Jersey Auction for 7-yr old kid

There is an Ebay auction of top CX stars' signed jerseys for a physically challenged 7 yr old boy so he can have a special bike and know what it feels like to ride like the wind like we all do!!! 

Want to help him to know the feeling you get every time you get on your bike?

Help to get him out riding!

Check it out and bid! Jerseys of ME, Margriet Kloppenburg, Gabby Day Helen Wyman Sanne Cant Marianne Vos Daphny van den Brand, Jonathan Page Christine Vardaros Sven Nys, Zdeněk Štybar Niels Albert and many more!

Go and Bid NOW! CLICK HERE TO START

Thanks in advance for  your help!!!!

TOUR OF CYPRUS - are YOU ready for the challenge???

Want to kickstart your season? Or get perfect preparation for an upcoming Gran Fondo event?  Then this is the perfect workout experience!!

I did this two years ago.  The memories i have from it will last forever which is why i am telling you about it!

It is a three-day stage ride/race from Friday through Sunday, March 23-25, 2012
Day 1 - 80km
Day 2 - 120km
Day 3 - 115km
Click HERE for the maps/charts

They offer two groups to join:

1. Cycling for glory - with timed sections where you can challenge yourself against the clock, claim the win of the day or even win the coveted leader's jersey
Each day, a timed section of about 20km or so is scheduled in the middle of the 80-120km ride.

2. Cycling for personal glory - same routes as the other group but no timed sections.

There are feed zones along the way with standard staples like bananas, etc but they also include exotic snacks that you'll want to stuff yourself with!

You can also extend your visit to make it a long holiday - contact organizer for help with this.

At the moment, flights are cheap to Cyprus so book NOW!!

Click HERE for Registration
Click HERE for more info

Christmas Period Racing = Overloaded, yet undercharged

GVA Baal by Luc van der Meiren

The last weeks were the toughest of the season for me. I had timed my fitness so i would kick ass during the Christmas period of racing  - even went to Spain a couple weeks previous for 10 days to get in the hard trainings.  But the outcome was not to be the way i had planned it in my head.

Usually it wouldn't be especially difficult for me to have done those 7 races in two weeks (or 9 races in three weeks) as i recover quickly from hard efforts but i unfortunately entered this race period with a bladder infection.  I tried to first treat it homeopathically for a few days with cranberry pills, lots of water, garlic, etc but only found out on the morning of Namen World Cup that my attempt had failed miserably. Not only had i missed out on sleep for a whole week from drinking an overload of water and having to pee every ten minutes through the night, but I 'woke up' that morning of the World Cup with a very strong pain in my kidney. Bugger!  Now i had the infection in both bladder and kidney.

Namen World Cup

And if i didnt feel like crap enough, on the drive to Namen, while the other racers were downing their pre-race meals and drinks, i was sipping at a nasty-tasting super strong antibiotic drink.  Needless to say, the race was a disaster.

Just after i crossed the finish line having only beaten a handful of gals, I was greeted by the sweetest group of folks who patiently waited there for me to arrive.  Their enthusiasm was so infectious (no pun intended) that for a moment i thought that maybe i had done better than I thought.  But alas, they were simply there to offer a bit of comfort to me on a very trying day. I got warm comments like, "Way to finish", "You looked great on the descents".  On top of that, my press and media friends jumped in to take photos and even grab an inteview of me.  I felt like a rockstar, a very sick one but nonetheless special. THANKS TO YOU ALL!!!!  I held it together until i got back to the "Peanut" van before i broke into tears.

Essen by Johan Pelgrims

With only four days of semi-rest till the next race i didnt expect much, and i got exactly what i expected. I was 15th but on a course like that i should have been better if health were on my side. I knew things were amiss when on the first long climb almost the whole peloton passed me at twice the speed.

Three days later was yet another World Cup in Zolder, BE - on a Formula 1 track actually.  Last year i cracked my pelvis on the track on an ice patch so with that in mind combined with my neverending recovery from the kidney infection, my expectations were not too high.  Again, even though the course suited me, the best i could manage was 29th.

Two days later i was back at it at GVA Trofee Azencross (Loenhout). This course is never a good one for me and that day it was no different from the years previous. I finished in 19th and put the experience out of my mind.

Essen by Dirk Bruylant

By this point, I was feeling pretty tired but a bit more recovered from the hit my body took from the infection.  I had one day of recovery before the next event so I used it to check out the upcoming course as it was nearby in Leuven. I was joined by some friends to help me with line choices, etc.  Our party on wheels included of course Jonas, Jo Croonenberghs, fellow vegan Frans Claes, and Jimmy Eecloo.    

The next morning after a night of heavy rain, the Fidea Leuven course was completely different. It was still fun to play in the mud the day previous though.  As for the race, it was a real mudfest.  My start was for the first time in a while not so disastrous. During the race i passed a couple of people and finished 12th.  It was a solid race and even more importantly a good feeling that my fitness is still there and confirmation that i am indeed almost recovered from the tool that infection took on me. 

Zolder by Krist Vanmelle

Again, with only one day of rest, I was at the venue of the last race of the Christmas period - GVA Trofee Baal (Sven Nys).  To celebrate a tough period for us, Jonas and I prepared a bunch of Gluhwein and candy to give to all our friends/supporters/fellow racers.  As we ended up parking 300 meters from the venue, almost nobody saw us to celebrate. Oh well, after the race we celebrated ourselves with a bit of gluhwein and a couple pieces of candy - our consolation party as we were in bed by 10pm the night before - New Year's Eve.

As for the race, again i had a decent start and again i passed a couple of riders to come in 14th. What thrilled me about this race was that for the first time this season i saw riders that i normally never see like Reza Hormes-Ravenstijn, Arenda Grimberg and even sprinted for 13th with Ellen van Loy. I cant say i felt like a superhero by any means, but it surely gave me hope for the rest of the season.  The course was also a good one for me i must admit as it was technical and riddled with heavy mud - something that suits me more than the road-race on cross bikes style.

Namen by Patricia Cristens

With another week until my next race (Liévin World Cup-FR), i took a few days to rest and am now back onto interval/power training and feeling optimistic.

I know i've said it before but i feel like i cannot say it enough - I want to thank you all for your unwavering support!! It really makes the racing experience so much more managable on the bad days and memorable every day - a feeling that I am not alone at the start line but with my extended family of sorts!!  It really means the world to me!!

GVA Baal by Filip François

Thanks Jonas (aka CakePie) for being the best husband ever, thanks to Jurgen Landrie, Sofie Piens, and Ernst van Looveren for being the best crew support, all my facebook/twitter/email friends, Jonas' and my families, all my excellent sponsors like BABOCO, STEVENS, 3T, ProBar, Challenge Tires, Mt Tam Bikes, and BikePure, and of course to all my friends and supporters who stand on the sidelines at the races to cheer their hearts out for me and to take such gorgeous photos of me; i hear - and sometimes see - you all!!!!!



Busy...busy...busy

I am just back from GVA Essen - our first real mud race of the season! I finished 13th - again, i suppose its not so bad considering yet another lackluster start. must work on this somehow...
Anyway, since i have to get ready for the Namen World Cup tomorrow BUT wanted to update you on what i've been up to the last weeks, i figured it's easiest to give you a link to my CYCLOCROSS Magazine update online that was just published yesterday. Hope the stories help you to feel you've "been in the basket" through all my adventures including my mid-season trip to southern spain! Here is the LINK.

What wasnt included in the article is a link to the article i just wrote about Orange Babies Cycling Team - a pro cross team that promotes a non-profit (helps pregnant African HIV+ mothers and their babies). Here is the LINK.

And here is another link to the Het Nieuwsblad photo gallery give you an idea what our first muddy race of the season was like. if you look at the photos in the mid-30's you'll see my big head! CLICK HERE.

Guest appearance in UK Magazine - The Vegetarian

In the UK Magazine The Vegetarian, I got to write about some of the common myths of a vegan diet - always a fun topic for me!
It was published over the summer. The face shot was taken by Russ Wright and the larger one was by Krist Vanmelle - just in case you cant read the photo credits.
If you want to read the whole thing, let me know.
Thanks!

As for my racing, it is finally going a bit better the last two races. I got 15th in Superprestige Hamme-Zogge and 14th in Superprestige Gavere. 

This weekend is Koksijde World Cup then the next day Jonas and i are off to Spain for some mid-season training. I have never done a mid-season training camp so i am really super mega excited! maybe i will even get some color in my pasty white legs.

Highlights of the last two months

My journal was just published on CYCLOCROSS Magazine. Enjoy!

My STEVENS bike is FAMOUS

CYCLOCROSS Magazine just featured it in their "Pro Bike Profile" category. CLICK HERE to check it out.

Sleepy-eyed
by Willem Beerland

As for the racing, last weekend I was on the starting line yet again for the Superprestige Ruddervoorde event. It was a chilly rainy day so i was fairly excited about the conditions after last weekend's disaster in the heat.  I was also excited to race an actual technical course - the harder the better for me it seems.
But much to my disappointment, I awoke that morning with debilitating middle back pain.  It was a constant pain that jumped a few levels every time i took a deep breath - like when trying to ride a bike. Tears immediately filled my eyes. 
I didnt figure out what it was from until Jonas and i were already at the race site 1.5 hours from home. It was from a burn in my throat that happened a couple of years ago when i drank an oversized bottle of SOBE energy drink thinking it was coconut milk. Who would have thought that milk and cream would be in that bright white energy drink. Energy and milk never went together in my mind.

not a good time to
fall asleep
-by Willem Beerland

Anyway, after mini camera crews and biopsy equipment were guided down my throat, it was discovered that the milk indeed left a burn mark on my throat and stomach. unreal.  Well, they do say that milk is toxic and since i hadnt had any in over 15 years i guess my insides were not well prepared for it and i paid dearly.  The burn seems to flare up every eight months or so.
So again in my race, i had one speed which fell just under the knife stabbing pain level - and only good for a finish in the high teens. bugger.  It is amusing to see the photos of myself from the race - in half of them my eyes are closed.  I took a handful of heavy duty painkillers (all legal according to doping control) to see if that would do something - it did almost nothing for the pain but it did put me in a dreamlike state.  Again i heard so many cheers for me - all of which strangely sounded like they were yelled in slow motion. And the faces in the crowd periodically came clear but then in a flash they were gone.  This is why i never even tried pot - i really dont like the feeling of being out of control!

Sleeping on the job
by Marc van Est

Good news is that the doctor put me on some pill i take for a month. Afterwards, theoretically the burn should be completely healed so this event will not be repeated. As of now, the pain is still there but thankfully not nearly as strong.
Friday we leave for Czech Republic for the first two rounds of the World Cup series. Fingers crossed i can ROCK IT!!

Cooking Demonstration NOW on Sidebar of Blog

If you look to the left of my blog ( christinevardaros.blogspot.com ) you will see my cooking demonstration that was recently on tv. it is also with my friend and fellow vegan Tonya Kay. I didnt expect they would make my mini cooking demonstration a "stand-alone" show so it is a little informal - oops. Anyway, i make these when i run out of PROBARs. If you dont know what a PROBAR is, you can see them on the counter while i put together my homemade version.

Kalmthout in a Heatwave

by Brecht Toelen

Last year this course was lined with ice covered in a blanket of snow. But this year the event was held under not just warm sunny skies but held in a full-on heatwave - yes, a Belgian heatwave in October. Completely unheard of.  Usually the heat doesnt bother me too much - i can still function fine. But when it messes with my breathing that is when i go from my peanut version of a superhero to roadkill. Unfortunately this time around i was roadkill.
Within a minute's time, my mouth and throat was unbearably dry and my throat started to close as if it were responding to an allergy of sorts.  It felt like someone shoved a bucket of dusty dirt in my mouth and down my throat. 
From many years of experience, i knew i had two options under these conditions. I can either push above my very real limit and be run off to the hospital if i made it that far, or i could ride just below that limit and have a mediocre result but live to tell about it. I opted for the latter.
It was something i struggled with the whole race though as my legs wanted to ride full out - as did my will. 

by Luc Van der Meiren

You'd think i'd feel a bit sorry for myself but i felt nothing really. What i did feel was a bit stupid that i had let down so many supporters around the course. That broke my heart. I had so many cheers that it was almost a constant string of  "kom on christine" or "allez peanut" throughout the whole race!
With nothing to do about it, i just forged ahead and hoped for a miracle. While that never materialized the way i hoped for, i was able to at least pass a few riders before the end - finishing in 17th.
Just after i crossed the line, my part 2 of the day began...as a journalist covering the race for CYCLOCROSS Magazine. So immediately i rode up to Belgium's superstar Sanne Cant and did an interview - dusty throat and face and all. And i did it in Dutch nonetheless which surprised me considering i was a bit lightheaded from lack of oxygen the last 45 minutes. Luckily she was easy to understand - and remember for when i was back in the press room twenty minutes later.
Directly after my race i did the trainer for ten minutes, a bucket bath for three, changed into my tiniest clothing and sprinted to the press room to catch the start of the mens race on tv. After watching most of the race, i sprinted back out just before their finish so i could catch them for post-race interviews.

Official Christine Vardaros Supporter
jackets courtesy of Marc and Tai Van Est

The first guy i tried to interview didnt work out so well. it was Frenchman Francis Mourey. Either he didnt feel like speaking a couple of words in english or he knows absolutely none. And after spending a season on a French team, i did learn some french but the moment i left the team all my words were somehow lost. Strange how that happens. Oh well. After collecting a few interviews - only one in dutch, the rest in english (i was getting tired), i headed back to the press room to finish the job.

how i looked when i saw the jackets-
photos courtesy of Danny Zelck

On a side note, i must say that the highlight of the day happened in the pre-ride when i spotted a couple of my supporters sporting a special "Supporter Christine Vardaros" jacket. wow, that blew me away. I always thought that would be the COOLEST to have supporters like that - a real genuine Belgian thing.  For the first time i felt like i made it, like i belonged both in the races and in Belgium - no matter my result (thankfully considering lately they have not been so steady). Thanks Marc and Tai!
The next event is this Sunday at Superprestige Ruddervoorde. The weather is supposed to cool down a bit so i look forward to it, although i am not quite ready for ice and snow.
Thanks for reading!

I'm in Het Nieuwsblad !!!

photo by Danny Zelck

Yesterday an interview of me was published in Het Nieuwsblad. That was super exciting! It was placed on the same page as the feature article on Niels Albert.

For those of you who dont read Dutch, it basically says that i've been vegan for many years and that when i saw all the positive benefits of being a vegetarian i took the next step to veganism. Then the benefits of a vegan diet such as quick recovery and almost never sick were listed, and that everyone can benefit from eating less meat.  In addition, it mentions that i am a journalist and a spokesperson for animal rights. Lastly, they quoted me saying that it was a dream to live in belgium because it is the center of cross and the public is really great!

On another note, i was just invited this mornning to race Kalmthout this  Sunday - yippee! And look for my articles  on the races (both race coverage and personal report) on CYCLOCROSS Magazine.

Oh, and almost forgot to mention that i spontaneously hacked at my hair today. It is now at least 5" shorter - in most places...I must admit that was a few inches shorter than intended.

Tour of Belgium: Neerpelt and Team Presentation in one day

by Danny Zelck

And what a long day it was!
First was the Neerpelt UCI race - the international season opener for those of us based in the Benelux (Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg) region.  Going into the race, i really had no idea what to expect but helping my morale was the course. If all else fails, i was going to enjoy myself! it was a very heavy course with much of the first half through the woods on pine needle trails. The second half was nonstop short steep hills - some of which were barely rideable and others that were runups - mainly all on sandy terrain.
My start was about average - nothing special. Others were not so lucky - like Hollander Reza Hormes Ravenstijn. She was caught behind a woman in an upside down position, bike perfectly upside down above her. For the first handful of minutes i felt like a rockstar but then i started to fade - maybe is was all the adrenaline from the start wearing off? For those moments of sleepiness, i was passed by a handful of folks - nothing i could do but try to keep up a minimum speed to stay somewhat in contact.

by Luc van der Meiren

Thankfully, my full senses came back in the second to last lap! It was like a turbo shot and i was back to normal speed. I managed to pass a couple of riders but the last one got away. I nipped at her heels for the full final lap, unable to find a spot to safely pass. She is one of the more agressive riders who has no problem elbowing you off the course so after a few tries that ended up almost disastrously i was relegated to finish just behind her in 13th position.
It may not be a victory but i had a good feeling from it - and i learned a lot, mostly what NOT to do in a race. If i had a penny for every lesson learned though...

Trying to get past - by Lucien Duquesnes

After the race, we did yet another 200km of driving to the little town of Aalter on the other side of Belgium for the team presentation. I showed up naturally with wet hair after my post-race shower - yet another lesson learned. When having photos taken that will be on trading cards for a full season, take a bit more care about what you look like. haha.
I was kinda dreading it because you never know what sort of questions you'll get while standing on the stage with a microphone to you lips. But they were mainly ok - nothing i couldnt handle.

by Dirk Bruylant

The MC guy named Chris is actually the tv personality for the Superprestige races on channel VT4. I must admit that i did feel a little uncomfortable during one of the questions when he said "Now that Superprestige is allowing women to race at some of their events, does this make you happy?" Happy? No, it makes me laugh. They were forced by the UCI to take a womens race at their Category 1 events. They had no choice. Anyway, i went on and on and on for many minutes with my speech on the inequality of women in cyclocross - especially superprestige. After a while i remembered that he represents the Superprestige and i added a "sorry about that". Was i sorry? not really. But i did feel bad that he probably had no idea what is really going on behind the scenes. 

Overall it was a great day - during the race i got to see soooooo many friendly faces it was unbelievable. And the cheers i got were tremendous. I will never forget that last lap when i was trying to get around Nancy Bober, a belgian rider. The cheers for me were so overwhelming i almost felt bad for Nancy - but not bad enough not to try still to get around her! I have to add that it was very kind for all the spectators of our race to stick around that late as we raced after the men for the first time!

And in the evening, i was very happy to see yet another handful of friendly faces show up to see our team presentation. That really meant a lot to me!

Normally this sunday is my next race in Kalmthout but it is not yet certain if i am invited. No invitation yet and it is already Thursday. Fingers crossed that last minute email comes through.

SEE sidebar of my blog for video of TV show

by Patricia Cristens

Wow, i dont know how i managed to do technical computer stuff but i got the video of my tv appearance last week on the sidebar of my blog. YIPPEE! Please check it out and let me know what you think. it was a very warm day when it was filmed so please excuse my shiny nose!

After my mini cooking demonstration is aired today, i will keep an eye out for the video version so i can post that on my blog as well.

Add caption

As for my third race of the season yesterday, it was a really positive experience. My final position was 5th but the real good news is that it was on my new STEVENS bike. Wow, what a huge difference from the bike i was on the last two years. For the last couple of years, i was always afraid of taking turns at speed for fear of hitting the ground but the new bike handles like how i would expect of a machine made for cyclocross. I am very pleased. As you can imagine, the race was a sort of experimentation for me. Every few minutes, i would gather the courage to take a turn or a technical section at a higher pace and it worked every time. it will take me a few more rides before i know my limits and become fully effective on the bike, but yesterday was a "tears of joy" moment for me.

by Patricia Cristens

And the TRP CX8.4's actually slowed the bike down - a new experience for me. By the last lap i started to figure out how to use them to my advantage by swinging the rear wheel around into turns to line the bike up for the next section. My tires were the usual Challenge Grifo but this time around i actually felt the side grips in action. Before i was too afraid to lean the bike enough to engage them. I actually felt like a technical rider for the first time in a while - a very strange but exhilarating feeling for me! 

My new Ergoterra handlebar was also something new for me. I didnt hit my bar once with my long limbs - a first for me. and when sprinting in the drops i felt like i could actually manhandle the bike better.

No matter my results in the next races or even for the whole season, I know that at least i am on a top machine. And if i am slow in some of the races, then I can take all the credit. haha.

New Bikes & Another appearance on TV

two down...one to go!

This has been a very hectic week for me and Jonas. Directly after my race on Sunday, we headed over to Hamburg, Germany to pick up the BABOCO team bikes from STEVENS. It was over six hours in the car. Worse yet, it rained most of the drive there!

sticker thanks to Christophe Podevin

By the next evening, we were on our way home. With only a handful of hours sleep, we headed back out in the morning to Baboco team manager Steven's house to drop off the goods. By evening, I was wiped.

My favorite Challenge tires with my fav TRP's

It has taken quite a few days to normalize from that stressful trip but i am almost there!  It probably didnt help to continue to stay crazy busy all week with putting the bikes together, working out part compatability issues, get my workouts in - all while catching up on many other projects i'm taking on. I always thought of myself as multitasking queen but i am now realizing i really suck at it!
As for the bikes, they are gorgeous. With Jonas' help, two of the three bikes are ready to go!

Stickers courtesy of Ludwig de Troyer

You'll see a full bike review of my gorgeous machines on CYCLOCROSS Magazine shortly.  And to check out my latest column as well as reviews on all the newest greatest cyclocross parts, race gossip and event coverage, you can subscribe to an online subscription HERE.

As for my next TV appearance, here is the info:
"Recipes for Athletic Excellence with Cyclocross Champion Christine Vardaros & Award-winning Actress Tonya Kay" is airing on Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living on Monday, September 19, 2011. Airing Time: 5:30am. 11:30am, 5:30pm - CA time.
Here is the link to see it on internet: http://suprememastertv.com/webtv/

First Cyclo-Cross Race under the Belt

by Romina Tierlinck

by Romina Teirlinck

Well, it didnt go as wildly wrong as it did in my imagination the days leading up to the race. In fact it was almost pleasant - i say almost because sunny skies with 30°C temps and strenuous efforts don't really play well. It was a strange feeling to have cotton mouth within thirty seconds of the start of a cyclocross race, especially one in Belgium. Thankfully the temps qualified for bottle feeds, but by the time i made it to the pits my mouth was so dry i was afraid that the watered-down energy drink that Jonas especially made for this weather was going to be too thick. Good thing i trusted him as it went down very well.

Although delerious from the heat by the end, I ended up 2nd. I must admit it felt great to stand on a podium again...and to be joined by two strong gals whom i admire. I was also pleased with my general sensations on the bike. I am clearly not with any real form yet but this event gave me hope that i can have some decent fitness in a month from now for the first two World Cup events in Czech Republic.

by Robert Goedgezelschap

Thanks to all of you who continue to believe in me and a special thanks to those who made it to the race to cheer me on! I felt like a rockstar, albeit a sweaty soggy one!

by Patricia Cristens

First CX Race - present but not ready

Tomorrow i race my first cyclocross event of the season. It is a low-key race  - in fact it is so low key that the organizers can't bother to list the word "women" on their program even though i am sure they like when we show up. But this is Belgium - a reminder that i am no longer in the USA where women racers are given a lot of respect.

Here instead they have a handful of women-dedicated supporters (those who come out specifically to cheer for women or come out early to the races to catch the women take off just before the elite men). There are also a couple of race organizers here who find women worth highlighting.   We females are forever grateful to their support!! And their support seems to be spreading to others who are now taking interest in female racing which of course helps the sport to grow faster.

Oops. I am off the topic. Yes, tomorrow is my first crosss race. Thankfully it is purely just for training as I am not especially ready for the speeds just yet considering i started training again on the bike about a month ago.  I also have not received my new STEVENS bikes yet - they come next week, so i will be racing on my heavy bike from last season. But heavy legs, heavy bike and all, i will be there at the start with my typical goofy smile in place, happy to see all those friendly faces who come out to cheer for me!

Thanks for reading!