Belgium 2005, entry 7

Yesterday I raced a UCI in Reningelst, which is a small town near Ieper. The race was very similar to a kermis in that it was held on a circuit and had many turns and narrow roads. We were to do one lap of 10km and then ten laps of 16km. Many notable teams were present including Beveren 2000 (Quickstep's amateur team), Cerdi, and VC Roubaix. The USA U23 National Team also had guys there. After about 45 minutes a break had formed and the peleton would spend the next 3 hours slowly closing the gap, with many attacks in between in attempt to bridge. The leaders never had more than 2 minutes on the peleton, which proves that the pace was very fast.

I had some trouble staying near the front in the early part of the race. It took me a few laps to learn the roads and wind and to figure out he best places to make a move to the front. I once hopped on the sidewalk when the pace let up and sprinted all the way to the front just before coming back on the road to make the turn onto the narrowest road of the race. I was the first through the turn! It is much easier and safer to be in the front, especially in a race like this. The accelerations out of the corners are much slighter when you are in the first 20 through the corner. It sound so easy: stay at the front, but within a lap of me being in first position I was back in mid-pack, which in this case was around 80^th. Getting to the front is one thing ...staying at the front is a whole different ballgame. There are times in the race when all you can do is hold on to the wheel in front of you and pray that no one opens a gap. Actually there were many of these times in yesterday's race. One section in particular seemed to open up gaps on every lap (another reason to be at the front). After about 3 hours of racing, a gap opened up a few places ahead of me and no one could close it down. Everyone was single file and suffering very badly. Many guys called it a day and quit the race when they couldn't get back to the peleton. I was in a group of 12 guys that were not yet ready to give up. We worked very hard for almost a full lap and eventually got back to the peleton. I knew at that moment I needed to get to the front because in the next hard section the race would be ripped to shreds. I moved up to the middle and could feel that the end was near for me. I had pushed my body very hard and dug very deep to get back to the peleton. On the next hill I slowly drifted to the back as my heart rate went through the roof. This was the end. I gave it one last shot on the downhill but the gap continued to open. 3.5 hours and I was done. Very close considering the winning time was 4 hours and 3 minutes.

There is a huge mental aspect of racing in Belgium that I am starting to learn and adopt. The best advice that I have ever received about racing in Belgium is that 'You can always ride harder!' This statement is very true. There are moments when the race is single file and there are 150 guys riding in the gutter and you're mind is telling your body to stop. I am learning that you can tell your body to go that little bit further. You can block that signal that is telling your body to stop. You can embrace the pain. You can always go that little bit further. And I'm getting better at doing that. I can remember 3 specific times yesterday when I shut my mind off and just went that little bit harder and it kept me in the race much longer. I know that I am strong enough to finish these races and my cleverness during races is improving too. I am continuing to learn in every race I do. My next shot is a UCI in France tomorrow. Wish me luck. VR

Belgium 2005, entry 6

I always thought that racing over cobblestones would be fun, exhilarating, and much smoother. I imagined the history and the tradition of the cobbled roads of Flanders and how awesome it would be to race over some of the same sections that are in The Classics. After a few races that incorporated cobblestone sections, I can officially say that there is nothing fun about racing over those wicked stones. Don't get me wrong, I still like racing on cobbles and want them to be part of the courses, but they are truly a pain in the ass, back, hands, wrist, arms, neck, fingers, knees, and just about every other part of your body.

I did a kermis that was held on a 5km circuit which included a 400 meter section of relatively smooth cobbles. The race was 25 laps long so the 12 guys who finished raced over 10km of cobbles! There is no such thing as smooth cobbles though. When I say relatively smooth I mean that at least one of your tires is in contact with the ground at any given moment or that the stones are close enough together that your tires won't get wedged in the crack. It is very true that a race in Belgium goes the hardest in the hardest sections, which means that cobbles are hell on a bike during a race. You're in pain simply because of the speed of the race but also because of the rattling and jarring of your intestines, brain, and bones while you maneuver the stones. It seems like every part of your body hurts over these sections. You may think that the pavement is sweet relief after the cobbles but it sometimes is worse because of the gaps that opened on the stones which need to be closed. Many a time the outcome of a race is determined on these historic stones. They tear races to shreds and blister your hands (seriously, they do).

In no way do I think that I am a master of racing over cobbles, but I have learned a thing or two about getting over them as quickly and easily as possible. It is very important how you place your weight, especially on a cobbled climb. I found that sitting on the front of the saddle with my hands on the tops works pretty well. I try to keep a very tight grip with my hands but at the same time keep my arms very loose to absorb shock. Pushing a big gear works much better than trying to spin. If you try to spin over cobbles you'll probably either get dropped or fall off your bike. As I grind a gear over the cobbles I try to think about my pedal stroke and use my up-stoke much more. I think it helps in stabilizing the core. Having a strong core is very important for racing over cobbles. You can tell who does and doesn't do core workouts every morning by watching people's upper body as they pedal over cobbles. Pacing longer sections of cobbles, like a smooth mountain climb, is important too. I have seen guys go too hard in the beginning of the section and then blow up and get dropped like a bag of rocks. The key to riding fast over cobbles, and I'm still working on it, is going steady, hard, and smooth.

I will never complain about rough roads in Michigan again. And I will laugh when I hear people complain about dangerous corners. I have done races here with a mini section of cobbles right through the corner! Oh, and I hope I never hear anyone ever refer to a road of laid bricks as cobbles... Not even close! In Belgium, cobblestones are the epitome of pain and I love 'em.

Happy Riding. VR

Belgium 2005, entry 5

I think of myself as a fairly flexible guy, but there is something about a solid daily routine that is so comforting, especially for an aspiring professional athlete. Although there is no day that is exactly the same as the last, much of the daily routine here at the Cycling Center stays the same. I'll now give you a brief summary of what a training day at the CC for Vince Roberge is actually like.

I wake up daily at 7:30 and take my morning measurements which include heart rate, weight, temperature, blood pressure, and morning feeling. I then go out for and hour on the bike before enjoying my cup of coffee and bowl of oatmeal. After breakfast I head over to the sun room where I do my morning stretching and core workouts. Usually I check my e-mail an absurd amount of times periodically throughout the day, one of which would be at this point. Now I should point out that many of the days here in Belgium are planned around the weather. If it's raining in the morning, some guys will hold out and ride in the afternoon, while others will just take on the rollers. I don't mind riding in poor weather so I usually head to the garage in the late morning for my ride. Fast forward through lunch, nap, and a few more e-mail checks and we arrive in what is known as Cycling Center Nothingness Time. This is the time of the day where just about everything has been taking care of and can be very dangerous for eating bad stuff from the corner store or bakery. The Cycling Center Nothingness Time is usually spent doing something different everyday. Cleaning your bike, sweeping your room, reading the Velonews your family sent you from cover to cover twice, checking your e-mail again, doing laundry, or preparing an amazing dinner that takes 2 hours are all options for this special time, the latter being the least common. During the month of July, of course, the Cycling Center Nothingness Time is usually occupied by watching the Tour live in French or Flemish. After the CCNT it usually goes something like this: dinner, core work , activity, and bed. For the first month the activity was watching a movie on the big screen, but now that most of the movies have been seen 3 times other activities are becoming popular. Video games (complements of Scott) and card games (also complements of Scott) have been the recent favorite for me. The last few nights a group of us Midwesterners have been playing the World Series of Euchre. My partner, Spa (Matt Moore), and I have been in possession of the championship belts for the entire Series (even though actual belts have yet to be made). Bed time is usually between 10:00 and 10:30, and the following day I do it again!

No day is the same here at the Cycling Center so don't base your opinion of what we do entirely on the previous paragraph. All the guys here are serious about their job and training is always the most important time of the day. I love the routine here at he Cycling Center and every day is sure to bring a new adventure or at least a lot of fun! VR