Belgium 2005, entry 4

Usually the day after a race my mind contains two topics of thought: the things I did good in the race and the things I did bad in the race. Today, the day after the Oostrozebeke Kermis, I can only think of one thing: How did I lose to an obese man on a bicycle? Yeah, I did some things good yesterday and some things bad, but how did a man, who could easily lose 40 pounds, beat me? Well, the answer is quite simple but I'm still frustrated by it. He was smarter than me. There, I said it. He was smarter than me. Yesterday I learned another important lesson of racing in Belgium. Let me break it down for you.

I saw this guy early in the race and really didn't care to much about him. He probably won't even finish, I thought to myself. He ended up making the first split which I didn't know at the time. He eventually was dropped from the lead group and as my group approached him, I though he was out of the race. When he joined our group I figured that we would drop him too. Wrong again. He sat on the back of our 12 man group for about 45 minutes. At this point I thought that he was barely hanging on and paid no attention to him. When the official called one lap to go for our group he was the least of my worries. As we continued on our final lap, I saw out of the corner of my eye this large man passing me on the far left. I picked up my speed but couldn't close the gap. Where was he getting this strength? Then it dawned on me: he had out smarted everyone there. One other guy went with him and they quickly opened a gap of around 200 meters. No one really wanted to chase, and my jaw was basically on my top tube (partly because of exhaustion, but more because of astonishment). We finished the lap and I sprinted for a top 20. My best race yet, even though I didn't finish the full distance. The moral of the story: don't judge a book by its cover, something I should have learned in kindergarten. More specifically: don't judge a Belgian by his looks, he may just be a sneaky fat man who can kick some young American's ass! -VR

Belgium 2005, entry 3

Well, I was closer than the last time. Baby steps, I keep telling myself. I guess moving slow in the right direction is better than not progressing at all. I lasted a little over 2 hours in the Kortemark Kermis, before the officials ended our small splinter group. I feel that I raced very smart and stayed out of the wind quite a bit. I was always thinking about where the wind was coming from and how much I was eating and drinking. I was using less energy in sprints out of the corners by staying closer to the bike ahead of me and also by using a slightly smaller gear. I think I really did race with a lot of brains. But where was my brawn? Everything in life requires balance, and kermis racing is no exception. I could race extremely smart everyday and fail to finish just because I didn't take that one chance that would put me up the road. I'm still trying to find that balance: Brains vs. Brawn.

In other news, I'm getting a new bike! Not entirely because I want one, but more because I need one in order to get a proper fit. I went to Frans Vanmarcke, the bike fit specialist, and left his house with quite a problem. After a couple hours of measuring my body and computing the proper sizes for my bike, he began to measure the tubes and angles of my current setup. I knew something was very wrong by the face he made after measuring my seat tube. Apparently my seat tube is 5cm too short, which is too big of a length to fix with a different seatpost, saddle, and stem. The measurements he computed for the proper frame for my body would be almost impossible to find in a frame without getting it custom made. I should, however, be able to find something very close. He said that there was no way to give me a good fit on the frame I had; the interesting fact is that my top tube length was perfect! It just goes to show that top tube length is not the only thing to look at in choosing a frame. So now I am getting a Granville, which will be much better for my body size. I can't wait to get it all set up with a perfect position by the same man who fit Eddy and Axel Merckx, Nico Mattan, Tom Steels, and many other Belgian Stars! -VR

Belgium 2005, entry 2

My stay here at the Cycling Center revolves simply around learning. I have said to many people at home that I am going to Belgium to learn and grow as a bike racer, not to win races. Throughout these first 2 weeks I have learned so much about training and racing in Belgium. I give you the list of essentials: get in a routine, stretch a lot, bring a map on training rides, avoid large towns on training rides, when you carry a rain cape it doesn't rain (so far), get to the start line early, fight for a good start position, the pace doesn't let up, watch the fast Belgians, race smart, race smart, race smart, eat, drink, eat, You can always ride harder (-BA), return your #, get 5 euros, go out and train for another 3 hours.

Obvious fact: the racing here is different than in the US. Therefore, I cannot race here like I do in the US and expect to good. If I want to do good in a local race back home, I race very aggressive and stay in the top 5 positions. In Belgium that is stupid racing. I have done two Kermis' and have failed to finish both. In order to finish a race here, I need to stay out of the wind as much as possible, race hard yet conservative, and be constantly thinking. I am still learning what racing smart in Belgium really means and hopefully I will catch on soon. I have a chance to put some of this new knowledge to use in a kermis this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for reading, VR.

Belgium 2005, entry 1

If you clicked on “Vince Roberge,” then you are are at the right spot. I should probably start this dairy with a quick introduction. I don't exactly know how many people will be reading this, but I would guess most of them will know me. For you strangers out there who are just surfing around, my name is Vince Roberge and I'm from Redford, Michigan, which is just outside Detroit. I have been racing my bike for 4 years now and I am 18 years old. I feel like I am one of the luckiest guys here at the Cycling Center because of the opportunity I have to learn and race in Belgium at such a young age. I truly love this sport and am thankful to be at the center of it all here in Europe. I have thank Bernard, Ann, and all of the CC staff for giving me this great opportunity.

Now on to Week 1. I would really like to make my diary unique and fun to read, so I will be doing a lot of lists. Since my entire stay at the Cycling Center revolves around learning, I have decided to title my diary with 3 letters: T.I.L. (Things I Learned) So here we go.

Get in a routine

Stretch a lot

Bring a map on training rides

Avoid large towns on training rides

When you carry a rain cape it doesn't rain (so far)

Get to the start line early

Fight for a good start position

The pace doesn't let up

Watch the fast Belgians

Race smart. Race smart. Race smart.

Eat, drink, eat

"You can always ride harder!", B.A.

Return your #, get 5 euros

Go out and train for another 3 hours.

Thanks for reading. Until next week.

Vince