Ok, if you're really bored, here's my update from Belgium cross-posted from my Myspace page:
I really thought I would update every day while I was there, but sometimes you're too busy living life to stop and write about it.
On Saturday I did a Belgium A race in Rijkevorsel. Normally the "amateur" races in Belgium are B races, and the top 50 riders on UCI points aren't allowed to start. "A" races are unusual in that it's open to every pro, but it's not a UCI race and there's no start money available. This race was the regional championships (for Antwerp) which meant that there was an abnormally large field, and few top level riders like Nils Albert and Arne Daelmans.
The course was somewhat bipolar; there was a long, paved start/finish, a stretch of gravel, a few very fast sections along a soccer field, and then we dove into the woods. The wooded section was actually an old motorcross track, and we dove in, out, and over all these sand piles and drop offs. We came out of the sand pit onto a short and very bumpy field, and then back on to the s/f stretch. It started raining right before our race, so the sand was either well-packed and somewhat fast, or had turned to mud. Oh, and you haven't seen this much single-track in a cyclo-cross race since Sea-Tac in early '90's. It was crazy.
Since it's a little easier to get UCI points in the US than it is in Belgium (I'm adept at understatement), I was called up to the line second, after Albert and before Daelmans. When the gun went off, I figured "what the hell?" and let it rip. I knew it was going to be crucial to get into the sand put in a good position on the first lap. Incredibly, I went into the first corner in second, and from there it was like the last lap of a crit. I got absolutely 0 respect, and guys were divebombing and elbowing me through every turn, even if I was glued to the wheel in front of me. I hit the woods in 4th, but came out in 6th, and finally ended up on the second group about 1/2 lap in.
I paid for the hard start on the second on third laps. Some guys were able to connect back to the front, and while I didn't blow, I had to dial things back and ride steady, while one or two guys would catch me, I'd ride with them for a bit, and then lose them somehow out of turn or transition. Even the guys who were riding alone attacked every single section like it was the most important part of the race, even if it meant they were blowing turns and wasting energy all over the place. The rhythm was really different from my normal smooth, efficient-minded riding, and I lose a few wheels because of it. Occasionally I'd sit up before a turn to coast in with the right speed and rip a section, and someone would use that as their window to dive in on me as I was setting up, fuck the turn up, and take us both off the wheel or group I was on. Nice.
Eventually I was settled down in the low 20's, but when we got 2 to go I felt comfortable and knew I had something left to race with. I started really burying myself, and rode up to a group racing for 15th. I blew a riding/running option in the sand with 1/2 lap to that I had ridden most laps, losing two guys, and having to sprint one rider who I had just dropped. I got 17th place, and was fairly satisfied with that, considering I had just gotten off the plane 24 hours earlier.
Saturday night, Mark Robson (my pit guy who had come with me for the weekend) and myself went to Sten Raeymaekers' family restaurant in Lille. Sten is who I've stayed with in the past in Belgium, and he races the B races. His brother was the 30+ national champion in Belgium 2 years ago, and his father goes with them to the races and pits for them. Sten's mom did our laundry while we ate in the restaurant, and then we headed back to the hotel in Brussels.
On Sunday I had originally been planning to do a UCI Class 2 races in Luxembourg. But on the drive home Saturday night I was falling asleep at the wheel, and jet lag was really starting to nail me. I feel asleep early, but I knew I was in trouble, and would have a hard time getting up for the 3-hour drive to the race. There was another B race that Sten was going to that was later in the day and a shorter drive, so when I woke up at 10 am that morning, our choice was made for us.
This race was in Tongerlo, but much to Liz, aka RoubaixGirl's dismay, it wasn't the Tongerlo in Antwerp she loves so much and is famous for its beer, but the Tongerlo in Limburg. This was a true B race. It was an incredibly short lap with a field of about 30 riders. Two stretches of pavement, and the rest of course around the edges of farm fields. It was sunny in the morning but sure enough it started raining pretty good right before the race again, so I was going to race in some real mud today.
I was called up second again today, after Rabobank rider Ricardo Van de Velde from Holland. I was a little slow to find my pedals, but I hit the mud in second place behind VdV, and figured I was good. We had a quick run, short pavement, and then a huge drop-off back into the field. From there VdV just rode away from me, and I was nervous about blowing again, so I let him go. Over the course of the first lap, I settled down in 10th place, with 3-9th all within 20-30 seconds of each other, alone, riding steady. I held the gap for about 2 more laps before I felt recovered from the start, and began trying to bring guys back. I changed bikes for the first time at about the -way point, and then immediately flatted on the drop-off not far after the pit. I rode almost the whole lap on the front flat, losing only 2 places but probably 2 minutes, and any chance of bringing anyone back. I rode steady from there, eventually catching 11th place back just before the last corner, but not with enough time to get around him, and finished in 12th. A better ride than Saturday, but not the top-10 I thought I was on track for before the flat.
Sunday night we had dinner in Brussels with a friend of Mark's. Monday we cleaned bikes and clothes, Mark went out for a workout on one of my bikes (we ride almost exactly the same position, and he races on my bikes from last season) and managed to do dump it on a roundabout in the rain. That night we met Sten and his girlfriend in Leuven for dinner (waffles on the street for an appetizer, pizza for dinner, and ice cream for dessert), and then headed home. Mark flew out Tuesday morning, and I had my UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission meeting in the hotel all day.
The commission meeting was great. It's in French, and I'm finally comfortable enough were my comprehension is up to 80-90%. I found myself formulating responses in my head in French for the first time, although I still stuck to English. Most of the commission (Erwin Vervecken, Adri Van der Poel, Peter Van den Abeele, and Rene Vermerien) speak 3-5 languages. One member (Fernand Conter from Luxembourg) speaks English as well as I speak French, and since he's the president, the meeting's in French. When he and I speak to each other, he speaks French to me, and I speak English back to him, and we understand each other perfectly well. During the meetings, I can respond in English and everyone understands, and usually we'll fip to English for a few moments before reverting back to French. The funniest part is that at lunch, everyone immediately started speaking Flemish to shoot the shit, but English when they had questions for me, and French again when Conter finally sat down. I speak German, so I can pull out the words in Flemish that are close, but generally I don't know what the fuck their saying when they coughing up words in their dialect. Of course, in the locker rooms at the races, it was pretty obvious when I was the topic of conversation. But I also had no problem calling people out when I could tell that was happening, and everyone would laugh and flip to English for a bit to let me know what they were saying.
The most interesting development of the trip is that I may now be going back over to Europe before Christmas and staying until the end of the 'cross season in late February. I have to come back over for meetings at the World Championships in late January, and again for another post-season meeting in late February. I've raced in January in Europe 2 seasons before, but I've never stayed for the post-Worlds races in February, and frankly, I never thought I would have the freedom or the good form to be able to do so. It seems like this year I have both, and since I need to be there for business reasons, the idea was suggested that I should come and stay. It would be a good opportunity for me to really immerse myself in the culture, improve my French and also try to pick up some Dutch, as well begin to get a feel for the politics of the European 'cross scene that are part of what I have to address on the 'cross commission. Further, it would add another layer of experience to draw on as a coach, and perhaps have the contacts and connections to help out riders i work with in the future. I was already planning to be away from home in January and February to train in Tucson. Why not go to Belgium instead?
The initiative to get the trip organize has been taken, and I'll have news on Monday if it's all going to work out. if I don't know by then, I feel like it'll be too much to do at the absolute last minute. We'll see what happens!
I really thought I would update every day while I was there, but sometimes you're too busy living life to stop and write about it.
On Saturday I did a Belgium A race in Rijkevorsel. Normally the "amateur" races in Belgium are B races, and the top 50 riders on UCI points aren't allowed to start. "A" races are unusual in that it's open to every pro, but it's not a UCI race and there's no start money available. This race was the regional championships (for Antwerp) which meant that there was an abnormally large field, and few top level riders like Nils Albert and Arne Daelmans.
The course was somewhat bipolar; there was a long, paved start/finish, a stretch of gravel, a few very fast sections along a soccer field, and then we dove into the woods. The wooded section was actually an old motorcross track, and we dove in, out, and over all these sand piles and drop offs. We came out of the sand pit onto a short and very bumpy field, and then back on to the s/f stretch. It started raining right before our race, so the sand was either well-packed and somewhat fast, or had turned to mud. Oh, and you haven't seen this much single-track in a cyclo-cross race since Sea-Tac in early '90's. It was crazy.
Since it's a little easier to get UCI points in the US than it is in Belgium (I'm adept at understatement), I was called up to the line second, after Albert and before Daelmans. When the gun went off, I figured "what the hell?" and let it rip. I knew it was going to be crucial to get into the sand put in a good position on the first lap. Incredibly, I went into the first corner in second, and from there it was like the last lap of a crit. I got absolutely 0 respect, and guys were divebombing and elbowing me through every turn, even if I was glued to the wheel in front of me. I hit the woods in 4th, but came out in 6th, and finally ended up on the second group about 1/2 lap in.
I paid for the hard start on the second on third laps. Some guys were able to connect back to the front, and while I didn't blow, I had to dial things back and ride steady, while one or two guys would catch me, I'd ride with them for a bit, and then lose them somehow out of turn or transition. Even the guys who were riding alone attacked every single section like it was the most important part of the race, even if it meant they were blowing turns and wasting energy all over the place. The rhythm was really different from my normal smooth, efficient-minded riding, and I lose a few wheels because of it. Occasionally I'd sit up before a turn to coast in with the right speed and rip a section, and someone would use that as their window to dive in on me as I was setting up, fuck the turn up, and take us both off the wheel or group I was on. Nice.
Eventually I was settled down in the low 20's, but when we got 2 to go I felt comfortable and knew I had something left to race with. I started really burying myself, and rode up to a group racing for 15th. I blew a riding/running option in the sand with 1/2 lap to that I had ridden most laps, losing two guys, and having to sprint one rider who I had just dropped. I got 17th place, and was fairly satisfied with that, considering I had just gotten off the plane 24 hours earlier.
Saturday night, Mark Robson (my pit guy who had come with me for the weekend) and myself went to Sten Raeymaekers' family restaurant in Lille. Sten is who I've stayed with in the past in Belgium, and he races the B races. His brother was the 30+ national champion in Belgium 2 years ago, and his father goes with them to the races and pits for them. Sten's mom did our laundry while we ate in the restaurant, and then we headed back to the hotel in Brussels.
On Sunday I had originally been planning to do a UCI Class 2 races in Luxembourg. But on the drive home Saturday night I was falling asleep at the wheel, and jet lag was really starting to nail me. I feel asleep early, but I knew I was in trouble, and would have a hard time getting up for the 3-hour drive to the race. There was another B race that Sten was going to that was later in the day and a shorter drive, so when I woke up at 10 am that morning, our choice was made for us.
This race was in Tongerlo, but much to Liz, aka RoubaixGirl's dismay, it wasn't the Tongerlo in Antwerp she loves so much and is famous for its beer, but the Tongerlo in Limburg. This was a true B race. It was an incredibly short lap with a field of about 30 riders. Two stretches of pavement, and the rest of course around the edges of farm fields. It was sunny in the morning but sure enough it started raining pretty good right before the race again, so I was going to race in some real mud today.
I was called up second again today, after Rabobank rider Ricardo Van de Velde from Holland. I was a little slow to find my pedals, but I hit the mud in second place behind VdV, and figured I was good. We had a quick run, short pavement, and then a huge drop-off back into the field. From there VdV just rode away from me, and I was nervous about blowing again, so I let him go. Over the course of the first lap, I settled down in 10th place, with 3-9th all within 20-30 seconds of each other, alone, riding steady. I held the gap for about 2 more laps before I felt recovered from the start, and began trying to bring guys back. I changed bikes for the first time at about the -way point, and then immediately flatted on the drop-off not far after the pit. I rode almost the whole lap on the front flat, losing only 2 places but probably 2 minutes, and any chance of bringing anyone back. I rode steady from there, eventually catching 11th place back just before the last corner, but not with enough time to get around him, and finished in 12th. A better ride than Saturday, but not the top-10 I thought I was on track for before the flat.
Sunday night we had dinner in Brussels with a friend of Mark's. Monday we cleaned bikes and clothes, Mark went out for a workout on one of my bikes (we ride almost exactly the same position, and he races on my bikes from last season) and managed to do dump it on a roundabout in the rain. That night we met Sten and his girlfriend in Leuven for dinner (waffles on the street for an appetizer, pizza for dinner, and ice cream for dessert), and then headed home. Mark flew out Tuesday morning, and I had my UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission meeting in the hotel all day.
The commission meeting was great. It's in French, and I'm finally comfortable enough were my comprehension is up to 80-90%. I found myself formulating responses in my head in French for the first time, although I still stuck to English. Most of the commission (Erwin Vervecken, Adri Van der Poel, Peter Van den Abeele, and Rene Vermerien) speak 3-5 languages. One member (Fernand Conter from Luxembourg) speaks English as well as I speak French, and since he's the president, the meeting's in French. When he and I speak to each other, he speaks French to me, and I speak English back to him, and we understand each other perfectly well. During the meetings, I can respond in English and everyone understands, and usually we'll fip to English for a few moments before reverting back to French. The funniest part is that at lunch, everyone immediately started speaking Flemish to shoot the shit, but English when they had questions for me, and French again when Conter finally sat down. I speak German, so I can pull out the words in Flemish that are close, but generally I don't know what the fuck their saying when they coughing up words in their dialect. Of course, in the locker rooms at the races, it was pretty obvious when I was the topic of conversation. But I also had no problem calling people out when I could tell that was happening, and everyone would laugh and flip to English for a bit to let me know what they were saying.
The most interesting development of the trip is that I may now be going back over to Europe before Christmas and staying until the end of the 'cross season in late February. I have to come back over for meetings at the World Championships in late January, and again for another post-season meeting in late February. I've raced in January in Europe 2 seasons before, but I've never stayed for the post-Worlds races in February, and frankly, I never thought I would have the freedom or the good form to be able to do so. It seems like this year I have both, and since I need to be there for business reasons, the idea was suggested that I should come and stay. It would be a good opportunity for me to really immerse myself in the culture, improve my French and also try to pick up some Dutch, as well begin to get a feel for the politics of the European 'cross scene that are part of what I have to address on the 'cross commission. Further, it would add another layer of experience to draw on as a coach, and perhaps have the contacts and connections to help out riders i work with in the future. I was already planning to be away from home in January and February to train in Tucson. Why not go to Belgium instead?
The initiative to get the trip organize has been taken, and I'll have news on Monday if it's all going to work out. if I don't know by then, I feel like it'll be too much to do at the absolute last minute. We'll see what happens!
but 'hi' and it would be fucking awesome to meet you in person if you could muster up a vacation to p-town.
elle