Belgium 2006, entry 7

Good training, great weather, a hard race, and a few games of Monopoly have made this week at the Cycling Center quite enjoyable. The race I did this past weekend was Circuit Wallonie, a very difficult race in the hills of southern Belgium. It was not my greatest performance of the year considering the fact that I did not finish and made several 'stupid' mistakes within the race. It sometimes feels like I'm making so little progress from week to week here in Belgium, but I've learned to acknowledge my mistakes and look ahead to improving in the next race. I also know that the month to month and year to year progress is more important than the ups and downs from week to week. It's often frustrating and disheartening to race beneath your potential but staying positive and 'keeping your head on straight' are necessary to survive here in Belgium.

The weather has been very nice for the past couple of weeks, at least during the week. It's funny how the rain and clouds come along with the weekend and the big races. I always laugh when we drive though downpours on the way to a race and think how nice it was during the week. The more I think about it, though, I suppose it's better to train in nice weather and race in the cold and the rain. It just makes the races that much more epic and unique, right? The cold and the rain will permanently scar that race into your memory. 5 years from now, the races I'll remember are the ones where I couldn't feel my feet or the ones where my hands were so cold I couldn't squeeze my water bottle. Oh, how I love the weather in Belgium. As I was saying, the weather has been great during the week so going out for long training rides has been very easy and enjoyable. I've actually gotten some sun on my pasty white arms! The highlight of training this week was definitely on Friday when I won my first Hertsberge town sign sprint. Whenever riding in a group of 3 or more the sprint for Hertsberge really gets competitive. I was riding with Steven and Sean, both of whom have racked up many Hertsberge wins, and attacked 2km from the sign, taking advantage of the draft from a passing car. Steven and Sean caught and passed me, but I continued to ride. They sat up briefly and I attacked them for a second time and rode the final kilometer solo for the win. The sprints and attacks for the Hertsberge sign escalate from ride to ride and my prediction is that there will be attacks for the sign from as far as Tielt (15km) by the end of the season!

My down time at the house this week has been spent playing Monopoly. I recently received a care package from my mom which included plenty of treats, magazines, and games. The game of Monopoly really brings out the tycoon in people and it's a great way to pass some time on a rest day and get to know your teammates. I just hope we all stay friends after all the backstabbing and cut-throat business of the game. I can see it now: 'I'm not taking you to the front of the peloton... you didn't sell me Boardwalk!' Thanks for reading.