Is Today Race Day?

Today i awoke in a real panic. I thought it was race day. When the races are so close together it is hard to keep track of what day it is. And memories all string together to form one big timeless blur.

Just as i was getting out of bed to grab my slippers, book and head downstairs to look at a calendar for some solace, one of Jones' eyes popped open with a simultaneous puckering of the lips in anticipation of his morning kiss. Instead he was handed an impromptu game of "20 Questions". "Is it race day today? What day is it? what date is it? Are you sure i raced yesterday? But i was talking to my coach while having coffee. Oh, HE was having coffee in California. Are you sure we dont have to leave for Luxembourg right now? Why am i so confused?"

I had this same confusion when traveling with pro teams. But at least when traveling with them it was almost always race day when you awoke. It was confusing sometimes to awake in a strange bed, in a strange room with a strange person.

It is race day tomorrow so I am ok...this time.

My version of Zolder World Cup

as posted on Cyclocross Magazine today...click HERE to read.

I just got back from Azencross in Antwerp, Belgium today and it was not too good for me. But i have two more tries in the next days for a better result. There is a race in Luxemburg January 1st and another "hometown" race January 4th in Tervuren. I love when the race is close enough where i can ride my bike to it. Have backpack will travel...

I'd also like to give a shoutout to my fan club who screamed their heads of at me today in their thick belgian accents! You all made me feel special, like I was a rockstar.

Niels Albert slips up again

I just heard on the radio that, a month ago, Niels Albert talked without thinking...again.

Two months ago, he said that road racing is easy; all one has to do is pump their tires and they can finish the Tour de France. And more recently he just said that if he is not strong enough to win the World Championships due to his injury sustained in November at Asper-Gavere, then he will work for his trade teammate Vladomir Simunek (who, in my opinion, has no chance in hell to win.)

In reaction to his comment, Belgian National Coach Rudy De Bie said that if Niels doesnt look like he has the chance to win at Worlds, he will not be chosen to race for belgium at the event. Sven Nys also commented, first saying that he is the wrong person to ask about this since he himself was guilty doing the same as Niels by helping his former Rabobank teammate Richard Groenendaal win Worlds in 2000. Then Sven went on to say that they will need all Belgians to work together to beat their biggest threat named Lars Boom.

Tomorrow I will see them all again at my next race in Loenhout, Belgium. I expect the crowds to be thick again at this event since most people have the day off and it is centrally located near Antwerp. Wish me luck!

The photo is of Niels Albert following Sven Nys and trailed closely by Richard Groenendaal at Zolder World Cup last Friday. It was Niels' first race back after his injury.

Nommay World Cup and Scheldecross Detailed Report

It is finally online at Cyclocross Magazine. You can read it HERE!

After racing in yet another World Cup (in Zolder, Belgium) yesterday, i was a little tired today and did very little writing. By tomorrow i should have my race report from this last race submitted to Cyclocross Magazine.

I did, however, take time today to thoroughly relax with lots of couch play and left the house briefly to run some errands and buy myself a holiday gift or seven.

First stop was to my favorite cheap supermarket called Aldi. They sell rotating staple items like pasta, tomato sauce, coffee, wine, bras, bike trainers, wedding dresses, and boxed wine.

Next was to my favorite store in all of Belgium. It is a thrift store called Spit. I go there for set items like pocketable backpacks that i use for shopping when on the bike, fun winter hats, funky tees, outdated bike jerseys, and exotic dishware. I got lucky with three hats and two backpacks, each 80 cents but jonas scored more than I. He found a stylish chocolate pudding-colored short sleeve button-down that'll go perfect with his Levis. His other winner was a pale blue insulated vest - both 4€. And lastly I found him a scrunchable backpack he can use to carry his meals into work when takes the scooter.

As Jonas waited on the checkout line, I ran over to their book section. I never checked it out before since i assumed they were all in dutch. But to my surprise, there was a whole English section. By the time i settled on some books, peeled my eyes away from the rest, and ran over to checkout, Jonas was already checked out. Since the line was too long to wait again, the moment was gone. I will have to read my remaining two books real slowly to drag them out until I go back to Spit again.

Thanks for reading and hope your holiday season is going well!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I am about to leave for Zolder, Belgium to check out the World Cup course and pick up my paper number plates before the race tomorrow. But first, Jonas and I want to wish you all a very merry holiday season.

Aside from birthdays, I am not normally much of a holiday person but i do take a moment during the holiday season to sit down and think about everything i am thankful for. It always seems to cheer me up so i can come closer to matching the giddy spirits surrounding me at this time of year.

Enjoy!

Heart of Cross Season is HERE!

There is a period of about two weeks during christmas where the racing really picks up here in Belgium. This year is a little slower than normal for the women but still busy enough! I race December 19,21,26,30, January 1, and 4.

I've just done Scheldecross (Antwerp, Belgium) on December 19 and Nommay World Cup in France two days later, and they both left me in optimistic spirits. Although the results are not even close to those reflected by my "normal" fitness I had glimpses of hope during the races where i had decent sensations. I felt like i was racing my bike again, that is...after the first two laps of both races where I pedaled backwards before moving forward. By the next race, my goal is to move forward effectively throughout the whole race which means i will do the first two laps during my pre-ride. It is a plan, anyway.

I may not have many photos from the race, but i was lucky enough to have one from the pre-ride that somehow made it into the local French newspaper. It was taken as I reached the top step of the staircase just after the start line.

A full race report will be on Cyclocross Magazine shortly - including more photos taken by Krist Vanmelle and Nancy Van Peer.

Today Jonas and I went on the old mans ride out of our neighboring town of Kortenberg. Surprisingly, there were twenty guys who showed in the bitterly cold weather. The ride started off easy enough with average speeds of 31kph. But after most of the ride was over, the guys started to play and the speeds jumped considerably. It was so inspiring to see guys up to 80 years old run each other into the ground after three hours of riding. The only real drawback to riding with those guys is that some of them are fully aware of how fragile they are and ride dangerously defensive. On today's ride, I almost ran up the ass of one such guy as he slammed on the brakes when a car appeared around a bend, driving in the opposite direction. Luckily Coach Elmo taught me early on never to place my front wheel directly behind another rider's wheel.

After the cold ride, Jonas' mom met us at the house for a much-appreciated glass of warm spiced wine. I drank it while wearing my warmest, fuzziest largest sweats and my favorite fuzzy hat with pom-pom ears.

Happy Holidays!

Slow week at the office

This week has been rather relaxed. I packed my bags for the Scheldecross race tomorrow (Friday) in Antwerpen and for our departure the following morning for Nommay, France for the next world cup on Sunday. It is a six hour drive to Nommay so I am partly excited for the roadtrip since i'll get to practice my limited French and buy authentic french baguettes in the gas stations. But it is still a long time in a car. Maybe I will rotate those same six cd's that jonas and i have been listening to on roadtrips for the last year. We are also taping a few movies on the TV tonight since I can't bear to hear Al Pacino or Leo Di Caprio speak french.

I also got a new book today - YIPPEE!! It is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I think they just made a movie about it. Normally I dont read blockbusters but my friend Karen gave me a book called New Moon on her last trip here. There arent many places to buy english books so i read it, only to find out that it is the second book of a four-book series. Shoot. Now i have to read the first book (Twilight) to get the answers to assumptions made in the second book, and also must find out how it all ends. Luckily, there is a British shop down the block so I ordered the rest of the books.

Well, i gotta get to my book now. My next post should be by monday or tuesday. Fingers crossed that i will have good results to write about - or at least good stories!

Have a great weekend!

Shorts on a long week

Since my race last weekend, I've kept busy with lots of recovery, experimental cooking and even a little socializing. Last time i semi-socialized was before the cyclo-cross season started so it felt really good - invigorating yet relaxing if that can make sense.

Of all my food experiments this week, the two that worked out best were moroccan veggies and oatmeal raisin cookies. The veggies were rather straightforward but it was the first time i ever cooked them so I was excited it was more than edible. But the cookies blew me away I must admit. They tasted like crunchy soft butterscotch caramel treats. Among the secret ingredients I used to make it a success were marzipan and speculaas (belgian/holland sugar cookie) spices. They were so unreal i had to remove them from the house almost immediately after they left the oven. After eating half the batter and half the cookies, they were relocated to Jonas' mom's house. They say the best gifts are those you dont want to give. That sentiment never felt so true.

A few days ago, Jonas and I walked down the street to meet up with Bruno (fellow cyclist and owner of the local bakery where they have excellent multi-grain bread) for a drink at t' Wilgenhof - our neighborhood cafe. We were there to give them a copy of the newest Cyclocross Magazine. I mentioned them in the Sven Nys interview so i figured they'd get a kick out of it. As an unofficial Sven Nys supporter cafe, they loved it! I wonder if the article will make it onto their Sven Nys wall shrine. By the way, Sven Nys was just named Belgium's Sportman of the Year last night. It was the first time a cyclocrosser won.

My second social evening required my walking in the opposite direction of the cafe to the bike shop in town owned by Jan. It's called Fietsen Goeman. I got there at closing time so we can have a glass of wine after he replaces a broken spoke on my wheel. (My spoke broke the day previous during a group ride with the old - but fast - guys who keep their speeds hovering at about 35-40kph. The average age is about 50 yrs old! After Jonas and I fixed the spoke it was a real bitch to timetrial back to the group but we had no choice as we didnt know where we were.)

After Jan fixed the spoke, we enjoyed our glass of wine while rummaging through Jan's jersey collection. He has about 100 jerseys from famous people with either world champion stripes or so old it is made of wool. He even has rainbow striped jerseys made of wool.

Next we played with his new Tacx indoor trainer. It's that high tech one where you hook it up to your computer so you can ride famous events like Tour de France and Tour of Flanders. It was too cool. They use real footage of the course, complete with cheering folks taking photos. I can easily see myself sitting on the trainer for hours without noticing the time. My ass may notice though.

There is also a mountain bike version where you get to steer...and crash. I tried running into a military guy leaning against his green camo truck smoking a cigarette and it really does feel like i crashed. The program is designed to put immense friction on the pedals when you hit something so it feels real. As the fictitional mtb guy got to his feet, swaying his head, i couldnt help but laugh as he shook the shock of crashing off his body.

And a third - since everything always comes in threes - social event I recently attended was also down the block. It was the town's Kerstmarkt (Christmas market.) The event was held in the town's sporthal (a town gym) where many of the local merchants displayed their homemade crafts while a band played music at one end and the bar on the other kept the festive liquids coming. There was also a heated tent outside that doubled as a bar/nightclub. That was where the younger crowd hung out while us old-timers hung out indoors.

Jonas and I sat with Jan, his parents and their friends. Since most at the table didn't speak english, i was "forced" to conduct and follow all conversations in flemish. I am happy to report that i passed. The only word that snagged me was "afraid."

Yesterday I got to ride an organized MTB tour that started in Tervuren, a wooded area a few towns over. The ride started off painfully with my body still fighting for more recovery time but i persisted and soon enough my body responded. I got to ride tempo for a while and really enjoyed the effort. As an extra motivator halfway through the ride, I heard the loudspeaker from the live cyclocross race in Overijse as we rode near the course. The juniors were racing.

The rest of the ride was spent laughing and playing in the mud. It was an excellent experience right up to the last few meters of the tour where we had to climb two mini but steep bumps. It was right in front of a cue of riders waiting to wash their bikes while simultaneously watching for casualties so of course i had to make it. After successfully clearing the bumps, I was jumping up and down in my mind while fighting hard to keep the "I clear this stuff all the time" look on my face. Jonas followed behind and did exactly the same, he confided in me afterwards.

After the ride we washed the bikes, cleaned up and ate our huge-ass bowls of pasta while watching the Elites race in Overijse on TV. It always feels better to watch bike racing when your legs are tired from a good ride.

Thanks for reading!

Frankfurter Rad-Cross

My recap below of Frankfurter Rad-Cross last weekend will be shortly posted on Cyclocross Magazine. But for the moment they are focusing fully on US National Championships being held right now in Kansas City, KS. They even have life feed of all four days. Needless to say, I am not there. I am saving myself for the win next year! (Positive attitude has created a lot of miracles so why not think positively?!?)


Last Sunday I raced at Frankfurter Rad-Cross in Frankfurt, Germany. Even with its UCI ranking, an event so far from Belgium should theoretically produce a low-key turnout, but instead I lined up alongside superstars like Hanka Kupfernagel, Pavla Havlikova, Sanne Van Passen, Reza Hormes-Ravenstijn, Helen Wyman, Gabby Day, and Marianne Vos. Yep, child prodigy herself – before reaching twenty years of age she had already earned World titles on the road, cross and track. After her recent addition of Olympic champ on the track, she took a break from competition. It was her first cross race of the season.

As Vos was parked next to us (and Hanka), we caught up a little before starting our warm-ups. She confided that she was actually nervous about the race. It is always nice to remember that even the top athletes get nervous like the rest of us.

The Frankfurter course venue was located in the parking lot of a skating rink so while we got ready to race, a steady stream of metal blade-equipped kids with parents in tow weaved in and out of the cyclists’ mobilehomes. The race course itself was a special one. It was laid out in three tiers of varied elevations, where the riders repeatedly rode or ran from one tier to another.

It started off on a paved section with U-turn then direct to an extended staircase. It was a step-style design with mini platforms separating short sets of stairs.

The last two staircases had concrete ramps on the left side so the cyclists could opt to ride them. The drawback to riding them was that if you fell over , you landed on concrete stairs which can be painful and, more importantly, time-consuming. I found this out the hard way when, as I was riding in the middle of one of the platforms, a spectator walking down the stairs decided to jump onto the platform to get out of my way. At least I think he did it out of kindness rather than malice. He looked a little too old to be dating the gal just ahead of me.

The staircase then dumped us off at a small but steep power climb on slippery grass. Once at the top tier it was fast riding past the pits, onto pavement, then down to the second tier via a greasy grassy descent. Shortly thereafter we went back up to the top, immediately back down, up and down one more time, again past the pits, before returning to the bottom tier to swerve through the parking lot and across the finish line.

I had a great callup alongside Hanka Kupfernagel. My luck lasted for twenty seconds after we took off. By the top of the staircase I was second to last place. Shoot, my painfully extended yet humbling recovery mode is not over. They say that when your body is fully recovered from a hard training period it feels like a switch is flipped (that turns on your central nervous system) allowing you to ride hard again. As the field rode away from me, I could tell my switch was not flipped. But a few minutes later, something flipped on. It was more like a dimmer switch, though, where I could partly function, but was still mostly left in the dark. It was thankfully enough to start passing people. It felt good. By the end, I was up to 13th place.

As for the rest of the gals, Marianne took the early lead before Hanka caught up to her. They then rode the next few laps together with Pavla trailing in third. Eventually Hanka got away to ride in for the win solo. Marianne crossed the line in 2nd ahead of Pavla. Helen had a great first half of the race, riding in 4th with Sanne and Reza before she had to let them go. The two Hollanders finished in a sprint with Reza taking the glory for 4th.

I ran into Marianne after the race and she was quite pleased with her result. She plans to race the rest of the season through World Championships. Last year my guess was that she would have won World Championships if she didn’t have to spend all her time and energy catching up to the front of the race from her last row start position. If there would have been another lap, I would surmise that her second place would have been gold.

As much as I would love to see an American on the top of the podium at the next World Championships, it would be fun to see Marianne do it again because she is so incredibly humble about her status of bike-racing-superhero. She may have a very good chance to do it since there are enough World Cups left for her to snag the necessary points to award her a second row callup at minimum at World Championships. As she talked about Worlds, she was clearly extra motivated to put on a good show since it is in her homeland of Holland.

As for me, I may not have had the race I hoped for but I didn’t let it ruin the rest of my day. It’s not too often I am in Frankfurt, or even Germany so after the race, Jonas and I headed over to the race site café to enjoy our vices - German beer for Jonas and Glühwein (steamy spiced red wine) for me. I barely drink during race season so thoroughly enjoyed every sip. Our café was situated in front of a paved turn right before the staircase which proved to be more exciting than we would have thought possible; every two minutes an elite male racer slid out and smacked onto the pavement or into the course fencing. Many skinsuits were laid to rest that day.

After the race, instead of doing our usual picnic at some gorgeous European scenic spot along a river, we opted for a gas station mini mart stop to get a bunch of pretzels with mustard. For the next thirty minutes we stuffed ourselves like little kids with pretzels slathered in mustard until we had matching yellow clown faces. (It’s harder than you think to eat them in the dark while driving.)

Pics of me are taken by Ubi Blutsventje (Thanks Ubi!)

Marin Mountain Biking: Blind Ambition

Until i get around to updating you on my recent happenings like random training rides with antique velodromes, crappy weather adventurs, a trip to Frankfurt for pretzels and mud-dancing with Kupfernagel and Vos, and drinks at Nys' watering hole, I leave you with an article I wrote that is published in the Marin Independent Journal today. Here is the LINK.

Marin mountain biking: Blind ambition - Visually impaired racer McMullen makes his mark

Christine Vardaros

Posted: 12/08/2008 02:28:02 PM PST

Click photo to enlarge

Bobby McMullen (L) a blind mt. bike racer from Redding, photographed on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.

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AS BOBBY McMULLEN stood with his bike atop Mount Tamalpais, his first words were, "I wish I could see it."

McMullen can't. He is blind. But you would never guess it from his chosen passion of downhill mountain-bike racing.

A former extreme skier, McMullen lost his sight to diabetes in 1994 at the age of 32. His two double-organ (kidney and pancreas) transplants may have cured his diabetes but his sight remained impaired.

"If you cover one eye with your hand and you take a toilet paper roll over the other eye, put saran wrap over the top and smear Vaseline over it, that is my vision," McMullen said.

McMullen has no vision in his left eye and 20/1,200 in the right. He has no fear either, which is why the Redding resident is featured in the documentary film, "The Way Bobby Sees It," which will be shown at the Lark Theater in Larkspur on Thursday night.

How does McMullen do it? In open areas, he can make out shadows but, in the trees, he can't see a thing. So McMullen relies on human guides such as Chris Schierholtz of Mill Valley

"The guide tries his best to protect Bobby but it can be a mentally exhausting job," said Schierholtz, who works at Marin-based Wilderness Trail Bikes, which sponsors McMullen's racing.

"In a recent trip up Mt. Tam, I took him all the way down Railroad Grade at Mach speed, even managing to avoid a lady with four dogs on leashes sprawled across the trail, navigating him through Mill Valley traffic.

"Just when I think I got him down safely, he walks right into the garage door at the office. I forgot to tell him it was partly down. When you get down the hill, you are so mentally exhausted that you forget you're in charge of him, even off the bike."

In other words, even with all precautions and solid support in place, there will always be accidents. Some worse than others. Sometimes they are too numerous - and painful - for McMullen to track his injuries and fractures.

"Seven fingers, multiple wrists, collarbone, ribs and foot É I couldn't begin to count," he said.

Yet McMullen is adamant that the tradeoff is well worth it.

"My passion just happens to be on the bike," he said. "The benefits outweigh any consequences - the people and the experiences are great."

It helps McMullen that there always has been an element of danger in his life. His passion for extreme sports did not happen after he lost his sight. McMullen used to ski about 150 days out of the year. When he wasn't on skis, he took up riding mountain bikes as a favor to his girlfriend. After McMullen's sight faded, he didn't quit skiing but rather took it to the next level of Paralympic ski racing. Ten years and over thirty broken bones later, McMullen traded in the skis for a downhill mountain bike which he races 25 events per year.

That helped him hook up with Schierholtz at WTB. Schierholtz has served as a guide for McMullen about seven times.

"I am grateful to have him in my life as a racer and a friend. When he comes in the office, everyone gives him a big hug," Schierholtz said. "As much as he relies on others, he is a very independent person, while humble and thankful. He has a cane he uses once in a while but prefers not to use it so he isn't obviously visually impaired."

It was McMullen's dream one day to ride up - and down - Mt. Tam and Schierholtz helped him attain it.

"He is in your hands and he's yelling at you to go faster and you're already going really fast. It's scary," Schierholtz said. "We hit speeds of 20-25 mph. We're cooking and he wants to go faster. If everything is feeling right, we do go faster. It is inspiring."

It's not easy either. McMullen's immune system isn't the best so, Schierholtz said, "a simple cold can crush him."

So could a big tree if McMullen were to take a wrong turn. He wears extra padding and a full face helmet.

"He falls all the time and gets back up and he's gone," Schierholtz said. "Just imagine falling and not knowing where you are going to hit the ground. Just imagine trying to reach a hand out.

"In the (documentary) film, the camera shows what he sees, a blurry mess."

Fortunately Schierholtz and his other guides can sort out any twists, turns or obstacles in McMullen's path. When he is out and about or racing, McMullen rides a few feet behind his guide, who sends a steady stream of directives back to McMullen such as "bump, bump, bump, up, up."

In turn, McMullen keeps his guide abreast of his status by responding with remarks like "I'm on, yes" or "I'm off."

McMullen also relies on sound - namely the rattling of his guide's bike - to keep him upright. If he hears the chain slapping against the frame, he can expect bumpy terrain. Or if he hears no sound, his guide is probably airborne so he knows to prepare for a jump.

In addition to using words and sound to get the job done, McMullen constantly works on becoming a better bike racer through feel. Since he cannot learn by watching others ride, he periodically enlists some of his professional downhilling friends to describe a proper riding technique such as navigating an incredibly steep rock bed while situating their bodies in correct position for that maneuver so McMullen can run his hands over their bodies to feel what it must look like.

"I live a risky life. If they would have said before the transplant that I couldn't ride my bike, I would have refused the organs. I like to think that the transplant has allowed me to live the life I have chosen," McMullen said. "Transplants don't last and I will inevitably have to face these challenges again. I am living life to its fullest because that's who I am and what I have always done."

So McMullen doesn't need to see Mt. Tam to appreciate it. He senses it. When McMullen completes a ride down Mt. Tam - or any other trail or race course - his reaction is pretty much always the same.

"I give it a WOO-HOO!" McMullen said, smiling. "It's the second-best feeling in life. We can't talk about the first-best feeling in a PG-rated paper."

Christine Vardaros is an accomplished professional cyclist from Mill Valley. She is also writes for VegNews and Cyclocross magazines. Contact her via e-mail at vardaros@yahoo.com or at http://christinevardaros.blogspot.com

ON THE BIG SCREEN

Bobby McMullen will appear at the screening of the 60-minute documentary film "The Way Bobby Sees It" at the Lark Theater in Larkspur on Thursday at 8 p.m.

- Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

- Info: call (510) 653-2453 or log onto www.norcalmtb.org

My interview was in GVA and Het Belang van Limburg yesterdqy

Lately the only interviews I've been involved in are the ones I write myself, so it was strange to actually be the interviewee this time. Luc Lamon was the interviewer. Since I was interviewed by a fellow journalist, I couldn't resist asking him questions about his job. What a great opportunity.

Luc is also one of the organizers of GVA (Gazet Van Antwerpen) Cyclocross Series, with particular emphasis on the infamous Koppenbergcross. On a side note, the scoop is that Belgian National Coach Rudy De Bie just gave his women racers permission to compete in Koppenbergcross next year (the day before European Championships). This means there may be a Koppenbergcross category again for women next year! Yippee! It is by far my favorite course in Belgium.

Last month, Koppenbergcross had a steady stream of 700,000 Flemish viewers on TV, with the highest volume reaching 827,000 towards the end. Maybe the two-man last lap battle between Sven Nys and Lars Boom pulled that extra 127,000 to a TV to witness the outcome. That is about one in six residents living in the Flemish section of Begium tuning into the race.