Belgium 2006, entry 4

Things are going pretty good right now in Belgium. The house is filling up, the racing legs are coming around, and the weather is getting better... well, maybe not that last one.

I did a kermis in Wallonia last weekend and felt really good throughout the race. It was in a small town called Choumont-Gistoux and the terrain in that region is quite different than in West Flanders. The circuit was about 8 kilometers long and included two 900 meter climbs. It was a fairly windy day and one of the hardest crosswind sections was after the first climb so I knew things were going to split up there. There weren't any other kermis' in the region that day so racers came from quite a distance to take part, causing the field to be very large. I think it was the largest field for a kermis I've ever raced in: over 180 guys. I got a decent start position and made it up to the front without too much trouble. This was my first kermis of the season and, in a way, I forgot how aggressive one must ride to do well. I played the first couple laps conservatively and when attacks started to go I went with a couple. The one mistake I made in the race unfortunately came at the breaking point. I was in the front when the move went up the road and the last rider to make the split was my teammate Steven. Instead of stepping on the pedals and jumping across, I doubted my sprint and eased off to allow the gap to form. I really didn't want to drag the entire peloton back to my own teammate, but I should have at least tried to jump and sat up if I couldn't open a gap on the riders behind me. Lesson learned. I rode in the third group until the end of the race which was one lap to go for our group. Out of the 180 starters only 31 guys finished. They paid to the top 30 (too bad for the guy who got 31^st). Only 15- 20 guys were in my group, which was pulled with one to go, so I was somewhere between 40 and 50. Not bad for my first kermis back in Belgium, but I have some work cut out for me.

This past week has been filled with good training rides and bad weather. I'm getting used to riding with wet feet and putting on my rain jacket too. It's not that bad though because when it does rain it usually doesn't last the whole day. A group of us did a 5.5 hour ride to re-con some important hills and went through 2 rain storms but arrived back at the Cycling Center almost completely dry. Tomorrow will be an easier training day in order to be prepared and rested for a big UCI race in France on Saturday. From what I hear, the course has rolling hills and is very open, so wind will definitely be a factor. Sounds like fun. Until next time.

Belgium 2006, entry 3

GP Waragem Report

I've heard racers say that they would rather be lucky than strong. I don't fully agree with that saying, but some days it makes a lot of sense. Yesterday was one of those days.

We arrived in Waragem with plenty of time to prepare ourselves for the start and after getting situated I went to the start line to get a good position for the neutral start. I think there were about 160 racers and trying to hold position in a pack like that isn't too easy, especially in a neutral start. A neutral start is when the peloton rolls slowly behind the lead car and waits for the official to drop the flag. During that period everyone fights for good position and because yesterday was such a big race, the peloton was extra nervous. One of the Rabobank guys hit a curb or something in the first 5 minutes and flew over his handlebars only to have his bike hit my arm and leg. That was probably the start of my bad luck. Even after the official start the peloton was very dangerous and although there were no major pileups, many guys pulled stupid moves and crashed by themselves. I was feeling pretty good and holding decent position throughout the first hour of the race but also knew that the real racing wouldn't begin until we got to the hills. I was also very confident on the course because of the re con rides and knew the best places to advance position. I handled the first cobbled section well and knew a good line to take. I had good position coming into the town of the second climb and was very focused. As we approached the base of the second climb, the Berendries, the peloton slowed down to fit on the narrow road and a rider behind me rode right into by back wheel, causing me to fall. A few other guys went down but it wasn't a very serious crash. I got up right away and realized my wheel was severely out of true. I radioed Bernard for a wheel change but by the time I got rolling again, the peloton was over the climb and out of sight. I chased hard for a while but the caravan continued on without me and that was the end of my race.

It was a disappointing day and bad luck did play a role, but there will be more races for me in the future. I can be grateful that only my wheel is broken and not my wrist or collarbone. I suppose there are ways to curve your luck (position, position, position), but in the end you can't change what's in the past. I'm feeling healthy and strong, so I'm looking forward to my next race. Let's just hope I can be lucky and strong on the same day! Thanks for reading.

Belgium 2006, entry 2

After about two weeks into my stay here at the Cycling Center I feel like I am over the jet lag, healthy, and beginning to settle into a good routine. The first week is always one of the hardest because of the stress of traveling, separation from loved ones, and adaptation to the new environment. I was a little depressed in the first week because of the messy weather and my weak feeling on the bike, but now I'm feeling great and looking forward to some hard racing.

My first race back in Belgium this year was Kattekoers Gent-Ieper. It was less than a week into my stay so I wasn't really expecting much. My only goals were to re-familiarize myself with the European peloton and test out the legs. It was cold but sunny at the start and as the flag dropped I knew that I was glad to be back in Belgium. The race was fast in the beginning due to few turns and wide roads. The Cycling Center team re-conned the course in the van the day before so we had some idea of where the hardest points would be. The defining part of the race came after about 2.5 hours when the peloton reached the hills. There were 3 climbs in 10 kilometers, one of which was the infamous Kemmelburg. I failed to be in the proper position when going up the first climb and as the peloton broke apart I ended up in a second or third chase group. The race didn't last too much longer for me but I did make it up the Kemmel and felt in the end like I got a good workout. There were things I could have done better, so there's work to be done for next time. I'll do as Bernard says and focus on the little things, and doing them right, rather than the result. This approach will eventually lead to results the right way.

Dr. Dag Van Elslande, the Discovery Channel Team doctor, came to the Cycling Center this past weekend and brought all of his equipment necessary to carry out the lactic tests on the team. It was very gracious of him to come to us this year because it is a little drive to his office. The test begins at 100 watts and every 3 minutes increases by 50 watts. I did much better this year than last and will meet one on one with Dr. Dag next weekend to discuss the results in more depth. The test is just one piece of the puzzle to racing well here in Belgium. There can be very strong racers who never finish because of their lack of experience or cleverness. For me, a good test confirms the hard work I put in this past winter and increases my confidence for races. With good confidence I race aggressively and feel more like I deserve that position near the front.

Dr. Dag writes all of the training programs for the Cycling Center team. Since all of the lactic tests were so good he wanted the selection for GP Waragem to have a very hard day of training the day after the tests. GP Waragem, or Dwars Door Vlaanderan, is a very large U23 race held in conjunction with a pro race on the same day. Dr. Dag wanted us to ride from the house to Waragem, do the large loop of the race that includes 12 climbs, and then ride home. He also wanted us to put in an all-out race effort between the Kwaremont and the Patersberg, 2 very famous climbs. That stretch of the race will be very decisive because it includes 3 very steep cobbled climbs. On the final climb of the day we were to sprint to the top and the winner could 'sit in' or draft the whole way home. It was obvious to me that our teammate Steven was the strongest and to beat him up the climb we would have to use not only our legs but our brains. I told Sean that I would attack about 400 meters before the climb and make Steven close the gap to me. Sean would sit on his wheel and hopefully pass him in the final meters of the climb. The other possibility would be that no one would want to chase me and I would win the sprint. Long story short: things didn't go as planned and Steven won. Overall I guess it is a good thing for our team that Steven is riding well, but it would have been nice to outsmart the Belgian. An hour later we pedaled in to Hersberge and arrived at the Cycling Center. It was quite an epic day, just short of 6.5 hours. I owe our assistant director Geert Vanwalleghem a big thank you for driving the follow car with supplies the whole day and snapping a few pictures of us on the climbs.

That's the News From Hertsberge for now. The big race is tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it. After 2 re-con rides, I actually feel like I know the course (not quite as well as Runway Plaza, though) which can only boost the confidence. Thanks for reading and I'll let you know how it goes. VR

Belgium 2006, entry 1

Hello everyone and welcome to season 2006. This past winter has been filled with great training and many thoughts of Belgium. I've followed a very specific training program that included long days on the bike, many days in the gym, hills, flats, and a big rubber ball. I feel like I have taken good rest days and have a great base under my belt so far. Winter training can be harsh in Michigan but I realize that there are far worse places to train. I did some pretty epic rides on the rollers but was able to get outside at least twice every week. Having spent time at the Cycling Center last season has really affected the way I am preparing this year. Where as last year I trained and trained not truly knowing what to expect, this year I am more focused and know exactly how mentally and physically demanding the racing will be.

I raced Valley of the Sun and was a little disappointed with how it went. I had no 'top-end' which makes perfect sense because it's February and I haven't done much riding above LT. Nevertheless it was a good jump start to the season and a nice three days of good intensity. One good thing I did notice was that I recovered very well in between races. Even though I would have like to do much better, I have to remind myself that I have a long six months in Belgium ahead of me and would rather be 'race-sharp' in August than in February.

After VOS, I went to Albuquerque to spend a few weeks training with the Cycling Center team. Our stay was sponsored by the Veloport Corporation and we were treated extremely well. The Veloport Corp is a group of people who are very committed to building a cycling facility equipped with a BMX track, velodrome, and tested equipment. Though much of our time was spent on the bike, we did have many things to do including meetings with Dr. Andy Pruitt, Kristen Dieffenbach, Polar, and Mayor Chavez.

From Albuquerque I flew home to Michigan to spend my last days in the States with my family and friends. That weekend was very busy with visiting friends and running errands. I attended the team meeting of my local team, Sunrise Sports and afterwards was awarded one of the three Euro-Devo Scholarships, which was created by Brian Adams and sponsored by Red Bull. Now I'm back in Belgium and ready to once again live the life of a professional cyclist.