Wanna hear about my NEW Cyclocross Team?

Yep, I have a new cyclo-cross team! It is a small one with two elite riders, me and Belgian powerhouse Veerle Ingels. Our sponsors are Zannata, Garage Van Ermen and Champion System. And i couldn't be any happier!

The bikes and clothing are set to arrive next week so you will have to settle for photos of photos for the moment. As you can tell, we will easily be the best looking team in the peloton! The World Champ stripes are in tribute to Roland Liboton who worked with Zannata boss Johan Moeyersons (pictured with his bike) on the cyclocross frame. The clothing design came from David at Garage Van Ermen who is always Mr. Fashionable so naturally the clothing reflects his style.

Now that the bulk of the team stuff is handled, i am busy with getting everything else in order. I'm always amazed by how many little tasks are necessary just to race my bike.

Regarding the fitness, I have been doing the work - training hard, eating well but you never quite know what to expect until the first cross races. If the few road races i've done so far is any indication, it is theoretically coming along. I have felt pretty solid during the races. My wheels and tires, however, have fallen apart. In only a handful of races i managed to go through two new tires, two Mavic Ksyerium SL wheels, and three flats in total. A few more intervals, hard workouts, training races and i should hopefully be ready to go for cross season!

Next weekend is my first offroad test. I am competing in 6 hours of Kortenberg, a mountain bike relay race with three others; jonas, Kris (jonas' sister's husband), and Ronny. Of course i will be on the cross bike.

The following day i am racing my last road event. After that it is two more training cross races with the junior men and off to Treviso, Italy for the first World Cup on October 4th. Oddly enough, i am already nervous and excited for this race! I also love road trips so that always adds to the excitement.

Until next update...thanks for reading!