In front of the camera - a rarity for Krist

Krist is responsible for hundreds of photos I've shared with all my friends, family, sponsors over the past year while I raced for Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam. He even took the action photo I used for my 2006 cyclo-cross trading cards. Since he is not used to posing for the camera and i'm not too thrilled with posing, we are sporting the semi-smiles. The photo was taken last weekend at Lille.

Krist was also part of my big 2006 post road season party at the Tom Boonen Invitational Criterium. I was off the front on the half-cobbled (casein in dutch) course until i got a FLAT (vlat in dutch) tire! Bugger. I pulled off the course and waved to the peloton as they passed. I then had to walk back to the wheel pit area which was too far away from where i flatted to get back into the race. But i did find it an odd experience having to explain to ten thousand fans why i went from first to dnf. I learned how to pronounce "Ik heb vlat" really well as i shimmied through the swaying crowds of inebriated fans.

Once cleaned up and changed, I joined them for my one yearly Kasteel Bier...or seven. A bunch of us who rarely get to say more than hello to each other during the season had the opportunity to sit down and talk while watching the parade of lycra'd pros promenade before us! The first few laps of the guys race consisted of select riders being driven around the course in the back of a while convertible flanked by podium women. The next few laps was "clowning around" laps where they showed off the details of their sinewy bodies to the crowd - something we rarely get to see since normally they are flying by us at 60kpm. Since it was an evening event, we partied until about 2am. The next morning i was on a plane to California, still happily buzzed.

Race report from Krawatencross in Lille, BEL

Sorry for the delay in writing about the race last weekend. It was another frustrating day at the office. I've taken the past few days to think about the events of the day.

Everything that went wrong:

• My friend's planned arrival to my place was 1/2 hour later than I would have preferred. But without his help, I'd be taking the train! So I compromised, figuring i'll just have to be quick about getting ready once we arrive. It still made me nervous to go to a race with not enough time for proper preparation.
  
• He arrived an additional 1/2 hour later than expected. OK, 1 hour late. I'm getting nervous, but I think i can remain calm. OK, no time for extracurricular activities like changing into dry clothes post warm-up before the race. And warmup time will be limited.
  
• Against my advice, we drove the slow route there. OK, now i'm starting to freak out inside. I'm running out of pre-race activities that i can forgo to make up the time. No peeing before the race. Warmup time cut way short now.
  
• We got lost on the way there. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I won't get any semblance of a cycling warmup, but the blood is surely pumping!
  
• As I am almost at the start line - freaking out the whole way there because i was about to experience a very painful jolt when the gun sounds due to only enough of a warmup to unkink my legs from the drive, I notice that my rear tire is bottoming out on every pebble. With five minutes to start, there is not enough time to ride back to the car or to the pit (material post). Instead I ride down to one of the beer gardens and borrow a frame pump from a cyclotourist. Unfortunately, the pump allows what little air i had left in the tire to escape. Now three minutes to start and my tire is completely flat. Thankfully another racer, Hilde Quintens, scores a pump for me at the start line. Once the tire was pumped and warmup clothes stripped, I had ten seconds to calm myself down. According to scientific studies, I think it actually takes at least two or three days minimum to wind down after that much excitement, but i'm superwoman. I can defy science.
  
• Three seconds into the race, I still can't clip in. In my hasty preparation, i forgot to clean the sand out of the pedals. I turned the first corner in second to last place. In a completely exhaustive and dejected state, I was only able to manage 8th place.

The next day, I called my coach for a pity party. Instead he told me, "You name one woman at the start who didn't have something go wrong before the race." He was right. It's not about the incidents or "excuses" but rather my reaction to them.

I was in fight-or-flight mode even before race day arrived! No wonder I was exhausted.

Instead of working on getting my friend to arrive on time or stop getting lost and take the shortest routes, because that may never happen, or trying to control all other random things that can go wrong, I am now working on my reaction to them. I wish i could back time, try it all again but in a more calm, relaxed (rustig in dutch) state and see how well i could have done.

My last cyclo-cross race is this weekend in Kasterlee, Belgium. You can bet i will have implemented this new approach - or at least i will have started to head in that direction. I suppose it may take some time to change who i am considering it probably took years to get good at freaking out about every little innocuous incident.

The real pity is that if i more tranquil before the race, I would have really enjoyed the course. It had a few challenging deep sand sections, some rollercoaster bmx bumps, a strip along the lake and the obligatory disco flyover.

The day wasn't a complete disaster, though. I had a great time with my buddies (two sisters ages 11 and 15) after the race. As we walked along the course watching the men, we played a game called find the red-haired boy with big eyes.

Two days before the race, i ran into someone who said he planned to spectate at the race. I heard his cheers during the race and figured if i saw him afterwards, i'd thank him for his support. The problem was I didn't know what he really looked like - i could only recognize his voice since we met while riding bikes. In a sea of 15.000 people, it turned out to be a challenging task! So for the next two hours, the girls and i played jokes on each other pointing out the most unlikely guys to ever ride a bike, like 75 year old guys with oversized beer guts double-fisting it - beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other! One of the gals even found an actual redhead, which i'd say is an anomaly here in Belgium!

I'll just go get a haircut today...

yeah, right. There is nothing easy about getting a haircut in Belgium. You'd think otherwise considering there are as many hair salons (kapsalon in dutch) as there are bars here. (oh, side note, do not call the cafes "bars" when you are here because a bar has a different meaning - it is another name for a girly-girl go-go joint.)

After swinging by a dozen kapsalon joints, I got the hint that they keep the same hours as museums in NYC. Closed monday. That dilemma is easily enough remedied. I'll return tomorrow.

BUT once i am strapped into the salon chair, the challenge begins. I must figure out a way to get the point across that I do NOT want a "belgian-style" haircut (no mullets which doesn't even look good on Tom Boonen, no one-side-longer-than-the-other-just-because-i-part-my-hair-to-one-side, and absolutely no beard trims.)

Last time - actually the ONLY time - I got my hair cut in Belgium, I paid 35 euros to leave with a mullet (aka shlong for short/long in NYC), lopsided trim and a beard shave. OK, the mullet and lopsided hair was somewhat tolerable because i can always shave my head and end the bad hair day, but when she took a straight edge to my face, causing blond dust to sprinkle my shirt, I was mortified. Apparently the beard trim is customary on all her women clients!

Girls are always told that if you shave unwanted hair, it will grow back darker and thicker. Now that half my face was shaved, the question remained. Do i have her continue the job or do i take the chance that the rumors are not true.

I was also shocked to find i had a beard. My brother made me aware of my moustache when i was 19 years old. As soon as my date arrived at the house to collect me, the first thing my 6-year old brother asked him was if he saw my moustache? Of course he had to take a closer look and found it sure enough!

To ensure that the haircut is not a repeat of last time, I'm choosing the kapsalon wisely. I narrowed it down to two places, theoretically the most unlikely places to end up with a bad mullet hair and shaved face. They are Joke Kapsalon and Hollywood Kapsalon. Voting poll is now open...

My favorite show in the world!

A few months ago, i watched a belgian show called Robland. The episode i saw was hilarious. Rob (host of Robland) barricaded a random small town in belgium (the land of small towns) so nobody can enter. As the residents pulled up to the barriers to get back home, Rob and his henchmen stopped them to inform them that their town was now called Robland and that they needed a passport to prove they lived in Robland. They actually turned away those without passports!

Next they went door to door to tell all the residents that their town was taken over and is now called robland. At the mandatory town meeting at noon that day, Rob gave a speech announcing he was their new leader. It just went on and on like this - completely over the top humor!!

Here is a photo of a Rob supporter i took at World Championships.

This is Serge

He's been spending the last few months driving me to all the races, washing and fixing my bikes, working the pits, registering me, pinning my numbers, keeping me calm when i get too nervous, putting up with my bike racer mentality, cheering his ass off for me, and being my friend through it all.
I'm lucky to know him (and his family - twin brother christophe and his girlfriend Renatta, mom Monique)!

It turns out I AM famous!

As i was riding around town today, a guy waved at me as he yelled that i am that woman from Het Laatste Nieuws. Funny. It was good to know the article was read by at least one person in Belgium.

And here's a photo i "borrowed" IF Chicks. I just came across it yesterday - how exciting!

More photos from World Championships

Yesterday i took a break from my life to play tour guide. Keri Barnholt, USA Teammate, and her friends visited my quaint town of Leuven for a little sightseeing. It was great for me since i've never really had the time to check out the town myself!

I will post the full story with photos soon!

But in the interim, here are more photos i took at World Champs.

The top photo is of what I'd consider a super-supporter! He is covered in Klaas Vantornout of Fidea trading cards AND handing them out! He was overjoyed to pose for me.

I took the one of the fans in the tree because I really loved how the tree looked with brightly colored spectators attached.

The next photo is of another random fan. He was just so animated, even without his funny costume!

The third is of Hilde Quintens (left) and her partner. Hilde and I have gotten to know each other over road and cyclo-cross seasons. She is one of the more grounded gals out there. But more importantly, we always make each other laugh!

Finally, a photo of the two biggest celebrities on the Belgian TV show, Allez Allez Zimbabwe! He met her while bike racing here in Belgium and they just got engaged on the last episode. Since his race results have been suffering a bit recently, his team manager tried to pin it on his relationship, telling him that it's made him not as competitive. The two of them are just so likeable that you want them to succeed. You cheer for their relationship while you cheer for him to finish higher up in the events. I think they were both surprised when i told them that people in USA know who they are.

More photos and stories on World Champs to come!

You missed a GREAT weekend!

Wow, two more silver medals thanks to katie Compton and Jonathan Page. Incredible rides.
I obviously didn't see Katie's race but i did hear her over the loudspeaker for fourty minutes straight. I was thrilled to know all the props i gave her every time the euros would ask about her were backed up with serious results!

Watching Jonathan school those belgians was a real treat! Midway through the race, he came flying past me and for a moment i was confused. My thoughts immediately were one of distress. Since he was all alone and riding along seemingly without effort, I thought maybe he crashed or had a mechanical. But a few seconds later, when i saw Franzoi i realized JP was riding in FIRST PLACE!!!!! (eerste plaats for all you dutch speakers - hahaha.) Soon enough, Page again came through in the lead but with Vervecken in tow.
After a brief argument with a group of belgians who were standing next to me regarding who should win the race - vervecken or page - i won the argument by telling them that i'll just cheer for some Netherlanders instead. They then admitted that JP is one of their own and if a Vervecken doesn't win, they'd want Page to take the glory.

After the race, I found out why Page looked like he was casually riding along while in first place - he didn't know he was AT THE HEAD of the race! On one of the laps, he came by the pits and asked his super-support guy Frankie what place he was in. I wonder what he was thinking when Frankie shouted the news.

The photos are of JP in the lead (note that in the top photo you can see the crowd yelling for Vervecken just behind Page on the final lap just exiting the long sand pit), JP's family who head the JP Fan Club (check out the US and Belgian Flags!), me having a tough day, and Superstar Marianne Vos and me just after we traded jerseys. This is clearly proof that i am indeed twice her age AND her size! She is surely one of my favorite riders in the womens' peloton.

I wish i also had a photo of Rhonda Mazza, one of our USA gals who rode an incredible race for 11th place. And Keri Bernholt was just behind in 15th. Dierdre put in a great showing as well! No need to put up a photo of Katie after her 2nd place finish since her photo is all over the internet press/media world by now. I'm quite honored to be their teammates!

Thanks for reading,
Christine
ps THANKS for all your well wishes. I wish my results would have reflected all the good vibes I've received!
ps more updates from Worlds to come

checking in from the USA house

Today was a rather subdued one for me. I did more bike work - ugh - then headed out for a training ride to see the course so i could watch the lines the u-23 and jr riders took. I made it as far as the elevator on my floor before turning back to the room. I forgot that i am in belgium - the race will be on TV with NO commercials! I'll be able to see all the lines perfectly, complete with commentary. After watching Danny Summerhill sprint it out for 2nd place in the jr men, I was so completely motivated to go training.
He was in 2nd position for the first lap chasing down an italian rider until they were caught at the end of the lap. Eventually 6 guys got a gap on the field. Once the pace went up, there were 5. On one of the three technical dropoffs, danny crashed. My heart sank! Luckily it was he who was racing and his levelheadedness got him back up to the leaders in no time.
Soon after, one of the guys attacked and then there were 4 - 5th was slightly gapped. Going into the last mud hairpin turn onto the pavement finish, danny was in 4th (btw, he spent most of the race in 5th spot.) But he really turned it on in that finishing straight passing all but one of them! As he crossed the finish line, he threw his fist in the air to signify USA's infiltration in the Euro dominant sport (this is according to what he told me at dinner.)
As i sat next to him at dinner, which is how i found out about the significance of the fist, he also told me something i found rather interesting. Going into the race, he thought a top five would be cool. Then when he was in the group of five, he still thought, "I'd be happy with a top 5." But in only in that last finishing straight did his thought change. His next thought was, "Hey, i could get a medal!" If he only would have thought, "Hey i could win this darn thing" maybe he would have. We will never know. Neither will he - something he admits he will ponder for a bit.
His second place, though, was good enough to score us all free champagne tonight! I only had a spoonful (just in case Coach is reading.)
Dinner was a repeat of yesterday. Except this time i remembered to bring my own spices. My friend ronnie sent me ground habaneros that he grew and dried himself. They are incredibly tasty AND hot! Yum.
Now i must get back to stretching, reading, drinking, visualizing.
THanks for all your emails, thoughts and blog comments wishing me good luck for the race tomorrow. I am finally getting really excited and motivated to FEEL THE PAIN!!
:P'Nut

The course is an oversized mudpie...

and i took a big bite! On the first lap of pre-riding the course, I hit the ground hard on one of the treacherous mud drop-offs. My knee and my shifter took the blow. The shifter is broken but the knee is not- just a little swollen and a bit of skin missing. Many of us actually bit it on one of the three worst drop-offs - even hanka took a dive.
At least i still have one good bike and one good knee. With these fully functioning parts, I will perform miracles (i tell myself over and over again!!!)
The course also had a long thick sand stretch, and a little pavement. Otherwise it was just deep mud trenches where you have to stick your tire in one of them, making sure not to change lines mid-section. Even the flat sections were challenging to ride - just keeping the bike upright was a project indeed.
After we pre-rode the course we all piled back into the van, washed up and had group dinner. I ate yummy veggies, grilled tomatoes, a huge salad and bowtie pasta with olive oil. They also served some sort of meat. One of the juniors asked me to identify it - poor guy - out of all the folks there he asked the one who could help him least. haha.
For dinner, there were pannekoeken (belgian pancakes -similar to crepes.)
After we ate, some of the racers talked while others watched some old cowboy movie - or at least that is what it looked like to me on the tiny laptop screen. (Upon further prodding this morning, it turns out it was a horror flick!)
I worked more on my bikes and got a massage. The guy who gave me the massage is named herrmon who lives in Izegem - 3km from where we are staying. He is an older guy who speaks little english. I expected a towel or a blanket to cover my exposed body but it was one of those - just lay your naked ass down on the table and let's get the job done - style.
Keri just turned out the lights so i will go to bed too.
Thanks for reading.
:christine
ps during dinner, one of the americans said that there were more spectators today to watch us pre-ride the course than have shown up to watch us race in USA. He's right!

Musseeuw and I busted in the same week...

There was no denying that i was guilty. I was caught red-handed - with the oversized fire hose in hand while washing my bikes downstairs at the entrance of the converted monastery.
I plead ignorance and pulled the I'm just a girl, please help me attitude and it worked (contrary to Parbo's opinion that i am too old to use that card! Neener, neener!)
It turned out well. The building manager was very helpful and showed me a spicket where i can attach a hose. Now i have to buy a hose but at least i will soon wash the bikes without sending them across the parking lot from the powerful flow of the firehose.

I'm now off to meet up with the rest of the US National Team so I can join them in tension building activities like team meetings, group meals. Any time you put a bunch of highly competitive athletes in the same room, all thoughts seem to be on the big event whether or not it is actually talked about aloud. I would bet it helps our preparation somehow.
Today we are taking team photos at 1, leaving to pre-ride the course at 1:30, riding the course 2-4, cleaning up and eating at some point after that. I heard that nobody will be allowed to ride the course prior to competition to preserve the ground. If this is the case, i'm looking forward to seeing the mud trenches paralleling the whole course. The poor spectators will have a fun time trying to walk along the course day of race. Bring your tallest wellys!

And this is what i did last weekend...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXQMw4n29qU

Here's a link to a video from the Hoogerheide World Cup. I found it on http://race.cx
Can you spot me in the video?

As I'm sitting at the cafe in Leuven...

with Gary and Betty of Sacramento who just arrived this morning, we open the Het Laatste Nieuws to the World Championships coverage and who do we see staring back at us? ME! Yippee!

A few days ago, Het Laatste Nieuws set up an interview and photo shoot with me. When i called the interviewer yesterday to see when it would hit the papers, he was in Niels Alberts' home interviewing him! I'm just so honored that the same guy who interviews stars like Niels would take the time to visit with me for a story!

Gary and Betty are cross racers whom i've known for years. Betty races for Velo Bella and wins just about every race she enters while Gary holds his own in the peloton! The photo is taken in front of Leuven's Tourist Center across from the famous Cathedral in Grote Maarkt. These two buildings were almost the only two left standing after the whole town was leveled during WWI. Many view it as a miracle. Ik ook.

Want to see what i'll be doing sunday?

Here's a link to the Hooglede-Gits race last year when it was a World Cup. The mud was so deep that even the spectators were in ankle-deep mud at minimum wherever they walked!

http://www.hoogledegits2007.be/site/nl/home/promotiefilmpjes.asp?filmpje=2

Move over Musseeuw!

Adeline and I traveled to most road races last year! My most memorable trip with her must have been when she slyly played the Black Eyed Peas "Pump it" tune for two hours straight on a drive home. She pretended that the CD was skipping even though i saw her CD controls were on the steering wheel. I didn't mind since i like the song - or should i say liked. Now it's a little hard to listen to it.
The other photo is of me in Nommay - i think. Adeline just emailed it to me.
Yesterday i worked on one bike. It should shift now. Today i am working on the other. Fun, fun, fun! My apartment looks like a bike shop. All tools are neatly displayed in front of Tom on the stage in the living room, while my wheels, bikes and parts are covering the floor.
Four days until World Championships!! Yippee!! I heard A LOT of USA'ers will show. It's always fun to hear cheers in an American accent. At hoogerheide, there was a group of NorCal folks who cheered very loudly for me - THANKS!
I also heard a few of them got on the podium at Masters World CHampionships held last weekend in Belgium.
NorCal's super stud Henry Kramer was one of those folks! I ran into him at the Post-Nat'ls party, which is the only place i ever talk to him. It is now two years in a row that we talked and both times it's after he's had a few beers. So of course i'm thinking, wow he drinks a lot! I'm sure he's thinking the same about me - i guess this applies to almost all the folks at the post-nat'ls party! hahaha.
USA had a woman on the podium at Masters Worlds as well - Katrina Baumsteiger. Some other Americans who rode superbly are Lillian Pfluke (4th), Kevin Hines (6th) and Will Black (9th.) Well done!