ECOPOP and other things...

This Sunday is my next speaking engagment.  Its at the ECOPOP fair - basically a celebration of everything GREEN.  On their facebook page, they describe this event as "ECOPOP / bio lifestyle fair / is the first mainstream fair about everything that comes close to bio - eco - sustainability or organic stuff..."  What an honor to speak there!  I am going as a spokesperson for Organic Athlete and In Defense of Animals.

I am actually very excited about it even though i havent really settled on what i am to talk about.  It is at 3pm in Kortrijk, Belgium for anyone who wants to send me good vibes or, better yet, show up and pretend to be entertained!!

On another topic, I just received my international press/media ID card in the mail this week.  It is nice to now have all access to events. Then again, i have always had all access to events without the card so I guess not much will change now that i have it. Even so, it's fun to have. 

There are only three races left to the season then it's off the cross bike for a bit of time.  It will be strange to ride a road bike again after all these months. I wonder if i remember how to clip into the bike with my road shoes.  What will be stranger than getting on the road bike after a few months will be getting on a mountain bike after MANY years!! That's right. I am once again making use of my pro mountain bike license.  My first mtb race is March 21st, and April 4th is my first UCI mtb race. Depending on how they go, I may or may not race the Houfalize World Cup in Belgium. We'll see....  Either way if feels invigorating to be doing something other than the usual road racing over the summer.

With the mtb races so soon after cyclocross season, I'll be skipping the usual post-season break off the bike.  There is also another event that i want to have some fitness for - Tour of Cyprus which is from 25-28 March.  They have two separate events - one for cyclotourists where you ride your own speed, and the other is for racers - men and women, everyone together.  Jonas and I are doing the latter, which means that we will be standing at the start line every day with pro riders and pro teams like Turkish national team, Greek teams, etc. I still havent seen the start list so I am a little nervous, especially since most of the stages are climbing-heavy.

But even if we finish behind the race, we will at least finish before the cyclotourists which gives us more time to sit around and do nothing, maybe drink a couple extra glasses of wine while we wait for everyone to arrive.  To greet the cyclotourist riders upon their return is Jonas with his camera. He is one of the official cameramen for the event.  He is even upgrading his camera for the event.

My next race is this Saturday in Lille, Belgium. It is the penultimate round of the GVA Trofee.  It is the most sand-heavy event of the season. It will be a total Challenge Grifo XS tubular kind of day! CLICK HERE to see a video of the race. After my race i will be interviewing the new U-23 World Champion Pawel Szcepaniak of Baboco-Revor. Coincidentally he rides on the same bike as I - the Zannata Z45 Cross bike designed by 5x World Champion Roland Liboton.  

Thanks for reading! And by the way, we almost hit 10°C here in belgium - a first in many months!!! I think i even saw what resembled a sun.