate to not ride, but I am here for a month still. Oh ya, I have elongated my stay until August 27th now. An extra almost 2 weeks here in Belgium. Wicked. Thats my day, better days to come hopefully. But at least I feel myself getting stronger...