Well, I know I was going to be more diligent in my postings, but my computer fried. The adapter crapped out and there was a puff of smoke and everything went blank. So there's my excuse for my tardiness.
This one I want to dedicate to everyone that has helped me get, compete in, and enjoy Europe. First off I want to thank Heather, my lovely wife, who has dealt with everything with the most patience anyone could ever imagine. My parents for all the support for achieving my dreams. Frank, Amy, Sam and Bella, you guys are great friends. The LeBlancs for their continued support. Jonathan, Line, Kris, Matt, Soloman, Vandy, Mitch, and Daryl. And lastly the Cycling Center itself for having me.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Back in the saddle
I took three days off, and I'm back on the horse. After talking with the docs, it wasn't the need of a break that was dragging my efforts down, I was dificient on one simple little mineral. I'm on supplements now to counter act that and I should feel better within seven to ten days. I'm rather annoyed that it even happened, but the timing couldn't be worse. I'm now close to my time ending here and I'm not 100%.
To make matters more complicated I have Nationals next month too, and I have to rebuild a little bit. I should be good by then, but still. It would have been a lot better if I didn't have to deal with this now. I guess you just have to take the cards how they're dealt and then play it out.
Other than that nothing new has really gone on. Everything has been running as normal with the day-to-day activities. Once you get into a routine the time just flies, however, and the last few weeks have been a blur.
It looks like I'll be back in NC around the beginning of August or so, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.
To make matters more complicated I have Nationals next month too, and I have to rebuild a little bit. I should be good by then, but still. It would have been a lot better if I didn't have to deal with this now. I guess you just have to take the cards how they're dealt and then play it out.
Other than that nothing new has really gone on. Everything has been running as normal with the day-to-day activities. Once you get into a routine the time just flies, however, and the last few weeks have been a blur.
It looks like I'll be back in NC around the beginning of August or so, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
I need some coffee
The last few weeks I haven't been doing too well. When I wake in the morning I still feel exhausted. It really came to a head today at the race. I made it through 7 laps of 20 no problem, but when I needed to really put the power down, I had nothing. I made a couple of moves early on, and rather than recovering from those my body just kept digging itself deeper. I don't know what's wrong.
I have done everything right, I train correct, I eat the right foods, I take regular naps, so what's the problem? I may be needing a break, at least that's what the boss said. I think that may be a good idea, take about 10 days and not even look at the bike. I may try to head out of town for a couple of days, maybe to Paris, maybe to Germany somewhere. I haven't really decided that yet. I need to be ready for Nationals and this is the right time for a break. I actually should have taken one about 3 weeks ago so I could be able to rebuild, but now I need to do what I can.
I'm so frustrated with this right now. I can feel that I'm on the edge of a breakthough race, but I just can't quite reach it. I want it so bad, and I know I can do it, I just need to get that snap back in my legs.
I have done everything right, I train correct, I eat the right foods, I take regular naps, so what's the problem? I may be needing a break, at least that's what the boss said. I think that may be a good idea, take about 10 days and not even look at the bike. I may try to head out of town for a couple of days, maybe to Paris, maybe to Germany somewhere. I haven't really decided that yet. I need to be ready for Nationals and this is the right time for a break. I actually should have taken one about 3 weeks ago so I could be able to rebuild, but now I need to do what I can.
I'm so frustrated with this right now. I can feel that I'm on the edge of a breakthough race, but I just can't quite reach it. I want it so bad, and I know I can do it, I just need to get that snap back in my legs.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Rain rain go away
Last week was a rough week for weather. It rained almost everyday, at least a little bit. I'm not comlaining about that, I don't mind the rain, but when you have a recon ride for a UCI race, it makes it miserable.
This particular ride was meant to look at the course, ride it out a couple of times, pay special attention to the dangerous sections, and most importantly to get a good team ride in. Mother nature decided to play a cruel little trick on us. It stayed somewhat clear right before we rolled out, then it started raining. Nothing bad, just a little rain, until we got to about 30 minutes from the course, then the heavens opened up. I have only seen this kind of rain in a huricane. The wind was blowing it so hard it felt like a thousand little kids throwing rocks at us!! Needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of positive team riding going on at that moment. Finally it let up just before we rolled onto the course, so that was dry.
The course itself wasn't incredibly hard, per se, it was just unforgiving. If you made a single mistake you would pay for it ten fold. The section right before the cobbles was a farm road that was maybe 2 meters across and when you have to fir 174 riders on it, that asking for a crash. The cobbles were very rough, rougher than most, and then the next hill came with a kilometer and a half, and that one had a cross wind to boot. After that whole section we went into a wide open area with lots of wind, a couple of over passes, and then more wind. Very hard when you're redlined.
Race day went not ideal. Most of us were near the front for the cobbles, we had one guy go down in the crash that was at the pinch point, so not too bad. I made my damning error on the hill after the cobbles. I was redlined, full out, and I wanted to see what was going on, if the peloton was bunching or what, and I snuck a peek into the wind. That was all it took to give me a meter gap from the guy in front of me, and I never got it closed. I was bleeding out my eyes trying to close it, but they kept inching away. I eventually finished in the 4th group on the road, placing 54th of 174. I'm mad at myself for that mistake, but I learned from it. Now I can move on to the next UCI with that new knowledge.
A few more weeks of Europe before I have to come home. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disapointed to have to leave. I know I have so much more to gain this year, and I badly want to stay, but I do need to spend some time with Heather (and yes I am excited to see her in fact it would be better if she came out here!!), plus I have Elite National championships to do. So at least I have a couple of good reasons for coming home.
I'll update more often, I promise. I know I haven't been the best at it lately, and I would love to say I've been ultra busy, but I really haven't. I read a lot and take a lot of naps, so I suppose I could get a few more posts in a week. I promise to be better about that this week.
This particular ride was meant to look at the course, ride it out a couple of times, pay special attention to the dangerous sections, and most importantly to get a good team ride in. Mother nature decided to play a cruel little trick on us. It stayed somewhat clear right before we rolled out, then it started raining. Nothing bad, just a little rain, until we got to about 30 minutes from the course, then the heavens opened up. I have only seen this kind of rain in a huricane. The wind was blowing it so hard it felt like a thousand little kids throwing rocks at us!! Needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of positive team riding going on at that moment. Finally it let up just before we rolled onto the course, so that was dry.
The course itself wasn't incredibly hard, per se, it was just unforgiving. If you made a single mistake you would pay for it ten fold. The section right before the cobbles was a farm road that was maybe 2 meters across and when you have to fir 174 riders on it, that asking for a crash. The cobbles were very rough, rougher than most, and then the next hill came with a kilometer and a half, and that one had a cross wind to boot. After that whole section we went into a wide open area with lots of wind, a couple of over passes, and then more wind. Very hard when you're redlined.
Race day went not ideal. Most of us were near the front for the cobbles, we had one guy go down in the crash that was at the pinch point, so not too bad. I made my damning error on the hill after the cobbles. I was redlined, full out, and I wanted to see what was going on, if the peloton was bunching or what, and I snuck a peek into the wind. That was all it took to give me a meter gap from the guy in front of me, and I never got it closed. I was bleeding out my eyes trying to close it, but they kept inching away. I eventually finished in the 4th group on the road, placing 54th of 174. I'm mad at myself for that mistake, but I learned from it. Now I can move on to the next UCI with that new knowledge.
A few more weeks of Europe before I have to come home. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disapointed to have to leave. I know I have so much more to gain this year, and I badly want to stay, but I do need to spend some time with Heather (and yes I am excited to see her in fact it would be better if she came out here!!), plus I have Elite National championships to do. So at least I have a couple of good reasons for coming home.
I'll update more often, I promise. I know I haven't been the best at it lately, and I would love to say I've been ultra busy, but I really haven't. I read a lot and take a lot of naps, so I suppose I could get a few more posts in a week. I promise to be better about that this week.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
More races, and another week
This last week was rather busy for me. I had a longer day on Monday then a race on Wednesday, then a sprint day, then another race on Saturday!! I was going non stop all week. I'm just happy I was able to come out swinging after the sickness.
The race on Wednesday went badly. It started out way slower than we are used to and I just rolled off the front the first lap. That proved to be a bad move because it was too early and none of the big players were represented, so after a half lap I was swallowed by the peloton. Almost instantly we had another guy attack and stay off with one other rider. We did everything we could to keep out teammate off the front and he scooped up four primes before the players blew up field. I ended up being in a really bad spot, right behind a Kenyan, when they turned on the gas and he popped forcing me to use what I had left to close the gap, it never closed. I was done for the day after that.
I was so mad at that Kenyan for being there that I ended up riding another 2.5 hours after we got home, making a 5.5 hour day. I was so mad at him for awhile that I was plotting and scheming to put his season to an early end the next race I saw him. While I was riding, however, I had time to really think about why I was angry, and it really had nothing to do with him. He can't help that he sucks and every time the racing gets hard he pops, like clockwork, I was really mad at me for not pushing his rear to the back. I had already muscled my way past him a few times that race, and I even grabbed his saddle at one point while he was coming in to my line, but that didn't matter. I should have put him into a tree then, but I was too worried about covering moves. It was my own fault for not staying clear of that guy, and that's what I was really mad at.
The next race went better, I finished, 31st. Not a great place, a single placing out of the money, but at least we beat the pants off the National team riders. The weather was great for the race, rainy and cold. I love racing in that kind of stuff. I think I would have placed better, but the guy I had marked as the guy to watch crashed, right in front of me. I almost ran over his head!! There was a corner of cobblestones and for some reason they weren't squaring it up, turning early then hitting the stones straight on. Anyway we hit it hard that lap and sure enough he went down. That split the field and before we could get a chase organized they were gone, without a single rider from the Cycling Center present.
Four of us finished the race 50% from what started. One crash, and three riders popped because of the pace. The speed wasn't the highest we only averaged 40 kph, but the power I had to put out was very high, in fact if you look at that number it was THE hardest race so far. I had to average 220 watts for the entire 2:38 (that includes all the surges that were well above the 800 mark), and that's 10 watts higher than any other race so far. So with that in mind this really was the hardest race so far. I'm happy I finished, but annoyed I didn't make lunch money. Maybe next week.
The race on Wednesday went badly. It started out way slower than we are used to and I just rolled off the front the first lap. That proved to be a bad move because it was too early and none of the big players were represented, so after a half lap I was swallowed by the peloton. Almost instantly we had another guy attack and stay off with one other rider. We did everything we could to keep out teammate off the front and he scooped up four primes before the players blew up field. I ended up being in a really bad spot, right behind a Kenyan, when they turned on the gas and he popped forcing me to use what I had left to close the gap, it never closed. I was done for the day after that.
I was so mad at that Kenyan for being there that I ended up riding another 2.5 hours after we got home, making a 5.5 hour day. I was so mad at him for awhile that I was plotting and scheming to put his season to an early end the next race I saw him. While I was riding, however, I had time to really think about why I was angry, and it really had nothing to do with him. He can't help that he sucks and every time the racing gets hard he pops, like clockwork, I was really mad at me for not pushing his rear to the back. I had already muscled my way past him a few times that race, and I even grabbed his saddle at one point while he was coming in to my line, but that didn't matter. I should have put him into a tree then, but I was too worried about covering moves. It was my own fault for not staying clear of that guy, and that's what I was really mad at.
The next race went better, I finished, 31st. Not a great place, a single placing out of the money, but at least we beat the pants off the National team riders. The weather was great for the race, rainy and cold. I love racing in that kind of stuff. I think I would have placed better, but the guy I had marked as the guy to watch crashed, right in front of me. I almost ran over his head!! There was a corner of cobblestones and for some reason they weren't squaring it up, turning early then hitting the stones straight on. Anyway we hit it hard that lap and sure enough he went down. That split the field and before we could get a chase organized they were gone, without a single rider from the Cycling Center present.
Four of us finished the race 50% from what started. One crash, and three riders popped because of the pace. The speed wasn't the highest we only averaged 40 kph, but the power I had to put out was very high, in fact if you look at that number it was THE hardest race so far. I had to average 220 watts for the entire 2:38 (that includes all the surges that were well above the 800 mark), and that's 10 watts higher than any other race so far. So with that in mind this really was the hardest race so far. I'm happy I finished, but annoyed I didn't make lunch money. Maybe next week.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
June already...
As most of you know it is now June, and that means 5 weeks until I fly home. I can't believe it's already here, but not yet. There are still plenty of races to do and plenty more experiences for me just waiting.
I skipped out on the racing this weekend. Since I was sick last week we decided that it would be in my best interest to sit this one out. Grudgingly I rolled with the team to the start with a new kid and another teammate who was getting over being sick too. We rode the course, and then watched 3 laps before we got so frustrated because we weren't in the action we had to leave. It's a funny thing even though it hurts so bad I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but in that race right there. I hate sitting out when I have teammates in the fight (I know there's the Marine in me).
I race again on Wednesday, and (if I can swing it) again the next day. I really want to get another crit in here. I just want to do more UCIs and that means I need to start finishing UCIs and then actually doing well. I'm getting there, but it's kind of slow. It's hard to get better at doing them if you only do a few here and there. I know it'll come, but it still sucks not being the first choice for those races.
Time to sit back and relax, tomorrow is another day filled with training, resting, a shop run, and then more resting. Ahh the life of a pro sportsman. I so want this to be my job.
I skipped out on the racing this weekend. Since I was sick last week we decided that it would be in my best interest to sit this one out. Grudgingly I rolled with the team to the start with a new kid and another teammate who was getting over being sick too. We rode the course, and then watched 3 laps before we got so frustrated because we weren't in the action we had to leave. It's a funny thing even though it hurts so bad I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but in that race right there. I hate sitting out when I have teammates in the fight (I know there's the Marine in me).
I race again on Wednesday, and (if I can swing it) again the next day. I really want to get another crit in here. I just want to do more UCIs and that means I need to start finishing UCIs and then actually doing well. I'm getting there, but it's kind of slow. It's hard to get better at doing them if you only do a few here and there. I know it'll come, but it still sucks not being the first choice for those races.
Time to sit back and relax, tomorrow is another day filled with training, resting, a shop run, and then more resting. Ahh the life of a pro sportsman. I so want this to be my job.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Cough, Cough
After all my careful planning and attempts to avoid this scenario, it finally happened. There's no use trying to cover it up now. I am officially sick. There I said it, and I hate admitting it. There is nothing in this world worse than catching the flu, or cold, or other kind of virus. The last few days have found me hanging out in the steam room, eating a ton of fruit, sleeping in the afternoon, and worst of all NO RIDING.
It's only been 2 days, but I feel I'm going crazy. I look at how much time I have left and realize it's not much and I need to make the most of it, but I can't do that if I'm lying around all day with a fever. I'm looking at this positively and it's my body's way of say to slow down a bit, but c'mon. I'm not stuffed up, I just have a fever and chills, so at least it's nothing too major.
The Tour of Belgium is starting today in Oostende, only about 30km from here. I wanted to go an watch the start, but I won't be doing that today. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel well enough to get out and ride a bit. I'd rather take a couple of days off now then a week or two later, so I'm doing anything.
Other than that everything is going well. I'm still in high spirits and can't wait to apply what I've learned over here. I'll be home before I know it, and part of me can't wait, but another part just wants to keep on racing. I need to push all those thought out for now however, with 5 weeks of racing left over here I need to get the most out of it as I can.
I'm scheduled for another kermis this weekend if I feel up to it, but after that I have no idea. I just want to get back to the UCI races.
Well it's time for my steam room session, talk to you all later.
It's only been 2 days, but I feel I'm going crazy. I look at how much time I have left and realize it's not much and I need to make the most of it, but I can't do that if I'm lying around all day with a fever. I'm looking at this positively and it's my body's way of say to slow down a bit, but c'mon. I'm not stuffed up, I just have a fever and chills, so at least it's nothing too major.
The Tour of Belgium is starting today in Oostende, only about 30km from here. I wanted to go an watch the start, but I won't be doing that today. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel well enough to get out and ride a bit. I'd rather take a couple of days off now then a week or two later, so I'm doing anything.
Other than that everything is going well. I'm still in high spirits and can't wait to apply what I've learned over here. I'll be home before I know it, and part of me can't wait, but another part just wants to keep on racing. I need to push all those thought out for now however, with 5 weeks of racing left over here I need to get the most out of it as I can.
I'm scheduled for another kermis this weekend if I feel up to it, but after that I have no idea. I just want to get back to the UCI races.
Well it's time for my steam room session, talk to you all later.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Money money money
The race went pretty well yesterday. Once again I won't go into the details of it, if you want those just ask, but I will say it went well.
My whole goal at this race was to make the group split. Traditionally these races go out hard, ease up, kind of, then punch really hard to break the field and then race to the finish. We started with 130 guys, so there were plenty of people just waiting to get broken off.
Nothing really stuck, and not due to lack of trying, until about 7 laps in. Even when it did they didn't get far, never more than a minute up the road, and the last few laps we were chasing hard and closing the gap. It was a very hard race, but fun and I felt great, better than I've felt in a long time.
I didn't have a single problem with my back, at least nothing like the at the crit. I'm just greatful that I didn't cause any permanent damage. Anyway I ended up 39th, and since they were paying 50 deep I made some money. Not much, but enough to enjoy myself when I go into Brugge next time. By the way only 52 guys actually finished the race, so it was definately tough even for the Belgians who have done this for years. Things are starting to click!!
My whole goal at this race was to make the group split. Traditionally these races go out hard, ease up, kind of, then punch really hard to break the field and then race to the finish. We started with 130 guys, so there were plenty of people just waiting to get broken off.
Nothing really stuck, and not due to lack of trying, until about 7 laps in. Even when it did they didn't get far, never more than a minute up the road, and the last few laps we were chasing hard and closing the gap. It was a very hard race, but fun and I felt great, better than I've felt in a long time.
I didn't have a single problem with my back, at least nothing like the at the crit. I'm just greatful that I didn't cause any permanent damage. Anyway I ended up 39th, and since they were paying 50 deep I made some money. Not much, but enough to enjoy myself when I go into Brugge next time. By the way only 52 guys actually finished the race, so it was definately tough even for the Belgians who have done this for years. Things are starting to click!!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Always breaking stuff
Well after that last race I feel pretty good. My back is fine, no tears and no residual pain. I am thankful for that. To top it all off it seems that everyone is sick or getting sick, but me. I keep telling them it's all in their heads and if they don't talk or think about it, it won't happen. No one seems to believe me. Oh well, whatever, I'm not sick and that's what matters.
All is not well though. While cleaning my bike today I noticed my race wheel (the rear) was sticking a little bit. It turns out the freehub body is toast. I took apart the hub and greased everything, then checked the bearings. As it turns out the outer bearing on the freehub is frozen, meaning...drumroll, it's toast. That means I'm racing on my Powertap at the kermeses, which isn't all bad, I would like to get that power info anyway, then doing the UCI races on the team's wheels. Just irritating that's all. At least not devastating.
Anyway that's all the news for now. Nothing really going on. I race again tomorrow, just a kermese, there are no UCI races for another week or so. Stay tuned for that update.
All is not well though. While cleaning my bike today I noticed my race wheel (the rear) was sticking a little bit. It turns out the freehub body is toast. I took apart the hub and greased everything, then checked the bearings. As it turns out the outer bearing on the freehub is frozen, meaning...drumroll, it's toast. That means I'm racing on my Powertap at the kermeses, which isn't all bad, I would like to get that power info anyway, then doing the UCI races on the team's wheels. Just irritating that's all. At least not devastating.
Anyway that's all the news for now. Nothing really going on. I race again tomorrow, just a kermese, there are no UCI races for another week or so. Stay tuned for that update.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Lots to do and no time to do it
It's been a long time since I last updated, the sad thing is that I didn't even realize it had been that long. A lot has happened since then, a few races, lots of training, and plenty of adventures to Brugge.
The best race that I had was last Monday. As a team we had a great weekend in France. We had a couple of podiums, and a team win. The criterium that I did was great, a perfect American style race. Lots of open corners, and no wind. We attacked and made it very hard for everyone through the technical course. Blah blah blah. Long story short our teammate took 3rd and I ended up hurting myself. My back seized up with five to go not allowing me to breathe, that forced me out of the race. It made me so angry because I was in the group that was bridging to the leaders without having to do very much work, I already had 2 guys in the break so why work? I'll get them next time, but still so frustrating. Out of 100k I finished 72 of it, so not a bad day, just painful.
I'm ok now, a little tender still, but I was able to ride today no problem. Nothing is torn, luckily, I stopped before that happened. Right now I'm taking it day by day, tomorrow I have sprints so we'll see how that goes. I'll listen to my body and if I need to stop I will. It turned out that my cleat had moved back a little bit on my right shoe. I must have done it in the crash I had on Saturday and didn't notice it. It took me awhile to figure it out, I had been doing yoga for awhile to keep my back from hurting and then it dies something wierd like that. I'm fixing the cleat tonight so it shouldn't be a problem anymore. We'll see, I race again this Saturday.
Other than that I have been trying to relax. I had the best pizza of my life (short of homemade from Heather) at this place called the Flandrian. It was an aged ham and parmesan pie with a beer from the local brewery. It was sooooo good. Then we went to Cabrinus to relax before heading to de Midici for coffee. There are no Starbucks here, so we have to pay an hefty price for a cup of coffee. Average is 3 Euro (about $5), but most places include a small pastry of some sort, and this place gives you a small bit of ice cream. It's nice to be able to relax and enjoy a coffee in a place that doesn't get too crowded.
It looks like the weather has finally decided to turn. It's still a bit rainy in the morning, but today was awesome weather. Twenty-four Celsius and sunny. We couldn't have created a nicer day. The awesome thing about this place is that if it's nice outside everyone takes a day off and goes riding. It's the coolest thing. Last week there was a national holiday and it happened to be nice too, which meant lots of riders. We had a rest day from the bike and decided to count riders out our front window. We happen to live on a popular ride route, and within an hour and a half we counted 230+ riders. Where else are you going to see that but Belgium? I love this country and if I could pick one place in the world to live it would be here. Maybe Heather can get stationed here, there is a UN base here, so there is a chance.
If you ever plan a trip to Europe, skip France (it's dirty and the people aren't very nice), and come to Belgium. You won't be dissapointed. Hit up Brussels, and Gent, maybe Amsterdam, but definately bring your bike. It's the only way to travel here. You can get a list of all UCI races and see those, of which there are plenty, or come during the spring and watch the Ronde.
Anyway, there are so many things to talk about, and believe me I could go on and on, but I need to go. I need to sleep and recover from all this training and racing. Talk to you all later, thanks for reading.
The best race that I had was last Monday. As a team we had a great weekend in France. We had a couple of podiums, and a team win. The criterium that I did was great, a perfect American style race. Lots of open corners, and no wind. We attacked and made it very hard for everyone through the technical course. Blah blah blah. Long story short our teammate took 3rd and I ended up hurting myself. My back seized up with five to go not allowing me to breathe, that forced me out of the race. It made me so angry because I was in the group that was bridging to the leaders without having to do very much work, I already had 2 guys in the break so why work? I'll get them next time, but still so frustrating. Out of 100k I finished 72 of it, so not a bad day, just painful.
I'm ok now, a little tender still, but I was able to ride today no problem. Nothing is torn, luckily, I stopped before that happened. Right now I'm taking it day by day, tomorrow I have sprints so we'll see how that goes. I'll listen to my body and if I need to stop I will. It turned out that my cleat had moved back a little bit on my right shoe. I must have done it in the crash I had on Saturday and didn't notice it. It took me awhile to figure it out, I had been doing yoga for awhile to keep my back from hurting and then it dies something wierd like that. I'm fixing the cleat tonight so it shouldn't be a problem anymore. We'll see, I race again this Saturday.
Other than that I have been trying to relax. I had the best pizza of my life (short of homemade from Heather) at this place called the Flandrian. It was an aged ham and parmesan pie with a beer from the local brewery. It was sooooo good. Then we went to Cabrinus to relax before heading to de Midici for coffee. There are no Starbucks here, so we have to pay an hefty price for a cup of coffee. Average is 3 Euro (about $5), but most places include a small pastry of some sort, and this place gives you a small bit of ice cream. It's nice to be able to relax and enjoy a coffee in a place that doesn't get too crowded.
It looks like the weather has finally decided to turn. It's still a bit rainy in the morning, but today was awesome weather. Twenty-four Celsius and sunny. We couldn't have created a nicer day. The awesome thing about this place is that if it's nice outside everyone takes a day off and goes riding. It's the coolest thing. Last week there was a national holiday and it happened to be nice too, which meant lots of riders. We had a rest day from the bike and decided to count riders out our front window. We happen to live on a popular ride route, and within an hour and a half we counted 230+ riders. Where else are you going to see that but Belgium? I love this country and if I could pick one place in the world to live it would be here. Maybe Heather can get stationed here, there is a UN base here, so there is a chance.
If you ever plan a trip to Europe, skip France (it's dirty and the people aren't very nice), and come to Belgium. You won't be dissapointed. Hit up Brussels, and Gent, maybe Amsterdam, but definately bring your bike. It's the only way to travel here. You can get a list of all UCI races and see those, of which there are plenty, or come during the spring and watch the Ronde.
Anyway, there are so many things to talk about, and believe me I could go on and on, but I need to go. I need to sleep and recover from all this training and racing. Talk to you all later, thanks for reading.
Friday, May 11, 2007
The switch
Last week we had a very rough race, not only for me, but the team as well. There were several crashes, massive headwinds, and a few extra technical turns. We showed up with 13 riders to this race, only 1 finished, 3 crashed, 2 dropped out within the first couple of laps, and the remainder of us were pulled out after half the race. Our race director brought up a point that I hadn't even thought of. I thought I was doing well mentally here, but I have not been 100% commited to the racing.
He said that when we show up, we're entirely too nice to everyone, including ourselves. Some more than others of course. Personally, I know exactly what I messed up on. I wasn't committed, I wasn't saying "that's my wheel and no, you may not squeek in here". I need to race much more aggressive here than I do back home. Back home guys will let me in, they expect me to be in that break so they don't do everything they can to get rid of me. Here it's different. No one wants me in the break, and everyone expects me to let them in. That's going to change. It took my DS mentioning what it was for me to realize what is holding me back. It's not the intensity, it's not the distance, all those we can handle. My power numbers are very good for my size, so it's not a lack of power, it has to do with me being all to willing to allow that wheel to go to the next guy. It's me allowing myself to say "I can move my way back up there, so go ahead, I'll deal with it later" when I need to say "get away from my wheel you (explitive deleted) Belgian, that's mine". They paid only 3E to enter, in reality I paid hundreds if you include the cost of me living here and the flights. That is going to change.
The weather has been a lot like Seattle lately. Very wet, very windy and cold. A big difference from last month when it was the exact opposite. Not a big deal, no sand at least. I really don't mind the wet, in fact it's a rather nice change. The only problem with it is that the guys here don't get it into their head that it's raining. They are so totally used to it, it doesn't really effect them. Not like home where racing in the rain means only 10 guys want to be there, so only 10 actually race. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
He said that when we show up, we're entirely too nice to everyone, including ourselves. Some more than others of course. Personally, I know exactly what I messed up on. I wasn't committed, I wasn't saying "that's my wheel and no, you may not squeek in here". I need to race much more aggressive here than I do back home. Back home guys will let me in, they expect me to be in that break so they don't do everything they can to get rid of me. Here it's different. No one wants me in the break, and everyone expects me to let them in. That's going to change. It took my DS mentioning what it was for me to realize what is holding me back. It's not the intensity, it's not the distance, all those we can handle. My power numbers are very good for my size, so it's not a lack of power, it has to do with me being all to willing to allow that wheel to go to the next guy. It's me allowing myself to say "I can move my way back up there, so go ahead, I'll deal with it later" when I need to say "get away from my wheel you (explitive deleted) Belgian, that's mine". They paid only 3E to enter, in reality I paid hundreds if you include the cost of me living here and the flights. That is going to change.
The weather has been a lot like Seattle lately. Very wet, very windy and cold. A big difference from last month when it was the exact opposite. Not a big deal, no sand at least. I really don't mind the wet, in fact it's a rather nice change. The only problem with it is that the guys here don't get it into their head that it's raining. They are so totally used to it, it doesn't really effect them. Not like home where racing in the rain means only 10 guys want to be there, so only 10 actually race. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The Hardest Day
Yesterday I had the privelege to race in a UCI 1.2. Since most of you don't know what that means I'll break it down real fast. The first number means a sigle day or multi day event (1 being a single day, 2 being multi day). The second number is the difficulty level (12 being all ameteur, 1 or HC being pro tour). With this being a 1.2 that means it's a pro-am, out of 30 teams present, only 8 were full on ameteur. This was going to be a hard day.
As we rolled up, I saw team cars from all the big names. Prodictor/Lotto, Gerolsteiner, Landbowcreditdiet-Colnago, Chacolat-Jacques, Unibet, etc. Granted these are not there Pro tour squads, they are not allowed to enter these races, but they do fund a continental pro team and that's who came out. It was so strange knowing that we're about to race against these guys and these are the guys that are going to be on the pro tour in a couple of years.
The racing was hard. I'm not going to type out a long play by play, if you want to see that let me know and I'll send it to you. I will say this, however, these guys can ride. The first hour averaged just shy of 47 kph. I threw up after the first lap, my HR was so high. I was able to stay with it for 115 km of 187 (yes a very long day). For those that don't know kms, 162 is a hundred miles. I lasted about 72 of 115 miles (give or take). I just couldn't go that hard anymore. I saw the peloton inching away with me in my 53x11 and at 100 rpm, at that point what am I going to do. I couldn't dig any deeper at that point. All I needed was it to slow down for a minute and let me reposition myself. Anyway, like I said, I 'm not going to get into that. Let me know if you want that report.
Mentally I'm good. I saw where the bar is, and I know what I need to do to get there. I may not be able to achieve that this year, but next year I can do it. My winter training is going to have to be different as my endurance is not where it needs to be for those types of races. My goal for this season is to finish a UCI 1.2, and to place at a kermese (top 10) before I leave. I know I can do it, I just need my body to catch up to where my mind is. That is the most frustrating part of all this. I'm not down and out, I'm just lacking the physical side, which is very fixable.
Thanks everyone for your support. I can't believe it's already been 5 weeks. I'm a third of the way done with this!! It's moved so fast, it crazy. Before you know it I'll be home again to NC and ripping up the local scene all over again.
As we rolled up, I saw team cars from all the big names. Prodictor/Lotto, Gerolsteiner, Landbowcreditdiet-Colnago, Chacolat-Jacques, Unibet, etc. Granted these are not there Pro tour squads, they are not allowed to enter these races, but they do fund a continental pro team and that's who came out. It was so strange knowing that we're about to race against these guys and these are the guys that are going to be on the pro tour in a couple of years.
The racing was hard. I'm not going to type out a long play by play, if you want to see that let me know and I'll send it to you. I will say this, however, these guys can ride. The first hour averaged just shy of 47 kph. I threw up after the first lap, my HR was so high. I was able to stay with it for 115 km of 187 (yes a very long day). For those that don't know kms, 162 is a hundred miles. I lasted about 72 of 115 miles (give or take). I just couldn't go that hard anymore. I saw the peloton inching away with me in my 53x11 and at 100 rpm, at that point what am I going to do. I couldn't dig any deeper at that point. All I needed was it to slow down for a minute and let me reposition myself. Anyway, like I said, I 'm not going to get into that. Let me know if you want that report.
Mentally I'm good. I saw where the bar is, and I know what I need to do to get there. I may not be able to achieve that this year, but next year I can do it. My winter training is going to have to be different as my endurance is not where it needs to be for those types of races. My goal for this season is to finish a UCI 1.2, and to place at a kermese (top 10) before I leave. I know I can do it, I just need my body to catch up to where my mind is. That is the most frustrating part of all this. I'm not down and out, I'm just lacking the physical side, which is very fixable.
Thanks everyone for your support. I can't believe it's already been 5 weeks. I'm a third of the way done with this!! It's moved so fast, it crazy. Before you know it I'll be home again to NC and ripping up the local scene all over again.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Racin' and Trainin'
Tuesday was another very hard kermese. I prefer not to bore you with the details, but I was popped after and hour and a half. There were 20 turns within a 7 km distance and they threw in a cobble section for good measure. No hills, no wind, so not my kind of racing. I went with so many attacks I thought I was going to die. I didn't die, but I did pop myself after an hour and a half. I just worked too hard, and was a bit too aggressive. Good thing is that I WAS aggressive, but I need to tone it down a notch and allow myself to recover at times. I know I can finish these races, I just have to pick the right moves and ignore the others.
In other news I had a professional bike fit done by Franz, the same guy that fits Axel Merkx, and a number of other top pros. I had heard incredible things about this guy. He had one of our guys buy a new frame because his wasn't even close to correct, another guy he raised the seat 4 (that's right I said 4, four) cms, and then put on a 130 mm stem instead of a 100 like he had. Those are the most extreme cases, but most have huge changes. I was expecting bad things.....and after an hour of measurements, tests, and movements he sat down with his numbers to create my perfect bike. After all that, it came down to my frame was almost perfect. The headtube is too long by one and a half cms (which I can't change) and the seat angle is of by 3 degrees (another thing I can't change). The top tube was perfect, and my seat tube is perfect too, so the major things are ok. My stem was 5mms short, but with my handlebars, it works because the reach from the tip of the seat to the shifters is perfect. The only thing he changed for me was he raised my seat 1 cm, and moved the seat forward by 1 cm, meaning I was pretty close to perfect on my own measurements. My shoe cleat placement was correct too (a huge accomplishment considering that 99% of people get it wrong).
I have a copy of my measurements for when I'm retired from cycling and decide to buy my full custom steal frame I will have that part already done. It was really cool to experience that. I had never had a bike fit done before, I always calculated everything on my own using the Edmund Burke system, and apparently that's close. I'm glad I did it here, it cost me 60 Euros instead of $150 back home. A savings of almost $75.
In other news I think I have found the perfect ride food. I downloaded the recipe for Chocolate-peanut butter no-bake cookies. After they solidified they held their shape, didn't melt even when it was over 30C, and went down easy after 2 hours of sprints. I'm going to have to play with the recipe a bit, I need to eliminate some of the simple sugars (it called for 2 cups of suger), yet still remain solid and non-melting. It's a work in progress to find the perfect ride food, but I'm determined to do it.
Next race is Tuesday. A UCI 1.2 in Hoboken (no not New Jersey). This will be my hardest race so far. It's 180 kms and the field will be top level. We're talking pro-am racing. Think NRC but 4 notches higher. So check back for that update in a few days.
In other news I had a professional bike fit done by Franz, the same guy that fits Axel Merkx, and a number of other top pros. I had heard incredible things about this guy. He had one of our guys buy a new frame because his wasn't even close to correct, another guy he raised the seat 4 (that's right I said 4, four) cms, and then put on a 130 mm stem instead of a 100 like he had. Those are the most extreme cases, but most have huge changes. I was expecting bad things.....and after an hour of measurements, tests, and movements he sat down with his numbers to create my perfect bike. After all that, it came down to my frame was almost perfect. The headtube is too long by one and a half cms (which I can't change) and the seat angle is of by 3 degrees (another thing I can't change). The top tube was perfect, and my seat tube is perfect too, so the major things are ok. My stem was 5mms short, but with my handlebars, it works because the reach from the tip of the seat to the shifters is perfect. The only thing he changed for me was he raised my seat 1 cm, and moved the seat forward by 1 cm, meaning I was pretty close to perfect on my own measurements. My shoe cleat placement was correct too (a huge accomplishment considering that 99% of people get it wrong).
I have a copy of my measurements for when I'm retired from cycling and decide to buy my full custom steal frame I will have that part already done. It was really cool to experience that. I had never had a bike fit done before, I always calculated everything on my own using the Edmund Burke system, and apparently that's close. I'm glad I did it here, it cost me 60 Euros instead of $150 back home. A savings of almost $75.
In other news I think I have found the perfect ride food. I downloaded the recipe for Chocolate-peanut butter no-bake cookies. After they solidified they held their shape, didn't melt even when it was over 30C, and went down easy after 2 hours of sprints. I'm going to have to play with the recipe a bit, I need to eliminate some of the simple sugars (it called for 2 cups of suger), yet still remain solid and non-melting. It's a work in progress to find the perfect ride food, but I'm determined to do it.
Next race is Tuesday. A UCI 1.2 in Hoboken (no not New Jersey). This will be my hardest race so far. It's 180 kms and the field will be top level. We're talking pro-am racing. Think NRC but 4 notches higher. So check back for that update in a few days.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Makin' money
Yesterday was the best race I've had since I got here. I told they guys as we were pulling up "Let's make some money today". Well I wasn't about to walk away empty handed. Not only did I finish the race, all 14 laps (114 km) of it, but I snagged up some money in a prime sprint. I really didn't know it was a prime, all I knew was that a move was going up the road and I wasn't going to let that go without me, well I came through 2nd place at that point. When I came through, they were waiving the white flag and shouting over the PA system about a prime, then my name, and the guy in front sat up. Usually I would attack at that point, but I didn't exactly know what was going on, so I waited for the peloton too.
After that it was a series of attacks and counter attacks. Our team made sure one of us was in the move. If I wasn't going with something, someone else was. It was a lot more fun playing an aggressive role than just waiting for the race to finish. It hurt, don't get me wrong. There a few times I thought I done for. On one of the laps I had to push so hard to keep the field together that I started to crack. This was an hour and a half into the race. As I was fading back a bit, my teammate rode by and said "Don't quit now, stay with it" and that was all it took. I jumped back into shelter, and rested for a lap or two, then I was back to attacking.
When the split happened at 5 to go, I was in no shape to jump with it, but I had two teammates that were so they got away. I relaxed and hung on for the finish placing 56th of 125 (at least) starters. Not too shabby. I at least know now that I am fully capable of a result, and now I just need to make that split and get into the top 10. UCI races are just around the corner, rumor has it that I will be selected here very soon.
After that it was a series of attacks and counter attacks. Our team made sure one of us was in the move. If I wasn't going with something, someone else was. It was a lot more fun playing an aggressive role than just waiting for the race to finish. It hurt, don't get me wrong. There a few times I thought I done for. On one of the laps I had to push so hard to keep the field together that I started to crack. This was an hour and a half into the race. As I was fading back a bit, my teammate rode by and said "Don't quit now, stay with it" and that was all it took. I jumped back into shelter, and rested for a lap or two, then I was back to attacking.
When the split happened at 5 to go, I was in no shape to jump with it, but I had two teammates that were so they got away. I relaxed and hung on for the finish placing 56th of 125 (at least) starters. Not too shabby. I at least know now that I am fully capable of a result, and now I just need to make that split and get into the top 10. UCI races are just around the corner, rumor has it that I will be selected here very soon.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Learning to relax
As my time carries on, I find that more and more I have to rethink how I relax. In the past I would go out to spin to calm myself, cycling was more of a stress-reliever than anything else. Even when I was a kid I would ride to relieve the mental strain of being a teenager. When I was in the military it took more of a different feel, it was a career desire, but it was still a kind of passtime.
Now, this is my job. I get up, eat, train, race, clean my equipment, eat again, put my feet up, and read. That's it, no job, Heather is not here to help, nothing. This is now my job. So that creates an issue, what do I do now to relieve stress? While there are a myriad of things that I could do, there is really only one thing I enjoy and that's riding. I thought for the longest time I was a rounded individual, that I enjoyed lots of things, even though my focus was the bike. Now I see that things are different. I need to do something other than ride. I know that sounds crazy. This is my life now, and in order to live at piece I can't restrict myself.
What does that mean? That means I need to go out, enjoy myself. I need to have a few things I've been restricting myself. I haven't had a chance to taste the pastries here, even though they look awesome, I have yet to have Belgian chocolate, and (this may be the biggest sin) I have yet to have a Belgian beer. I think that if I'm to relax and enjoy myself I need to loosen up some of these restrictions. I don't mean go crazy and hit the town, but one or two of these aren't going to kill me, if anything they may even help.
So it's time to enjoy myself, it's time for me to enjoy riding. I made a decision awhile ago, and I will follow it whether it takes 15 years or 15 weeks. I will quit racing seriously the second I dread riding the bike. The day I wake up and my first thought is "Crap, I have to go train" I'll hang up my race wheels. I don't intend on that happening now.
Now, this is my job. I get up, eat, train, race, clean my equipment, eat again, put my feet up, and read. That's it, no job, Heather is not here to help, nothing. This is now my job. So that creates an issue, what do I do now to relieve stress? While there are a myriad of things that I could do, there is really only one thing I enjoy and that's riding. I thought for the longest time I was a rounded individual, that I enjoyed lots of things, even though my focus was the bike. Now I see that things are different. I need to do something other than ride. I know that sounds crazy. This is my life now, and in order to live at piece I can't restrict myself.
What does that mean? That means I need to go out, enjoy myself. I need to have a few things I've been restricting myself. I haven't had a chance to taste the pastries here, even though they look awesome, I have yet to have Belgian chocolate, and (this may be the biggest sin) I have yet to have a Belgian beer. I think that if I'm to relax and enjoy myself I need to loosen up some of these restrictions. I don't mean go crazy and hit the town, but one or two of these aren't going to kill me, if anything they may even help.
So it's time to enjoy myself, it's time for me to enjoy riding. I made a decision awhile ago, and I will follow it whether it takes 15 years or 15 weeks. I will quit racing seriously the second I dread riding the bike. The day I wake up and my first thought is "Crap, I have to go train" I'll hang up my race wheels. I don't intend on that happening now.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Finally a checkered flag
I raced again yesterday, in Da Haan, near the coast. The whole day started out really bad. First we almost leave without one of our guys, then we get 50 meters down the street and my cassette starts to stick. Upon inspection, the freehub needs to be fixed (American Classics, go figure). I run back to the house to change the wheel out and ask the guys to wait, only to return to an empty street. Luckily I had another guy go back to the house with me so we knew the way to the race.
The entire ride we (there were 4 in total) were trying to chase down our other teammates. We were going hard too, around 40 k and hour in a head wind, and I might add I had a 7 kilo bag on my back to make it just that much harder before a race. We eventually get to Da Haan, and no team is in sight. I sign in, get my number and sit down to attach the frame number and pin my number to my back. As I'm doing this along comes the rest of the team. Little punks took a different route, so we weren't going to catch up no matter how hard we had gone. Little did they know the guy they ditched (me) had the foreign permission letter for the whole team, so without me there would have been no race for them.
Enough of the antics, lets get down to racing. I was able to get a great starting position, right at the front, literally on the line. At the whistle I quickly settled into a top 10 spot and there I would stay through the first lap. On the second lap (each one being 9.8k long) the initial break happened, and guess who was there to go with it.....that's right I made the break. Unfortunately it would be short lived, I took a conflicting line through a corner and locked up my rear wheel destroying my momentum, and even though I chased to get back on I was cooked when I finally caught up. When you're cooked in the break and can't make your pull without a bit of faultering they get rid of you, and that's exactly what they did.
I was able to catch onto the chasing group after the break ditched me, but that group was very small (4 guys) and I was having a hard time recovering from my last efforts in the break, so after I picked a bad line through the decent, I was gapped off that.
I sat up and had to wait to get caught by the peloton, so depressing when you're in the break at the start, but alas I have a lot to learn still. After I was caught I jumped into the front and found my teammates. I finally got a chance to recover, and after about a lap or so I was able to work again. Two teammates made it in the split when it went up the road, and I am proud that I allowed them that chance, I was able to get on the front and sit up to allow the gap to happen. The commisaire allowed us to go another few laps before they had us finish, and with most of our team in that field we had to sit back and watch as two guys were able to continue until the end. Our best placing was a 37th, but out of almost 150, so........
All in all there is still a lot I have to learn. I was finally in the spot to make the move, but I wasn't able to continue the move, or finish it off. That's what I need to learn. I still do too much work in the wind and I still get sucked into working too hard in the break. I'll get it, and it feals good that I finally saw a checkered flag officially ending our race, but I'm not there yet. I'm learning quickly, but there is still a long way to go.
The entire ride we (there were 4 in total) were trying to chase down our other teammates. We were going hard too, around 40 k and hour in a head wind, and I might add I had a 7 kilo bag on my back to make it just that much harder before a race. We eventually get to Da Haan, and no team is in sight. I sign in, get my number and sit down to attach the frame number and pin my number to my back. As I'm doing this along comes the rest of the team. Little punks took a different route, so we weren't going to catch up no matter how hard we had gone. Little did they know the guy they ditched (me) had the foreign permission letter for the whole team, so without me there would have been no race for them.
Enough of the antics, lets get down to racing. I was able to get a great starting position, right at the front, literally on the line. At the whistle I quickly settled into a top 10 spot and there I would stay through the first lap. On the second lap (each one being 9.8k long) the initial break happened, and guess who was there to go with it.....that's right I made the break. Unfortunately it would be short lived, I took a conflicting line through a corner and locked up my rear wheel destroying my momentum, and even though I chased to get back on I was cooked when I finally caught up. When you're cooked in the break and can't make your pull without a bit of faultering they get rid of you, and that's exactly what they did.
I was able to catch onto the chasing group after the break ditched me, but that group was very small (4 guys) and I was having a hard time recovering from my last efforts in the break, so after I picked a bad line through the decent, I was gapped off that.
I sat up and had to wait to get caught by the peloton, so depressing when you're in the break at the start, but alas I have a lot to learn still. After I was caught I jumped into the front and found my teammates. I finally got a chance to recover, and after about a lap or so I was able to work again. Two teammates made it in the split when it went up the road, and I am proud that I allowed them that chance, I was able to get on the front and sit up to allow the gap to happen. The commisaire allowed us to go another few laps before they had us finish, and with most of our team in that field we had to sit back and watch as two guys were able to continue until the end. Our best placing was a 37th, but out of almost 150, so........
All in all there is still a lot I have to learn. I was finally in the spot to make the move, but I wasn't able to continue the move, or finish it off. That's what I need to learn. I still do too much work in the wind and I still get sucked into working too hard in the break. I'll get it, and it feals good that I finally saw a checkered flag officially ending our race, but I'm not there yet. I'm learning quickly, but there is still a long way to go.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Anniversary Post
Today, everyone, is my three year anniversay with my wife, Heather. Since it is such a special day to me, I just wanted to take a few moments and thank my biggest supporter and fan. I can't thank her enough for all that she puts up with, and all that she does without any complaints. This whole trip here to make a dream come true would never have been possible without her undying support. I can't tell you how many times she has been there to hand off bottles, help get food ready, pin my numbers, and even console me at times. She really is my best friend, and the one person who I owe the most.
I love you Heather, and Happy Anniversary.
I love you Heather, and Happy Anniversary.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
My weekend in Hell
Boys and girls, with the Hell of the North quickly approaching I only saw it fitting to make my own pilgramige to the cobbles. A couple of teammates and I were invited to Roubaix with the masters VIPs, and since we were there, with our bikes........that's right, we did our own day on the cobbles.
We started with the infamous Arrenburg Forest. Quick bio on the race for my parents, this race if 260 km, and really the race doesn't start until this section. Of 28 sections of cobbles this is number 10, and it is by far the worst. Literally it is an all out sprint to get to this section and those that are still around after the seperation usually are the big hitters. And the forest really is the worst section. It feels and looks like some farmer thought it would be funny to toss a bunch of stones in the mud, all in a straight line for 2.7 km, and 5 meters wide without any rhyme or reason and call it a road. You have stones sticking out in all kinds of wierd angles and really wide spaces, like a said no reason to the work. By the time I finished that section (less than 5 km into the ride) I had blisters on my hands.
We continued on with the ride and you would think it would get easier, now that we finished the hardest section, right? Think again, it only gets tougher. The sections range from 3.7 km to 470 meters, and they are all tough. It's all about power and lines, pick the good line and even if it's not the best, stick to it. The few times that I switched lines then tried to power back up, it was over and all momentum was gone.
All in all it was a fun experience. Hard, but fun. I suppose my opinion would change if I had to race it. If I was flying into the Forest at 60-65 kph, then worrying about picking a line, that would be a whole other story. The way we rode today, hard on the cobbles then easy on the road is actually the opposite of what really happens. It's a race just to get to the cobble section then maintain position, then race again to the next session. All new respect is definately an understatement to these "hard men of the north".
My hands are now covered in blisters, and rear hurst and I'm exhausted, and I only did 80 kms and 13 sections of 28 of pave. 260 kms is forever and even longer when it rains and is windy (as it usually is). I can't wait to see who wins, my money is on Lief Hoste, so we'll see.
We started with the infamous Arrenburg Forest. Quick bio on the race for my parents, this race if 260 km, and really the race doesn't start until this section. Of 28 sections of cobbles this is number 10, and it is by far the worst. Literally it is an all out sprint to get to this section and those that are still around after the seperation usually are the big hitters. And the forest really is the worst section. It feels and looks like some farmer thought it would be funny to toss a bunch of stones in the mud, all in a straight line for 2.7 km, and 5 meters wide without any rhyme or reason and call it a road. You have stones sticking out in all kinds of wierd angles and really wide spaces, like a said no reason to the work. By the time I finished that section (less than 5 km into the ride) I had blisters on my hands.
We continued on with the ride and you would think it would get easier, now that we finished the hardest section, right? Think again, it only gets tougher. The sections range from 3.7 km to 470 meters, and they are all tough. It's all about power and lines, pick the good line and even if it's not the best, stick to it. The few times that I switched lines then tried to power back up, it was over and all momentum was gone.
All in all it was a fun experience. Hard, but fun. I suppose my opinion would change if I had to race it. If I was flying into the Forest at 60-65 kph, then worrying about picking a line, that would be a whole other story. The way we rode today, hard on the cobbles then easy on the road is actually the opposite of what really happens. It's a race just to get to the cobble section then maintain position, then race again to the next session. All new respect is definately an understatement to these "hard men of the north".
My hands are now covered in blisters, and rear hurst and I'm exhausted, and I only did 80 kms and 13 sections of 28 of pave. 260 kms is forever and even longer when it rains and is windy (as it usually is). I can't wait to see who wins, my money is on Lief Hoste, so we'll see.
Monday, April 9, 2007
How I love my wonderful toys
It's been a few days since my last post. I'd like to say I was really busy, that I had all kinds of things to do, but that would be lying. The real reason I haven't posted in awhile is that I haven't really been doing anything. Well that's not entirely true, I got my new toy last week.
That's right everyone, I'm finally on MY bike. We picked her up last Friday, and boy was she a beauty. I have had a few nice bikes on my day, the nicest being a De Rosa King, but I think this one may rival that. We picked her up from the LBS (local bike shop for those of not in-the-know) where they don't take any credit cards, can you believe that? I needed a few extra things, like a saddle bag which clips straight to my saddle, and a frame pump just in case the worst happens. Anyway, I fell in love with the frame at that moment. Sadly we have a strict rule about working on bikes after dinner, so I had to wait until Saturday to build her.
That next morning, I had intended on doing my recovery ride on the loner. I was planning on spending the rest of the day working on the Kuota, but I needed the steer tube cut down before the mechanic took off for the UCI 1.2 that afternoon. I asked him to assist me in this endevour before they left and sure enough it was done in no time, the only bad thing is when you start to build a new toy, you usually can't stop until you can ride it....... It was at that point that a steer tube turned into a BB, and you can't have a BB without a crankset, and heaven forbid you leave the front derailleur off now that you've made it that far, and, well I'm sure you get the picture. I spent 6 hours building this thing perfectly, Frank you'd be proud.
My first ride was only an hour and a half, and I wasn't really ready for the ride on this particular machine. It is probably the stiffest bike I have ever ridden, not bad, but I definately feel every bump on my bruised rib. I got home though and I was hooked. No complaints for this being a racers bike.
The next day was a rest day, not touching the bike, so I sadly had to stare at her hanging in the garage all lonely. I didn't spend that much time crying though, as Ronde va Vlandaaran was playing. We had intended on going to the start, it's only 20 minutes by bus, but that fell through. The race start was at 0945, and I didn't get breakfast until 0800, and then no one wanted to go with me. I had to settle for the projected image on our wall. I know it's so depressing to be able to watch these bike races live on national TV, in 3 different languages I might add. It's so hard, I think I'm going to shed a tear. Other than that though, I did nothing for the day.
Today I got to actually train on the bike. A friend and I did a 3 hour ride with 30 sec sprints every 15 minutes, or thereabouts. We mostly attacked each other at loosly 15 minutes forcing the other person to react. We both won an equal amount of sprints. I am quite a bit fast than he is, but he has knowledge of the road so he can catch me off guard sometimes. It really helped building my reaction time, my sprint needs a bit more work, I'm not happy yet. I maxed out at 1166 watts, and at 60 kilos (my weight) that translates into just shy of 20:1, I want it to be 22:1 which means I need another 200 watts. I can get it, but it'll take time. I shattered my previous records for peak power levels, my 5 sec is now at 1066, and my 30 sec is 734. Not too shabby for a tiny guy! BTW, that bike handles awesome, nice and stiff when I need it transfer power, and nice and compliant over the cobbles, that's right I did cobbles today, only one stretch near the house, but I'm still going to brag.
In the next few weeks I'm planning on hitting the climbs of Vlandaaran, you can curse me out later Frank. Until then, ciao.
That's right everyone, I'm finally on MY bike. We picked her up last Friday, and boy was she a beauty. I have had a few nice bikes on my day, the nicest being a De Rosa King, but I think this one may rival that. We picked her up from the LBS (local bike shop for those of not in-the-know) where they don't take any credit cards, can you believe that? I needed a few extra things, like a saddle bag which clips straight to my saddle, and a frame pump just in case the worst happens. Anyway, I fell in love with the frame at that moment. Sadly we have a strict rule about working on bikes after dinner, so I had to wait until Saturday to build her.
That next morning, I had intended on doing my recovery ride on the loner. I was planning on spending the rest of the day working on the Kuota, but I needed the steer tube cut down before the mechanic took off for the UCI 1.2 that afternoon. I asked him to assist me in this endevour before they left and sure enough it was done in no time, the only bad thing is when you start to build a new toy, you usually can't stop until you can ride it....... It was at that point that a steer tube turned into a BB, and you can't have a BB without a crankset, and heaven forbid you leave the front derailleur off now that you've made it that far, and, well I'm sure you get the picture. I spent 6 hours building this thing perfectly, Frank you'd be proud.
My first ride was only an hour and a half, and I wasn't really ready for the ride on this particular machine. It is probably the stiffest bike I have ever ridden, not bad, but I definately feel every bump on my bruised rib. I got home though and I was hooked. No complaints for this being a racers bike.
The next day was a rest day, not touching the bike, so I sadly had to stare at her hanging in the garage all lonely. I didn't spend that much time crying though, as Ronde va Vlandaaran was playing. We had intended on going to the start, it's only 20 minutes by bus, but that fell through. The race start was at 0945, and I didn't get breakfast until 0800, and then no one wanted to go with me. I had to settle for the projected image on our wall. I know it's so depressing to be able to watch these bike races live on national TV, in 3 different languages I might add. It's so hard, I think I'm going to shed a tear. Other than that though, I did nothing for the day.
Today I got to actually train on the bike. A friend and I did a 3 hour ride with 30 sec sprints every 15 minutes, or thereabouts. We mostly attacked each other at loosly 15 minutes forcing the other person to react. We both won an equal amount of sprints. I am quite a bit fast than he is, but he has knowledge of the road so he can catch me off guard sometimes. It really helped building my reaction time, my sprint needs a bit more work, I'm not happy yet. I maxed out at 1166 watts, and at 60 kilos (my weight) that translates into just shy of 20:1, I want it to be 22:1 which means I need another 200 watts. I can get it, but it'll take time. I shattered my previous records for peak power levels, my 5 sec is now at 1066, and my 30 sec is 734. Not too shabby for a tiny guy! BTW, that bike handles awesome, nice and stiff when I need it transfer power, and nice and compliant over the cobbles, that's right I did cobbles today, only one stretch near the house, but I'm still going to brag.
In the next few weeks I'm planning on hitting the climbs of Vlandaaran, you can curse me out later Frank. Until then, ciao.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Every Cloud...
Just when I was having a bad day, things start to look up. I got an email from the DS of the Combined Armed Forces team, looks like I'll be racing for them after I return. I got to talk to Debra and she's going to get my category upgrade done for me. I get to do Nationals this year!!
Her and I will talk more at the race in a few months, and of course we'll be emailing back and forth quite a bit.
Today wasn't too bad. I was able to do 3 hours with the team, doing some drills. We did echelon drills into the wind. It's been a long time since I did that kind of practice and I'm afraid I wasn't the best at it. I need to work more, I know that, I also need to work on just being comfortable riding with handlebars touching, knees, elbows, etc. In a race I can do that, it's all part of racing, but in training it's harder sometimes. I find myself thinking too hard, and I get stiff on the bike. That's the opposite thing that needs to happen. It'll take practice, but I can do it. It's just a matter of doing it over and over.
Not much to write about today. I'll have more in the next couple of days.
Her and I will talk more at the race in a few months, and of course we'll be emailing back and forth quite a bit.
Today wasn't too bad. I was able to do 3 hours with the team, doing some drills. We did echelon drills into the wind. It's been a long time since I did that kind of practice and I'm afraid I wasn't the best at it. I need to work more, I know that, I also need to work on just being comfortable riding with handlebars touching, knees, elbows, etc. In a race I can do that, it's all part of racing, but in training it's harder sometimes. I find myself thinking too hard, and I get stiff on the bike. That's the opposite thing that needs to happen. It'll take practice, but I can do it. It's just a matter of doing it over and over.
Not much to write about today. I'll have more in the next couple of days.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Ah, The Smell of Skin on Pavement
My goal didn't get accomplished, not by lack of energy or anything else. I crashed out on the second lap. This race was a bit scetchier, there was a lot of hard braking today, not loke normal. The last race was very go, go, go; this one was very relax, hit the brakes, sprint, hit the brakes. The one that did me on was after the corner on the second lap.
The course was a triangle shape. There was a long 2 km straight with a head/cross wind, then a right hand turn to a tail wind section with gutters on both sides of the roads, thurn three took you onto an open town road with a couple of speed bumps and a few sections of bricks, then onto turn 3-4 (which were really 1 and a half turns) which spit you back out onto the straight for the finish line.
The pace wasn't that bad starting out, quite a bit slower than I thought. My HR was sitting comfortably at 150, and I wasn't having to work too hard. I was just starting to move up toward the front, weaving my way through the peloton. We hit the corner, slowed, then took off again. We sprinted for 10 seconds then steadied, and I started to sneak back through again when someone slammed on the breaks. At that point I don't remember a whole lot, I saw a mass of bikes coming at me the wrong way and then a wave behind me choking me out. I don't know I caused it by getting tangled with a guy (his scewer went in to my spokes) or the wave behind me, but we all went down. There were about 12 of us down. All I could think about was getting my bottles and getting back on the bike. I tried so hard to chase, I could see the chase car, but it kept creeping away. I tried to incorporate a couple of riders into my chase, and I exhausted one guy, then I was working on killing another, but they pulled me out.
The rest of the day, 2 and a half hours worth, I spent rolling around the area. I needed to get more training in , and I didn't want to be near the race because I would just get angry that I wasn't there. I went and explored the Brugge area by bike. I rode a canal road, around the city center area, and then I did laps around the area. Nothing hard, nice and easy nothing over 140 bpm. That's how we train here. I just wanted to race today, that's all.
The team didn't do anything spectacular today. The race actually finished in a group sprint, very uncommon for kermeses, I hear. Out of 9 guys only 2 didn't finish, and one wasn't because they quit. So all in all not a bad day, not a great day either, but not bad. The next goal is to put someone on the podium, very doable if we can pull our heads out and race.
Tomorrow will probably be a spin for a few hours type of day. I need to make sure my legs don't get too stiff, I already feel pretty beaten up. I have some road rash on my arms, my right hip, my left elbow is bruised up, and my rib is bruised (I think someone hit me there). I just feel like I got into a fight with the road and lost. At least nothing is broken and the bike is in one piece. I need to true the front wheel, but nothing is in several pieces. Now my quota for crashes has been fulfilled for the season, no more crashes for this kid.
It's time for bed, so I'll write about my trip to Brugge tomorrow.
The course was a triangle shape. There was a long 2 km straight with a head/cross wind, then a right hand turn to a tail wind section with gutters on both sides of the roads, thurn three took you onto an open town road with a couple of speed bumps and a few sections of bricks, then onto turn 3-4 (which were really 1 and a half turns) which spit you back out onto the straight for the finish line.
The pace wasn't that bad starting out, quite a bit slower than I thought. My HR was sitting comfortably at 150, and I wasn't having to work too hard. I was just starting to move up toward the front, weaving my way through the peloton. We hit the corner, slowed, then took off again. We sprinted for 10 seconds then steadied, and I started to sneak back through again when someone slammed on the breaks. At that point I don't remember a whole lot, I saw a mass of bikes coming at me the wrong way and then a wave behind me choking me out. I don't know I caused it by getting tangled with a guy (his scewer went in to my spokes) or the wave behind me, but we all went down. There were about 12 of us down. All I could think about was getting my bottles and getting back on the bike. I tried so hard to chase, I could see the chase car, but it kept creeping away. I tried to incorporate a couple of riders into my chase, and I exhausted one guy, then I was working on killing another, but they pulled me out.
The rest of the day, 2 and a half hours worth, I spent rolling around the area. I needed to get more training in , and I didn't want to be near the race because I would just get angry that I wasn't there. I went and explored the Brugge area by bike. I rode a canal road, around the city center area, and then I did laps around the area. Nothing hard, nice and easy nothing over 140 bpm. That's how we train here. I just wanted to race today, that's all.
The team didn't do anything spectacular today. The race actually finished in a group sprint, very uncommon for kermeses, I hear. Out of 9 guys only 2 didn't finish, and one wasn't because they quit. So all in all not a bad day, not a great day either, but not bad. The next goal is to put someone on the podium, very doable if we can pull our heads out and race.
Tomorrow will probably be a spin for a few hours type of day. I need to make sure my legs don't get too stiff, I already feel pretty beaten up. I have some road rash on my arms, my right hip, my left elbow is bruised up, and my rib is bruised (I think someone hit me there). I just feel like I got into a fight with the road and lost. At least nothing is broken and the bike is in one piece. I need to true the front wheel, but nothing is in several pieces. Now my quota for crashes has been fulfilled for the season, no more crashes for this kid.
It's time for bed, so I'll write about my trip to Brugge tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Prerace day
Tomorrow is another race day, it's so cool to get the chance to do a midweek race. I haven't been able to do that since I lived in Utah. This one is the same as all the others though, 115 - 140 km, and windy. The goal, once again, is to finish the race. We have 8 guys going including me, so we have a formidable team showing up. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. Being the Americans we are targeted from the gun. Our uniforms are stars and stripes, so we stick out like a sore thumb, and because we are showing up en mass that just multiplies that problem. It'll be fun though.
The course is a 4 corner race with a roundabout, a couple of speed humps, and a few cobble spots, and don't forget the wind. The goal for me for this race is to stay hidden, don't go with anything if I don't have to, and finish the race. It sounds like an easy thing but as I saw Sunday it's not like home. I know I can do it, I just need to race smart and not use my energy where I don't have to. It's all about staying hidden for me.
Today, as a pre race day, we did 3 hours easy pace. Mixed in a few sprints for fun with the guys. Nothing too hard, and we always recovered completely from each effort. I really just needed to hit the ATM for some cash and that was kind of an afterthought. We did that on the way home, except that the ATM isn't on the way. It's more like a half hour out of the way. It's no big deal, just how things are.
Today I also had to get my race food together. I tried the rice cakes from the bakery last time, and while they were good, they weren't exactly what I needed for a race. This time I'm making my own. As this is my first time doing this I kept it simple, just a cup a flour, a cup of rice, 2 eggs, half a cup of applesauce, some honey, peanut butter, bananas, and jam. We'll see how they turn out. The bars will have everything I need for a race in them, so even if they taste terrible at least they are good for me. Who knows, maybe I'll find something that really works and then market it? I'm just determined not to cramp again at this race like I did Sunday, so I'm pounding water and eating right.
The Navigators are doing '3 Days of De Panne' so the house is empty without them around. Last night as the mechanics were getting everything ready they had Colnago after Colnago lined up, race bikes, TT bikes, spare bikes, and wheels 15 deep (Boras I might add). I thought about getting a picture, but I thought the better of it. I don't want to make everyone (including me) cry when they crash. Definately a lot of money involved.
Well the race is on TV and I need to check on my cakes so I'll wrap this up. I'll repost tomorrow with details about the race, as well as a few details about my rest day in Brugge (yes I did the tourist thing for a day).
The course is a 4 corner race with a roundabout, a couple of speed humps, and a few cobble spots, and don't forget the wind. The goal for me for this race is to stay hidden, don't go with anything if I don't have to, and finish the race. It sounds like an easy thing but as I saw Sunday it's not like home. I know I can do it, I just need to race smart and not use my energy where I don't have to. It's all about staying hidden for me.
Today, as a pre race day, we did 3 hours easy pace. Mixed in a few sprints for fun with the guys. Nothing too hard, and we always recovered completely from each effort. I really just needed to hit the ATM for some cash and that was kind of an afterthought. We did that on the way home, except that the ATM isn't on the way. It's more like a half hour out of the way. It's no big deal, just how things are.
Today I also had to get my race food together. I tried the rice cakes from the bakery last time, and while they were good, they weren't exactly what I needed for a race. This time I'm making my own. As this is my first time doing this I kept it simple, just a cup a flour, a cup of rice, 2 eggs, half a cup of applesauce, some honey, peanut butter, bananas, and jam. We'll see how they turn out. The bars will have everything I need for a race in them, so even if they taste terrible at least they are good for me. Who knows, maybe I'll find something that really works and then market it? I'm just determined not to cramp again at this race like I did Sunday, so I'm pounding water and eating right.
The Navigators are doing '3 Days of De Panne' so the house is empty without them around. Last night as the mechanics were getting everything ready they had Colnago after Colnago lined up, race bikes, TT bikes, spare bikes, and wheels 15 deep (Boras I might add). I thought about getting a picture, but I thought the better of it. I don't want to make everyone (including me) cry when they crash. Definately a lot of money involved.
Well the race is on TV and I need to check on my cakes so I'll wrap this up. I'll repost tomorrow with details about the race, as well as a few details about my rest day in Brugge (yes I did the tourist thing for a day).
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Race Day, the first of many
Well it's getting late, and I'm just getting to this post!
We, a teammate and I, rolled to the race (that's right it was close enough to ride to!!) about 2 hours prior to the start. Lucily we gave ourselves plenty of time as a 15km preride turned into a 43 km preride, not too bad though nice little warmup. I was warned about the starts, that they are all out from the gun, so get a good line position. I thought I had one, right at the line, but I realize now the line is more of a guideline than a rule. I started closer to the back than to the front, not good.
The start was a little disappointing, yeah they went hard, but it wasn't like a full on sprint, more like a crit start. The race felt a lot like a crit too, the way everything moved, but the biggest difference was that it's 2xs longer than a crit, so imagine the amout of intensity required to do a crit and double that, and it never really lets up. Whenever I got to sneak a peak at my HR it was in the red (196, 187, 182 etc.). The lowest I EVER saw it drop was 166, and that was when I was eating and losing position at the front for a short while.
I did get to show my hand a bit, the break that stuck took off on lap 3, like I expected it to, and I wasn't in any position to go with it. When a guy tried to bridge, I was in position for that, I just wasn't ready for him to attack me when we were half way to the goal. Because of that I gave up that effort, but not before being in no man's land for a half lap not getting anywhere. After that I needed to recover so I moved to the middle and tried to relax. Not much of that happening, let me tell you. There were more than a few times I thought my heart jumped into my throat, I wanted to puke so bad. I did everything I could to stay with it, I dug as many times as I could, but after 10 laps of 15 I was cooked. I had to pull out, I just couldn't physically go that hard again. I tried so hard to dig one last time, and my brain was yelling at me body, but my legs just said "No".
Even though I didn't finish the race, it wasn't a complete failure. The race director was please with my efforts, and that I could fight my way to the front and hold my position. He said that he's seen guys get popped of at lap 2, lap 3, but to make it through more than half on you first Euro race, that's very good. So maybe I'll have a chance after all.
I definately learned my lesson about position. I've always known to stay at the front and those that have raced with me know that's where I like to be, but here it's of even greater importance to get up there and stay up there. These guys have the hardest time with corners, when I was on the front I would rail through the corners, and get a gap pretty quick, but when I was in the group, the euros are all over their breaks into the turn, then they drop the hammer out of them. Nothing new for NC crit racers, but different.
They town it was in Wajdaam, was pretty cool. The whole town, it seemed, came out to watch this local race. We had people selling seating on their front lawn!! Racing was cheap, it cost 8 Euros to enter, and when you turn your number in you get 5 back, so it really only cost 3 Euros. They had a awesome smelling bbq, with brats and beer, but of course, I can't partake right now. That smell was killing me every lap we went through there, I was just thinking about how good those brats probably were. The only real frustrating thing was that the race was all in dutch, not french, so I couldn't understand a word. I had no idea how many laps remained or how many were up the road. Guess I'm going to have to learn dutch just to know what's going on in the race.
Ok, well I need to go to bed. It's almost 10pm here and I'm awfully sleepy. Tomorrow is another day of living the dream!
BTW, I didn't see any faux-hawks, but I did see a handful of mullets. I'll look for the hawks next time Jonathan.
Also I'm trying to figure out how to put pics up, as soon as I figure it out I'll let everyone know.
We, a teammate and I, rolled to the race (that's right it was close enough to ride to!!) about 2 hours prior to the start. Lucily we gave ourselves plenty of time as a 15km preride turned into a 43 km preride, not too bad though nice little warmup. I was warned about the starts, that they are all out from the gun, so get a good line position. I thought I had one, right at the line, but I realize now the line is more of a guideline than a rule. I started closer to the back than to the front, not good.
The start was a little disappointing, yeah they went hard, but it wasn't like a full on sprint, more like a crit start. The race felt a lot like a crit too, the way everything moved, but the biggest difference was that it's 2xs longer than a crit, so imagine the amout of intensity required to do a crit and double that, and it never really lets up. Whenever I got to sneak a peak at my HR it was in the red (196, 187, 182 etc.). The lowest I EVER saw it drop was 166, and that was when I was eating and losing position at the front for a short while.
I did get to show my hand a bit, the break that stuck took off on lap 3, like I expected it to, and I wasn't in any position to go with it. When a guy tried to bridge, I was in position for that, I just wasn't ready for him to attack me when we were half way to the goal. Because of that I gave up that effort, but not before being in no man's land for a half lap not getting anywhere. After that I needed to recover so I moved to the middle and tried to relax. Not much of that happening, let me tell you. There were more than a few times I thought my heart jumped into my throat, I wanted to puke so bad. I did everything I could to stay with it, I dug as many times as I could, but after 10 laps of 15 I was cooked. I had to pull out, I just couldn't physically go that hard again. I tried so hard to dig one last time, and my brain was yelling at me body, but my legs just said "No".
Even though I didn't finish the race, it wasn't a complete failure. The race director was please with my efforts, and that I could fight my way to the front and hold my position. He said that he's seen guys get popped of at lap 2, lap 3, but to make it through more than half on you first Euro race, that's very good. So maybe I'll have a chance after all.
I definately learned my lesson about position. I've always known to stay at the front and those that have raced with me know that's where I like to be, but here it's of even greater importance to get up there and stay up there. These guys have the hardest time with corners, when I was on the front I would rail through the corners, and get a gap pretty quick, but when I was in the group, the euros are all over their breaks into the turn, then they drop the hammer out of them. Nothing new for NC crit racers, but different.
They town it was in Wajdaam, was pretty cool. The whole town, it seemed, came out to watch this local race. We had people selling seating on their front lawn!! Racing was cheap, it cost 8 Euros to enter, and when you turn your number in you get 5 back, so it really only cost 3 Euros. They had a awesome smelling bbq, with brats and beer, but of course, I can't partake right now. That smell was killing me every lap we went through there, I was just thinking about how good those brats probably were. The only real frustrating thing was that the race was all in dutch, not french, so I couldn't understand a word. I had no idea how many laps remained or how many were up the road. Guess I'm going to have to learn dutch just to know what's going on in the race.
Ok, well I need to go to bed. It's almost 10pm here and I'm awfully sleepy. Tomorrow is another day of living the dream!
BTW, I didn't see any faux-hawks, but I did see a handful of mullets. I'll look for the hawks next time Jonathan.
Also I'm trying to figure out how to put pics up, as soon as I figure it out I'll let everyone know.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Looks like I"m racing this weekend!! I thought for sure I'd be getting the big NO, considering I just flew in on Tuesday. Bernard evidentaly thinks I have enough rest to go for it. I'm looking forward to getting laid out that first day, just to get it over with. Who knows though, I may finish :) we'll see.
I finally got my taste of cobbles the last few days. We did 2 sections on the Kasteelenroute on Thursday, then I got to do a long ride yesterday with a cobbled climb. The long day was just shy of 4 hours (probably 110 km) with some hills. Nothing major, just some foothills, but enough to get the HR up and stretch the legs. I'm still on the loaner bike, very annoying to not have my own ride yet. Even if it showed up today, though, I wouldn't be able to ride it tomorrow. I need a few days to get used to it.
Right now we're watching E3 on Live TV. I don't need to say how cool it is to see cycling on the local networks just like any baseball or football game. Finally the respect our sport deserves!
Tomorrow I'll give you all the dirty details of Euro racing, at least as much as I get to see!
I finally got my taste of cobbles the last few days. We did 2 sections on the Kasteelenroute on Thursday, then I got to do a long ride yesterday with a cobbled climb. The long day was just shy of 4 hours (probably 110 km) with some hills. Nothing major, just some foothills, but enough to get the HR up and stretch the legs. I'm still on the loaner bike, very annoying to not have my own ride yet. Even if it showed up today, though, I wouldn't be able to ride it tomorrow. I need a few days to get used to it.
Right now we're watching E3 on Live TV. I don't need to say how cool it is to see cycling on the local networks just like any baseball or football game. Finally the respect our sport deserves!
Tomorrow I'll give you all the dirty details of Euro racing, at least as much as I get to see!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
First couple of days
Well, I got here fine on Tuesday. The flights were nothing to write about, long and boring. I slept most of the transcontinental flight, so I arrived not as tired as I could have been. When I arrived I thought there would be a ride waiting for me, no such luck for this kid. I ended up hooking up with a few guys from Navigators who are staying in the Cycling Center house with us. They had been here before so they weren't clueless as I was.
We all jumped on the train, which btw, is lots of fun with two bags, a bike, and a backpack. We got all kinds of looks when we loaded up the doorways with everything. As soon as the train left Brussels, it cleared out and we had enough room to move to a seat. Anne (the hostess for the house) was there to pick us up at the train station, but that would have been really bad if she hadn't. I would have had to learn the bus routes real quick!!
I got to the house, was given a room, and unpacked. After that it was time for a food run. The supermarkets are very different. Luckily I already drank soy milk because I couldn't find skim milk to save my life. It took me over an hour to get the bare essentials: past, oatmeal, rice, chicken, olive oil, red vinegar, oj, bread, etc... the list goes on. I was able to get out of there spending less than 50 Euros (a major feat btw) and got enought food to tide me over for at least a week.
I wasn't permitted to sleep until 2100 so I had to find other ways to bide my time. I would have passed out if I tried to read, so I hung out in the commons area, getting to know my teammates as well as I could. all the guys seem pretty cool, I think we'll mesh well. It seems the fact that I'm military preceeded me. I got all kinds of questions about it. I did get a couple about my opinion, and I tried to stear away from that kind of thing. "My opinion doesn't really matter when I have a job to do" was my answer. We stayed up watching American TV with Dutch subtitles. Friends was on, so it felt a bit like home!!
The next day I went out for my first ride. Beautiful weather, great roads albeit narrow, but at least the Belgians know how to drive. At one point we saw a whole group of kids on bikes, it looked like it was a P.E. class. The teachers were out stopping traffic and the kids were having a great time with it. Now why can't we have that in the U.S.?! On top of that everyone seems to ride a bike around here, not exactly race bike for the majority, but a bike nonetheless. I was cool to see that an entire culture embraces the bicycle.
No cobblestones yet, maybe in the next couple of days I'll go ride those just for the fun of it. I did see some of the "hills", nothing major like the 'burgs but at least there is something, not enirely flat. It feels a lot like the farm areas of N.C. Flat and strung out for miles, but when the winds kick up, it'll be nuts.
Well that's it for now, standby for another update in a few days.
We all jumped on the train, which btw, is lots of fun with two bags, a bike, and a backpack. We got all kinds of looks when we loaded up the doorways with everything. As soon as the train left Brussels, it cleared out and we had enough room to move to a seat. Anne (the hostess for the house) was there to pick us up at the train station, but that would have been really bad if she hadn't. I would have had to learn the bus routes real quick!!
I got to the house, was given a room, and unpacked. After that it was time for a food run. The supermarkets are very different. Luckily I already drank soy milk because I couldn't find skim milk to save my life. It took me over an hour to get the bare essentials: past, oatmeal, rice, chicken, olive oil, red vinegar, oj, bread, etc... the list goes on. I was able to get out of there spending less than 50 Euros (a major feat btw) and got enought food to tide me over for at least a week.
I wasn't permitted to sleep until 2100 so I had to find other ways to bide my time. I would have passed out if I tried to read, so I hung out in the commons area, getting to know my teammates as well as I could. all the guys seem pretty cool, I think we'll mesh well. It seems the fact that I'm military preceeded me. I got all kinds of questions about it. I did get a couple about my opinion, and I tried to stear away from that kind of thing. "My opinion doesn't really matter when I have a job to do" was my answer. We stayed up watching American TV with Dutch subtitles. Friends was on, so it felt a bit like home!!
The next day I went out for my first ride. Beautiful weather, great roads albeit narrow, but at least the Belgians know how to drive. At one point we saw a whole group of kids on bikes, it looked like it was a P.E. class. The teachers were out stopping traffic and the kids were having a great time with it. Now why can't we have that in the U.S.?! On top of that everyone seems to ride a bike around here, not exactly race bike for the majority, but a bike nonetheless. I was cool to see that an entire culture embraces the bicycle.
No cobblestones yet, maybe in the next couple of days I'll go ride those just for the fun of it. I did see some of the "hills", nothing major like the 'burgs but at least there is something, not enirely flat. It feels a lot like the farm areas of N.C. Flat and strung out for miles, but when the winds kick up, it'll be nuts.
Well that's it for now, standby for another update in a few days.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
So Tired.....
That drive I wouldn't wish on anyone!! I just arrived in SLC after 2 1/2 days driving from NC. At first it was ok, then it got longer and longer. I am excited to be back here, I know that my day to fly out is quickly approaching. I have a lot to do now that I'm here though. I need to get to a bike shop and get a wheel built, I need my new parts to arrive so I don't have to stress about that, and I need to train. I'm bouncing off the walls from lack of training the last few days.
Time to take a shower, I'm pretty bad right now, I'll update again soon.
Time to take a shower, I'm pretty bad right now, I'll update again soon.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
2 weekends in Greenville
Over the last month we had a few races here in the states. I figured I needed to get some racing in my legs before Europe, and what better way to do that than hit up some of the biggest races of the year.
As it turns out these races were either crash fests, sprinters dreams, or sometimes both. The last weekend was by far the best in terms of training.
A very fast course on Saturday kept everything together, for the most part. I know I tried to get away a few times. It came down to the last breakaway that stuck with half a lap left and a group sprint. Sadly our team would take a casualty of this 32mph dash for the last corner, he went down hard and broke a collarbone. All our wishes got to him to heal quickly.
Sunday was another day with me putting myself in the break that stuck. I went about halfway into the race and once it left I knew that was it. I had a teammate up there so I wasn't about to chase, but if someone was willing to give me a free ride.....that would be okay. Eventually someone did, and they killed themselves to close only half the distance, so I launched off him and closed it. Once up there we worked like dogs to establish a break. Once we did they attacks started coming. I covered as many as I could, but my fitness is not there yet and they broke me with a lap and a half remaining. In my defense there were 2 other guys to get popped at the same time, and we tried to catch back on, but the small group wasn't letting up and we had nothing left. So, we waited for the peloton to catch us. I was looking for our sprinter in the field after I was swallowed up but he wasn't in any shape to go for the sprint, plus all the money spots were gone from the break.
All in all the weekend was a great chance to test my breakaway strength. I feeling confident that soon I will be in that winning move and at that time I can seal the deal, I just need another month of hard training.
I leave next week for Utah with my dad. I'll be flying out of SLC to Europe on the 26th. I'll keep everyone posted.
As it turns out these races were either crash fests, sprinters dreams, or sometimes both. The last weekend was by far the best in terms of training.
A very fast course on Saturday kept everything together, for the most part. I know I tried to get away a few times. It came down to the last breakaway that stuck with half a lap left and a group sprint. Sadly our team would take a casualty of this 32mph dash for the last corner, he went down hard and broke a collarbone. All our wishes got to him to heal quickly.
Sunday was another day with me putting myself in the break that stuck. I went about halfway into the race and once it left I knew that was it. I had a teammate up there so I wasn't about to chase, but if someone was willing to give me a free ride.....that would be okay. Eventually someone did, and they killed themselves to close only half the distance, so I launched off him and closed it. Once up there we worked like dogs to establish a break. Once we did they attacks started coming. I covered as many as I could, but my fitness is not there yet and they broke me with a lap and a half remaining. In my defense there were 2 other guys to get popped at the same time, and we tried to catch back on, but the small group wasn't letting up and we had nothing left. So, we waited for the peloton to catch us. I was looking for our sprinter in the field after I was swallowed up but he wasn't in any shape to go for the sprint, plus all the money spots were gone from the break.
All in all the weekend was a great chance to test my breakaway strength. I feeling confident that soon I will be in that winning move and at that time I can seal the deal, I just need another month of hard training.
I leave next week for Utah with my dad. I'll be flying out of SLC to Europe on the 26th. I'll keep everyone posted.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Initial Post
Well, I guess I should start this thing now.
I've been selected to go to Belgium this Spring, and that's what I'm really using this for. In the mean time there are plenty of things going on. I'm training my replacement, a task that is becoming more and more frustrating by the day. I'm training hard preping for the early season races in Greenville, and Raleigh. I'm going to be packing everything up in my house and putting into storage.....this is all very boring I'm sure.
The first couple of races this year have been small affairs. Two races in Raleigh at the Wake County Speedway. I don't know how they do car races on that track, it was almost the size of a velodrome!
The first weekend (Jan 27) there were only 18 people, not enough for points, but enough to have fun. I ended up lapping the field with another rider in the first 7 minutes. After that I had to play defense. That didn't work so well as I let a few guys slip away and I ended up a lap down from 3 guys. I tried to get back on the same lap, but I was denied after spending 15 minutes out front and closing it to a quarter lap. I had to live with 4th, not too bad considering it was still January!!
The next weekend was even smaller. We had 9 guys, 8 were from one team, and then me. I talked to them before hand and told them I wasn't even going to try to get away, what was the point? I was willing to do a Team TT with them for the hour, go for the primes (I won both), and then go for the sprint (which I took 2nd). If only it was a bigger race so I could get points.
I've been off the bike for the last three days now. On Sunday I developed a nasty saddle sore requireing medical attention. They gave me some anitbiotics and it's getting better. I hope to be riding again by Saturday.
Well that's all for now. I'll chech back in in a couple weeks.
I've been selected to go to Belgium this Spring, and that's what I'm really using this for. In the mean time there are plenty of things going on. I'm training my replacement, a task that is becoming more and more frustrating by the day. I'm training hard preping for the early season races in Greenville, and Raleigh. I'm going to be packing everything up in my house and putting into storage.....this is all very boring I'm sure.
The first couple of races this year have been small affairs. Two races in Raleigh at the Wake County Speedway. I don't know how they do car races on that track, it was almost the size of a velodrome!
The first weekend (Jan 27) there were only 18 people, not enough for points, but enough to have fun. I ended up lapping the field with another rider in the first 7 minutes. After that I had to play defense. That didn't work so well as I let a few guys slip away and I ended up a lap down from 3 guys. I tried to get back on the same lap, but I was denied after spending 15 minutes out front and closing it to a quarter lap. I had to live with 4th, not too bad considering it was still January!!
The next weekend was even smaller. We had 9 guys, 8 were from one team, and then me. I talked to them before hand and told them I wasn't even going to try to get away, what was the point? I was willing to do a Team TT with them for the hour, go for the primes (I won both), and then go for the sprint (which I took 2nd). If only it was a bigger race so I could get points.
I've been off the bike for the last three days now. On Sunday I developed a nasty saddle sore requireing medical attention. They gave me some anitbiotics and it's getting better. I hope to be riding again by Saturday.
Well that's all for now. I'll chech back in in a couple weeks.
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