In the news, on TV and finally back on the bike

As of a few days ago, I am finally back on the bike. It is hard to tell my level of fitness (which I expect is not too high at the moment with three weeks off the bike) but I dont care at this time of year.

Regarding the injuries, they are definitely improving.  I started physical therapy in Leuven yesterday at the same place where Tom Boonen goes from what i hear, so they should be good enough for me!

I told them i no longer want to feel like a piece of wet smushed spaghetti on the bike. They both nodded and told me they had just the plan for me - yippee!!

Today, for the first time since that fateful day in Zolder, I feel hopeful - that i can be great again ;-) (ok, well maybe i was never great but "good" is great with me!)

In the news: I came across an article on BikeRadar.com where they included some quotes from me. I love their site so that was a huge honor. Click HERE for the link.

AND as for my tv appearance, when i find out more about it, i will let you know.

Thanks for reading!!

Offseason Blues

OK, well not exactly feeling blue but it is strange to be off the bike for so long.  I don't think it would be as strange if, with the bike, i also abandoned everything that  comes along with it - the routine, habits and lifestyle.

Last night, Jonas called from work during a night shift. His parting words were, "Go to bed on time." Normally the unspoken words that followed were "so you can be fresh in the morning for training."  But without a scheduled training the next day, I responded, "On time for what?"  He tripped over his words and the phone call ended in confusion. 

When i got off the phone with him, I remembered that it was a Saturday night. Shouldn't "Saturday night" have a special meaning during my three weeks off the bike? I read on Facebook all the exciting plans in store for everyone, but i was going to bed on time.

WTF?!?

The Season is FINALLY Over



By Florent Bouchat



Part of me wishes it would go on, the other part cannot be any more relieved that the pain is over. Some - or maybe many - people think it was silly of me to race with hip pain but now that i have been off the bike for a week with continued hip pain, seems to me riding didnt make a lick of difference. So with that said, i am glad i continued since i had an immense amount of fun the last races!



If you want to read all about my last day on the bike this season, check out my story (with plenty of photos) on CYCLOCROSS Magazine.

A BIG THANKS to Baboco, my teammates, family, friends, supporters, Challenge Tires, PROBAR, Mt. Tam Bikes, Specialized, Concap, Coach Elmo and of course JONAS! The support is so immensely appreciated!!!

As of today i am off the bike for a full nine days. I thought i would go crazy without riding a bike but it's actually been easy.  I've kept myself busy with house projects, writing articles, and catching up on emails and other stuff that's been put off a bit too long. I also finally got a new computer to replace the one that was stolen in Girona last year. It's definitely helped to keep me distracted.  The hip pain also makes it a bit easier to stay off the bike :-(



The last two days Jonas and I have been up at 7am to greet the workers who are installing our new water boiler and "burner" to heat the water.  Once they are done, another set of guys come to switch us over from oil to gas.  A gas line was just installed on our street a few months ago, but before that, gas was not an option. 

I dont mind the early rising but I must admit having no heat or hot water for what will be three whole days by the time the project is over is a bit inconvenient.  I tried to take a "bird bath" this morning and found that after one minute my bitties were numb. Brrrr....

Next week they come to insulate the walls, then the solar panels go up by May. We got extra solar panels so we can heat our water on electricity - green electricity that is! It will also save us a bunch of money on gas. Our new fancy water boiler has a gas/electricity switch so you can decide what you want to use to heat the water - cool, huh.

Thursday i have another appointment for my hip - an x-ray and some other eco-something-or-other test to determine where i am in the recovery process. Fingers crossed all is back in order SOON, especially since Team Baboco has team training camp starting April 7th.  It will be in Benidorm, Spain - the equivalent of Boca Raton but with hills for those of you who dont know the town.

Thanks for reading!