Cheers from Belgium!

As of today, the sun returned to Belgium. Jonas, Ronny and I decided to follow newly painted "figure 8" markings on the ground (one of a million bike-route markings on the streets of Belgium) so we didnt have to think about where to ride. Our plan went brilliantly until we passed a guy holding a spray can in one hand and a "figure 8" in the other. Even though we had to then decide for ourselves where to ride, it was great. I think everything is always better with a bit of sun.


 
With all my updates on twitter and facebook, I am sorry to admit that my blog has become the red-headed stepchild regarding my time management plan (if i could get around to making one, that is!)

Since Tour of Cyprus, I've been mainly just training and catching up on little projects. The weather hasnt been too good here in Belgium yet so there havent been too many super long "epic" rides.

After Cyprus, Jonas and I did get to go to the Ardennes for a week (courtesy of his parents) of riding and relaxing which was nice. But of all the days there, i think the sun only came out once. We made the best of it, though, by riding many of the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege climbs with our two friends Angela and Doug from California.

Our next mini trip was to Houffalize World Cup to watch the 4x and Cross Country mountain bike races. We went as "press" for CYCLOCROSS Magazine (click HERE for the story) and also wrote a story for Dirt Rag Magazine - my first published article for them! (click HERE for the story).  (See passes above - The Rabobank pass was courtesy of Jan ten Tusscher - Manager of Rabobank Offroad Team, VIP courtesy of our friend Jo Croonenberghs)  It was super strange to watch a race without participating - especially when there are other girls riding. But i got over it after i witnessed the 30th crash.  But even though i didnt race, i still got a bunch of cheers, gave autographs, and had my picture taken. Clearly cyclocross fans were there to pass the time until cross season gets going.

As for my own racing this season, I've only done Tour of Cyprus (which i was thrilled to win), and three mountain bike races (1 win and 2 DNF's - my bike broke both times. The photo of Jonas above was taken by mtblily.be at the start of the one race i won.)  I think my next mtb races are in late june or early july.  But i surely wont be bored until then.  Jonas and i are currently packing for our training camp in Girona, Spain. We leave in a few days and will be gone for about three weeks.  It helps to have Jonas' mom down the block to collect our mail and check on the house when we go away! She is super woman!

We still have to find rides to do in the Girona area. I think we are also heading a little west from there towards the high mountains for a few days as well.  If anyone has any riding ideas...or even ideas where we can find Garmin tracks... We think we found a co-ed road race that we can do there which could be a lot of fun.

On the way back from Girona, we are planning to go to Bedoin to ride Mt Ventoux a few times. I've only seen it from afar when i was on training rides with my old Pruneaux d'Agen teammates Tiina and Sandrine in the Marsailles and Aix en provence area. They were awesome hosts to me!  I should have internet during part of the trip so I can post some photos and little stories about our trip.

Thanks for reading!!

TOUR OF CYPRUS stories published on CYCLOCROSS Magazine

Oops. I just realized i didnt list the links here on my blog. There are lots of fun stories and MANY PHOTOS!

Click HERE for TOUR OF CYPRUS - PART I

Click HERE for TOUR OF CYPRUS - PART II

Enjoy!

Tour of Cyprus a strange but magnificent experience

Jonas and I recently returned from Cyprus where we competed in the strangest but most fantastic road stage race of my life called Tour of Cyprus! The event was held from 25 to 28 March. It was a co-ed event with guys and gals racing elbow to elbow competing against each other. While we all challenge each other for the overall, the gals also had their own separate ranking which I obviously really appreciated.

But the co-ed aspect wasn’t the strangest part of the race. Instead it was the odd racing setup. Each day we would cover about 100 to 120 kilometers through the gorgeous mountains of Cyprus, but only a set portion of those kilometers were for actual racing. We’d ride some distance for a warmup, then race anywhere from 28 to 55 kilometers, and cool down afterwards for some more.

Before we arrived in Cyprus we didn’t really get the race setup so we assumed it was normal-style racing where you go full blast from the first to last kilometer, with some intermediate sprints along the way. On the first day, we quickly found out that we weren’t the only ones who didn’t realize the racing style. When we rolled out of Larnaca on our way to tackle 120km with 2700m altitude, the pace picked up to a ballistic level three minutes into the stage even though it was still another sixty kilometers before the actual race portion started. I remembered hearing something about a fifteen minute cutoff where if you don’t make it to the feedzones within fifteen minutes after the first guy arrives, you’d be relegated to the cyclotourist group that followed behind us on every stage. So we had no choice but to race the non-racing kilometers too even though it did nothing for our race result.

(photos: 1st - view from feed zone held at a winery, 2nd - Team Malta and Team Belgium, 3rd - me at the start of Stage 1, 4th - second feed zone on stage 1,  5th - Andy Hadjivasiliou at final awards ceremony wearing my Leaders Jersey signed by all riders and support crew with Thomas Wegmüller by his side, 6th - Motorcycle guys, 7th - Louis Princess Beach Hotel in Larnaca - our first and last hotel on the trip, 8th - local kids cheering us on. photos 1-4, 8 taken by Phil Saussus, photos 5-7 by Jonas Bruffaerts)

We arrived at the first feed zone within seconds of the leaders, but we weren’t so lucky getting to the next feed zone. We must have been within the time limit because we – and the many behind us – were able to continue on to the timing section that was immediately after our break. By then, though, all our legs were already toast. Getting up the last mountain pass was like a death march, carnage everywhere. When it was finally over and it was time to get off the bike, it took me about five minutes to muster up the courage to swing my leg over the bike knowing that there’s a good chance that I’ll have a full body cramp.

That evening, I heard some of the racers complaining about the race setup but by the second day every single one of them took full advantage of the unique style and even started to really enjoy it. Instead of racing the non-race sections, they joy-rode it, getting the kilometers in their legs while using the unique opportunity to socialize with the other riders from countries like Germany, Israel, Lebanon, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Poland, New Zealand, Greece, Cyprus and of course Belgium. By the end of the stage race, we were all bonded like one cohesive group – friends on a ride. That didn’t mean that they took it easy on each other during the timing sections. But when they ripped each other’s legs off, they did it with a smile.

Since it was only an hour or so of racing a day, it was perfect for me as a cyclo-cross racer. I was just getting back into riding after an especially long cross season. That combined with the crappy Belgian weather, I hadn’t ridden much in the last month. I needed the kilometers but racing all of them would have buried me, so it was as if the combination of “base” training with one-hour interval training was custom designed for me – or I guess for anyone who needs to build their fitness before summer race season.

I’m sure it was because the racing time block was similar to a cross race that I was able to be effective in the results, which was an exciting surprise for me. The leaders jersey was something I never expected so it was even more special for me. I was also part of the winning mixed team, “Team Belgium”, consisting of me, Jonas, Quentin Finné, and Phil Saussus. We surely earned it as we worked very well together during the event.

Overall, Tour of Cyprus was run perfectly. This was the first time it was run as an international event but you couldn’t really tell. We had seamless support the whole time thanks to Andy Hadjivasiliou – a certified cycling fanatic and supporter. He was also helped out by his wing man Thomas Wegmüller , a former Swiss top road racer in the ‘80s and ‘90s with an impressive palmares consisting of successes like 2nd in Paris-Roubaix, 2nd in Tour of Flanders, 4th in a stage of Tour de France and National Champion.

When on the bike, we had lead Volkswagens, support VW’s, video and camera VW’s, and a fleet of Harleys and one BMW bike (on a side note, the biker guys were too cool. On the last day they treated me to a shot of Ziverna (kind of like a Greek version of Italian Grappa liquor) at the last feed zone on the last day, just after I secured my leaders jersey). Off the bike, there must have been at least fifteen folks helping us out with anything we needed. This didn’t even include the people who gave talks and presentations during the event like Volunteer Doctors-Cyprus who travel the world offering help to those in need like in Haiti.

The meals were all buffet style so I swear I gained a few kilos on yummy Cyprus-specific treats as well as typical food for that region like hummus, potatoes prepared twenty ways, breads, rice dishes, Cyprus wine and vegan desserts. I also pigged out at the feed zones that served a variety of tasty regional treats in addition to the standard bananas and such.

If I have the opportunity to go to Tour of Cyprus again next year, I’ll definitely extend the trip by at least a week or two. Cyprus is absolutely the ideal place for training. The terrain is perfect. They have everything a cyclist could desire – long climbs, both steep and gradual, flat and undulating roads, and cobbled ones for the Belgian in all of us. Although there are no actual bike paths in Cyprus, I felt completely safe on the roads – even on the days before and after the race when we rode around without the group. The few cars that passed us gave us lots of room.

As for the weather, it is more reliable than most places that cyclists go for training. We wore short sleeve jerseys and shorts the whole time and was maybe chilly at most at the start and not too warm on the hottest moments under the sun during our hard efforts. I left with a nice suntan and fond memories of the most magical experience.

The only thing I didn’t get while I was there was that elusive umbrella drink on the beach. There is always next year.

First Mountain Bike Ride in SEVEN YEARS

Today Jonas and I joined our friend Ronny for his birthday on a mountain bike group ride - they call them toertochten here in Belgium, organized rides with feed zones attended by usually one to two thousand riders.  This one was a semi-hilly 60km one.

I did ride the mountain bike for two times last week - both for about an hour each, but it wasnt any preparation for what i did today. I thought since i hold a pro mtb racing license, even competed in World Cup races back in the day, it would feel completely normal.  I was so wrong.

As we hit the dirt for the first time, it felt like both wheels just sunk into the ground and it took all my strength to push the bike forward, along the false flat straight line. My heart rate hadnt been that high since that Hasselt Indoor cyclo-cross race a few weeks ago.   I must admit that part of the reason why i probably felt like crap was because i had been sick for over a week now and my lungs are still filled with that gooey stuff. But i can easily blame a lot of my sinking sensation is due to the heavier big-wheeled machine.

It took me about thirty kilometers to get over that "cross bikes are so much easier to ride in the dirt" feeling, but only the feeling of additional friction.  Steering that thing was a whole other issue i had to work out.  It felt so incredibly strange to ride offroad through trees while on the "tops" so i ended up riding a lot with my hands on the bar ends. It felt like i had limited control over the steering since it's rare that i ride on the tops of my cross bike while riding in the woods.I think i was the only one doing that though.

My descending wasnt the best either.  After the first descent, Jonas gave me the niener-niener gesture since he beat me on a descent.  I definitely got better by the end after i worked a bit on descending on the tops. It also helped me to finally realize that i can mow over mostly everything with those big wheels and suspension - that is once i had the courage to push that button that activates it.   I must admit it was also a lot more comfortable to ride on the bike once i figured out just how much stronger disc brakes are than my dainty little cross model that never really stops you, only slows you down.

Climbing was also on a learning curve.  When i see mountain bikers climbing, they are always in these tiny gears so i thought that is what i was supposed to do. but every time i did that, Jonas and Ronny were gone - way up the road. I felt like a loony toon spinning like a mo' fo' but going in slow motion. Eventually i worked out the gearing a bit more towards the end.  And then there were the super steep climbs where you actually needed that tiny chainring in the front.  That surprisingly went well - really well, so that gave me hope that one day i can ride a mountain bike again without making a complete fool of myself.  Fingers crossed that "that day" comes by next Sunday, my first mountain bike race. uh-oh.

Here are a couple of photos of me in the backyard taken by Jonas last week, when i was optimistic.

US Cycling Report just published an interview of ME !!!

yippee!! Lately i have been doing more interviewing than being interviewed so this was a treat - and as always a real honor!

Check it out on uscyclingreport.com HERE!

Looking forward to hearing your comments!

I met former runner Miel Puttemans today

I have been sick the last few days which is always unnerving since it is rare that a bug gets me like this! But anyway, i have been taking it real easy the last days so i can recover quickly. part of my recovery protocol had me riding with the old mans ride today out of Kortenberg - the one where i met jonas millions of years ago it feels.

On that ride, Jonas pointed to some random guy dressed in Merckx clothing with a bike to match and said that he was Miel Puttemans, the famous belgian runner.  This guy has held the world record in most distances including and over 2000meters. He also won the silver medal in the 1972 olympics. 

Naturally i had to ride alongside him to tell him that i am a member of his facebook fan club. Based on his reaction i dont think he knew one existed.  About two hours later, he rode alongside me to chat.  Turns out he is super friendly!  He told me that he used to train and race with Steve Prefontaine.  He said that there were three of them who would often be well ahead of the others when they'd compete.  The third guy was probably the Olympic champion Lasse Viren, who is now better known in history for having introduced blood doping to athletics during the Munich games. He's in fact the guy who finished in front of Miel when he won his silver. Bummer that they werent tested like cyclists are nowadays.  If so, Miel would have been Olympic champion.


What i am certain of is that I couldnt imagine running half Miel's speed!  When i asked him if he still runs, he said that he's too old at 62 years. He added that anyone over 50 shouldnt run any longer. 

Six years ago he took up cycling and seems to be a natural at it!  I dont think the other guys on the old mans ride are as happy about it though, as he speeds up every hill before them. Even so, I personally am thrilled to have had the opportunity to meet someone of his caliber.  (Of course i also appreciate that i had the opportunity to meet many amazingly talented cyclists - too many to name!)

If you want to join Miel's fanclub to check out his photos, CLICK HERE.

The photo was taken by Geert Keyaerts. It is of Miel's trading cards - just like we have in cycling - too cool!

My First Week of "Off-Season"

Last Saturday was my last hard effort on the cross bike with a number pinned on my back.  It was at 3x World Champion Erwin Vervecken's retirement race party.  As it was more of a retirement than a real race, it felt really good to play on the bike without any pressure to ride hard. Watching Erwin hang the bike up for good was a tough moment for many of us who have admired him for a long time now.  For the full ten years i have raced cyclo-cross he has been one of the top guys in the sport.  Thankfully he is staying in the sport in some capacity.  His new job it with Golazo sports, setting up cyclocross and mountain bike events for them.

You can CLICK HERE to read it on CYCLOCROSS Magazine's website. Of course there are lots of photos too so you can feel like you were there. 

My first week of "off-season" has been busier than i would have thought.  I had all of one day to recover before starting for mountain bike season.  Today was my first day on the new (second-hand) mountain bike and it felt strange.  I think the last time i rode a mountain bike was six or seven years ago.  Jonas joined me on his road bike for this momentus occasion.  As i watched him soft-pedal alongside me, i realized how he must have felt all those times when I rode with him on my skinny-wheeled cross bike while he chugged along on his monster truck mountain bike. Big difference. 

Tomorrow we will join the Begijnendijk ride for the second time this week. we ride there and back too so it turns out to be about four hours on the bike - perfect for "base training" I suppose.  I gotta do something so i am not so out of shape for long rides when it comes time to do 400 mountainous kilometers in 4 days when we compete in the Tour of Cyprus later on in the month.  That ought to be an adventure!  I do look forward to riding with the sun warming my quads. I'll be the one with my sleeves and shorts hiked up real high to let the sun shine everywhere! Luckily i dont have to worry about sunburns thanks to Doc Martin's of Maui sun block which is sweatproof - and smells like pina colada to get me in the holiday mood!

And More post-season parties after Hasselt Indoor CX race

I finally finished my last hard effort on the cyclocross bike for the season.  It was at an "exhibition" indoor race in an arena in Hasselt, Belgium.  I never knew exhibitions could hurt so much! It was two days ago and i can still barely walk around normally from the pain in my legs. Part of it is from doing a somersault in the sand pit when i t-boned a gal who crashed right in front of me and the other part was maybe from all the running, jumping, etc...or from the extended post-race time of standing on my feet in celebration of the season's end.

You can read all about it HERE on the CYCLOCROSS Magazine website.  It is complete with photos.  You can also find additional photos on my facebook page for your amusement!

Tomorrow is the last time the Zannata cross bike goes out for a stroll.  I am taking it to the retirement race for 3x World Champion Erwin Vervecken.  A few of us racer chicks are on a heated discussion on facebook as to whether or not we will race it with skinsuits or do the cyclotourist thing.  I told jonas i will do what he does that way i dont have to decide. But maybe if all the gals go with one-pieces i may join in. Wanna come too?

Last International Race of the Season Complete...with PARTIES

Last Sunday was my last big "official" race of the season. It was GVA Trofee's Oostmalle event.  The course was lots of fun - very mountain bike-style, the crowds were incredible and the aprés-race parties a blast!!!

I wrote all about it on the CYCLOCROSS Magazine website that was just posted today. Click HERE to read it. There are also a million photos to see as well.

Tomorrow is my last big "unofficial" race. It is called Cyclo Cross Masters - an indoor cyclocross race. Even though it is not internationally ranked, i am fairly certain it will be the hardest! Only twelve gals were invited - and most of them ranked in the top ten internationally. But as for the course, I just saw a video of it and it's like no other!! Click HERE to see all the crazy jumping ramps, sand pits and stuff.

Photo of Jonas, my new official photographer, was taken by Marc Van Est, the one of me holding the incriminating evidence as well as the top photo the was taken by Francois Buyssens.  The last was by Dirk Verhelst.

Krawatencross and ECOPOP talk update on CYCLOCROSS Magazine

I finally got around to submitting my article to CYCLOCROSS Magazine on my action packed weekend. CLICK HERE to read all about it.

Oh, and my interview with Zdenek Stybar is published in the newest CYCLOCROSS Magazine.  Very good stuff!

And did i mention already that Jonas got a couple of new toys recently? the first is a fancy camera that takes awesome action shots. The other toy is the Garmin Edge 705 GPS bundle. He is super excited and has been playing with it all day long for the last week. We've even gone on a couple of downloaded rides already.

(photo of me by Dirk Verhelst, photo of jonas by Florent Bouchat)

This weekend was a week off from racing since Saturday's event was "too small" to support a womens event and Sunday's race was Superprestige which isnt particularly supportive of women - not yet.  Instead Jonas and I joined our friends Ronny (pro mtb racer), and Tony (who has a mtb that weighs only 7kg) for a mountain bike cyclotourist tour.  What a blast! They must have had at least 1000 riders show up to play in the snow and ice.  For a good part of the tour we didnt even have to pedal as we'd just slide along on the ice. 

On a side note, I ran into another cyclocross racer at the start - Nicole de Bie.  I finally got to find out how she went from crap to superstar all in one season. Turns out she and her husband bought a house and they'd been working day and night on it, making her exhausted and giving her no time to train. But now that the house is done she is on fire.  Maybe jonas and i need to do some major renovations on the house and time the project to end just before the next cross season begins.  

My last official races of the season are this weekend. It'll be a bitter sweet time. But thanks to the Erwin Bolt Uit event the following saturday I wont have too get too emotional over the season end.

Thanks for reading!

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.

A Few Spots Left in Tour of Cyprus 2010

Wanna join me???

Here is the info in CYCLOCROSS Magazine

Vardaros Looks Ahead to Tour of Cyprus

Here’s what regular Cyclocross Magazine contributor and World Cup cyclocross competitor Christine Vardaros will be doing once her season wraps up. She encourages any ‘crossers with a hankering for competition in warm weather to come out and join in on the fun.

Read the Press Release for the Tour of Cyprus below:

A Few Spots Left for Tour of Cyprus 2010

The 6th edition of “Tour of Cyprus 2010” to be held on March 25th through 28th has a few spots left in both their competitive and cylco-tourist tours. The ToC Stage Race offers amateurs the unique opportunity to race with the pros. It is also an important fundraiser for charities such as “Make a Wish” Foundation.

There are two groups to choose from:

Group A – elite/competitive riders. They will complete a tour of approximately 400 km with intermediate sprints. Three leaders jerseys of yellow, green and red will be awarded, in addition to top prizes.

Group B - amateur riders and cyclo-tourists. They will do the same routes but at a more relaxed untimed pace. They have the option to complete as many ToC stages as they wish. In addition, they can step into the follow vehicle at any time to rest and continue later whenever they choose.

Each stage takes riders through the beautiful landscape of the Republic of Cyprus, with sections of the stages climbing into the Troodos Massif and along a number of coastal routes. There are also sections of the Tour that include rides through major cities and picturesque villages. The entire ride will be fully-supported, including energy food, gels, drinks, clothing/luggage transport, mechanical support, security escort motorbikes, police escort and traffic management.

Tour of Cyprus offers all-inclusive packages for the event. Included are: housing, meals, feed stations, farewell party, service and mechanical support, medical support, event tee, event DVD. And the experiences and friendships you make are priceless.

Team and charity sponsorships possible. Last day for registrations to the Tour is January 31, 2010 For those wanting to raise money for the official ToC charities, “Make a Wish” Foundation and "SYKANA" Larnaca, there is the possibility of a “Free 3-nights extra” in Cyprus.

The temperature in Cyprus is expected to be about 70°F (22°C) at this time of year.

TO REGISTER before January 31, or for more information on the tour, visit http://www.tourofcyprus.com/.

You can also visit them on Facebook HERE.

The “Tour of Cyprus” (ToC), is a large scale international cyclosportive event in the Republic of Cyprus. ToC is a multi stage endurance event and is open to elite, amateurs and cyclo-sportive riders.

“Tour of Cyprus 2010” is aiming apart from local participations to encourage international cyclists to live their passion outside of their country and enable them to discover new horizons, in terms of both sport and culture.

The Week of the Yin-Yang

Actually i guess it would be the "weeks" of the Yin-Yang.  Since my last race a couple of weeks ago, i've bene working on balancing my life - equal work and play.  The problem is that my work and play is often the same. Sometimes writing seems like a job, other times it's a riot!  Same goes for bike stuff. Some workouts i just want to throw the bike off the proverbial cliff and others I never want to end. 

Lately I've been doing a bit more writing than usual which mostly felt like fun because i really enjoyed the topics - and the interviews.  I've gotten to write about some of my favorite cyclocross riders like Sven Nys, Tom Meeusen, Marianne Vos, Daphny Van den Brand, Sanne Van Paassen, Lars Boom, Gerben De Knegt, Bart Wellens.  And of course my off-the-cuff personal column on CYCLOCROSS Magazine (click on the names to read the articles.)  

As of this week, I am back up to a semi-normal training program that was once again halted due to an untimely rib break. I honestly dont know how World Champ Niels Albert can race so well only one week after breaking his rib. He is incredible.

As for the fun, Jonas and i actually went shoe shopping - something we've been meaning to do for a while now.  We went into about fifteen stores in search of that perfect pair of knee-high boots, or at least a pair that wasnt so wide it swallowed my teeny ankles and calves whole.  No luck, so that outing i guess was actually work, now that i think about it.

We've been watching more movies on tv which has been fun since most movies niether one of us has ever seen.  This really opens up our movie-watching options.  In belgium, on basic tv, you have at least six movies to choose from every night.  To further get into the movie-watching spirit, we got electric blankets at the local ALDI discount supermarket so we can watch TV in bed.  It goes on the bed under the fitted sheet and you turn it on about an hour before you get into bed so it's nice and toasty.  This is a magical experience for us since the heat is never on upstairs where the bedrooms are located.  So instead of my normal agony of sliding into a frozen bed that turns my back into a stiff wooden board, it's now like a sauna under the blanket. Now it's not uncommon for us to be in bed by 7pm for "movie night".

Tomorrow is offroad day.  Thanks to the warmer weathers hovering just above freezing, all the snow and ice has melted. I expect it will be a muddy day - yippee!  Actually today was a muddy day too!  When i got back from my morning workout of motorpacing, i was covered in spatters of mud from helmet to bootie.  I dont mind the mud but I could have been happy to skip the steady stream of salt-water that nailed my lips thanks to the immense amounts of salt they've used on the roads here for the ice.  The salt also did a number on the roads.  Belgian roads are not made for salt, so there are now a million more potholes scattered throughout the country.  Some i swear are as big as the ones in NYC where cars fall in and cant come out.

Photo is taken by Krist Vanmelle (thanks Krist!)

As always, thanks for reading!!!!!

Pétange, Tervuren, New Writing Gigs, Parties and Workouts (of course)

If you want to know what i've been up to at the last two races, CLICK HERE.  It will take you to my latest stories on CYCLOCROSS Magazine.

I also started writing for a new client, http://www.cyclingnews.com/ .

My first article was on Holland's Gerben De Knegt. Click HERE to read it.
My second article was on Belgium's Bart Wellens.  Click HERE to read it.

I also wrote CYCLOCROSS Magazine pre-Nationals exclusives on Belgium's Sven Nys and Holland's Lars Boom .  The Sven Nys one is HERE and the Lars Boom should be HERE shortly.

Scheduled for next week are a few more big cross names so keep your eyes on CYCLOCROSS Mag and cyclingnews.com.

As for the workouts, they are going a bit better.  The rib is healing nicely, eye infections are almost gone, pancake-sized bruises on the legs are fading and spirits are lifted.  Jonas has been especially helpful with that last one, keeping me entertained during the workouts. Thanks to the neverending rain that's keeping the roads covered with a shiny layer of ice, all my rides lately have been indoors.  Most trainer workouts jonas has been riding side by side with me on the trainer while we play the music real loud and sing offkey at the top of our lungs - when i'm not burying myself in intervals, of course.  He even joins me on the snow runs.  The last run yesterday we chased each other a bit, had an impromptu dance contest while skipping to the beat of different iPod tunes, and made shapes in the snow with footprints. Two of Jonas' shapes was a heart and a rabbit while two of mine were a dinosaur and a drill.

Tomorrow is Belgian Championships so i have the day off. I really like racing in this kind of weather so i'm a little bummed but that's how it goes.  I'm probably better off so i can have a few more days of non-racing to let the body rebuild - or whatever it needs to do. My next race is January 13 in Surhuisterveen, Holland.

Thanks for reading - AND for all your kind words of support!!!

Zolder World Cup and GVA Trofee's Azencross report online at CYCLOCROSS Mag

Click HERE for the link to the article. 

Tomorrow is my last of 6 races in 16 days and thankfully it is one on home turf. It's about 8km from here - Fidea's Tervuren Cyclocross.  After that, i have a full TEN days before the next one.

Thanks for reading!