Casey Hill Is A Smart Man

There's a crack in the glass coffee pot. A minor emergency in the back kitchen. What to do? Borrow the french press from upstairs or yank a bialetti from the front kitchen? I was in panic. Casey somehow used his brain without caffeine to come up with this. A work of art, titled: Ingenuity

Why is it that cyclists seem to have a need to blog about coffee? Lame.

GROTE PRIJS AFFLIGEM

Although I've yet to see results, I have a feeling I won't be too happy. Our team result was probably ok, but nothing to celebrate. I believe Steven was somewhere around 15th, and both Ian and Aaron were up in the hunt. By the end of the race most of the peloton was broken up and without a radio it is sometimes hard to know exactly where you are... you just keep racing. So I did. And I finished. Where? I'll let you know when I know.

It was a beautiful Belgian afternoon with a sunny sky, high temperatures, and little wind. The race consisted of 157km... 2 big loops, 3 local laps. Plenty of cobblestones, many small hills, and lots of turns made it a typical UCI in Belgium. The race was fast yet manageable for me, especially early on, as I covered several attacks and raced aggressively. It seems that all of my efforts were in vain, for when the real fireworks began I didn't have the legs, but more importantly the position, to take part. By the end of the race, I was pretty wasted and the most frustrating fact is that all the energy I spent translated into basically no result. I like to think I helped the team early on by covering moves. If I can take away some positives it would be that I raced well at certain moments, ate and drank plenty, and have yet another long intense race in the legs.

Today I'm recovering, resting, and hydrating... hopefully to come away from the race a stronger rider. It must have been the heat yesterday, my first hot race of the season, because I felt like I went pretty deep at moments and was definitely hurting last night. So on to the next race, the next chance.

Here's me looking "not so cool" with our "super cool" fan Blanca at the sign in of Affligem.

The H is O in this pic.

Number Crunching

There are 17 bike races in Flanders today... and 29 tomorrow. That's 46 bike races this weekend packed into an area little larger than 5,000 square miles. By my math, that's about a bike race in every 100 square miles. And that's not even on a big race weekend here in Vlaanderen. Flanders is the northern, Dutch speaking, region of Belgium and widely considered the heart our fine sport. The races this weekend will differ in age category and length but hold one thing in common: all the courses will be lined with fun-loving Belgians drinking a beer or enjoying frites. Belgians love their bike racing... from the 11-12 years olds all the way up to the pro's. Me, I'll be mixing it up in Affligem Sunday over the course of 157km. Better go spin the legs out and prepare my bike. It's still early in the season, the opportunities are plentiful, and the 100+ race weekends here in Flanders are on their way.

fotos

I was in this peloton somewhere... above is the proper way to handle the Muur... below is not.

What looks to be the final ascent of the Bosberg. It sure doesn't look very hard while sitting on the couch. Photos from http://www.zellik-galmaarden.be/

Z-G report

OK, here are the details of my previous post. Zellik- Galmaarden is the second race of the Top Competition series, a number of one-day races here in Belgium for continental and amateur teams. They are some of the most prestigious events for amateurs and attract some of the highest quality fields in Europe. Needless to say, it was a race I was happy to do. Being my first long race of the year, my duty for the day was to land in an early break and represent the team for the first part of the day. A good finish would be a bonus but not a necessity today. So I raced hard in the first 2 hours of the race, going with attacks and spending small chunks of time up the road. No escape was given much time and the wide roads in the beginning of the race kept the speeds high and the attacks controlled. On the menu was 2 servings of the Muur and 5 servings of the Bosberg, among other lesser climbs, so the peloton was not eager to expend energy.

Because of a new rule here in Belgium amateur races no longer permit riders to wear radios. So yesterday was the first time in 4 years I've raced a UCI in Europe without my beloved earpiece. I realized yesterday how much I depended on it. I was forced to pay close attention to the race, remind myself to eat and drink, and ride in close proximity to my teammates. Radio-free bike racing is most certainly different and raises the stock of the intelligent bike racer. No longer can a "dumb-as-a-nail-powerhouse" follow mindlessly the commands of his director. As much as I liked having Bernard in my ear, it was sort of nice having to rely on intelligence and instinct.

It was difficult to keep track of attacks and breakaways but every racer was in the same boat. I think that was the main reason no escapes were given huge amounts of time. It was a race of selection and the peloton was whittled to half its original size. Over the many climbs the peloton would shatter, and some groups would eventually come back together. It wasn't until the final ascent of the Bosberg that the winning move stuck, of which Steven was a part. My position was good on that climb, but not good enough (by 2 places to be exact...in order to be in the chase). Funny how those small details can affect the final result. I was pleased by the way I raced, how I felt, and by getting the full 170 k's in my legs. I really feel that good stuff in coming. To echo Bernard's sentiments about the race: It was without a doubt a good day, but in the end we did not get what we deserved.

Just the facts

Zellik- Galmaarden, UCI 1.12, 173km
198 starters
110 finishers
Steven- 8th
Aaron- 49th
Ian- 55th
Vince- 86th
Cycling Center- 8th team

Report to come.

Preparations and Pondering

It is customary to wash one's bike the day before a race. While drying my cranks I turned to Scott and said, "There will be a lot of power traveling through these things in 24 hours." For some reason he laughed. I'm still pondering why.

Kermis'n in De Haan

Put in a nice big day on the bike Wednesday. 6 of us pedaled out from the CC at 12:30 to hunt down a kermis in the coastal town of De Haan. With our supplies and fuel stored in the bags on our back we arrived in De Haan with plenty of time to register and pre-ride the course. Bernard showed up with the van by start time so we had a place to put our bags. At 9km, the kermis loop was on the long side but surprisingly had very few turns. The race itself was 120km and I was glad to get the full distance of racing in my legs. I was unhappy, however, with my racing. I gave it a go on a few occasions but for the most part chickened out and raced too far towards the back. I wasn't feeling 100% and let my lack of power lead to lack of racing confidence. 113 starters. 75 finishers. 55th place. Not too good. We packed it up and spun our legs toward Hersberge making in home for a nice 8pm dinner. You really can't find a day like that in the States: 120km race, 3 euro entry, 113 racers, all with riding distance from home. Good ol' Belgie.

Next up for me is a UCI 1.12 called Zellik-Galmaarden on Sunday.

That Dude from VeloNews

VeloNews writer and Boulder resident Fred Dreier is used to asking questions. He interviews bike racers and writes race reports for a living, all the while traveling the world and trying to maintain his fitness as an athlete. I thought I'd change it up a bit and turn the tables, putting him in the not-so-hot seat. He's staying here at the Cycling Center, while on assignment covering the Spring Classics for VeloNews. From Flanders to Roubaix to Liege, Fred's there hunting down the story, asking questions, and furiously typing away.
Now you must understand that Fred and I go way back. That's right, way back to the late winter of 2008 when I was in Boulder. I rode with him on one occasion. So yeah, we're pretty much best friends. To interview him I needed to brush up on my Boulder dialect but I excluded the many "dude's" "bro's" and "shya's" of the conversation for the sake of clarity.
VR: So are you all warmed up and recovered after our 3 hour spin in the cold rain and hail of Belgium? Have you been here in Belgium before?
FD: Yeah. No, this is my first time in Belgium.
VR: You attended Paris-Roubaix last weekend. Tell us about your day. Who was your best interview? Worst?
FD: Well, I was surprised by the number of people I saw everywhere: fans, riders, staff. It was really hectic. We went to Compiegne 2 hours prior to the start. Luckily our media credentials gave us the opportunity to catch the riders getting off their team bus's to sign in. We took quotes from riders and stuck to one-liners like: How are the legs? What kind of tactics are your team using? The answers were going to be used for VeloNews live updates. After the start we went to a hotel with internet access and sent out the material we had just gathered to our web editor who would be typing the live updates. From there, we leapfrogged the race, first driving to sector 23 of pave. It was pretty tough this year because the peloton was moving fast in the first 2 hours. I think they covered over 100km which was at least 20 minutes ahead of the schedule we received. Next we drove to sector 18, the Arenberg Forest. We hung out in Arenberg for a while, about 2km into the forest. The 2.4 km stretch of cobbles was loaded with people drinking, dancing, barbecuing, and having a good time in the sunny and pleasant afternoon. After the riders passed we went straight to the Roubaix Velodrome and found our way into the media room. At 10km to go in the race we went to the infield of the velodrome and watched the finish live.
As far as good riders to interview, Slipstream's Mike Friedman was among the best. He 's very candid. A lot of riders are media trained so there interviews aren't as interesting. Younger riders tend to speak candidly and say what's on their mind. Interviewing Martijn Maaskant was like pulling teeth! He was overwhelmed and swarmed by reporters after his 4th place finish. I was able to talk to him at the team bus but he was a little out of it after 260km.
The things that surprised me about Paris- Roubaix were first of all the nice weather conditions... I was expecting much worse. I would also have to say that the speed the pros rode the pave was very impressive and surprising. Cancellara and Boonen were the favorites and they did not disappoint. Those two being in the final made my story easier to write.
VR: How many years have you been with VeloNews? In that time, what has been you're best assignment?
FD: This is my 4th year with VeloNews. Covering the Cape Epic in South Africa was my favorite. Or maybe La Ruta because I was able to ride it and cover it. That was hard! [both mountain bike races]
VR: Who is your favorite author?
FD: Kurt Vonnegut JR. or Hunter S. Thompson
VR: And now some rapid fire... PC or Mac?
FD: Mac
VR: Coffee or tea?
FD: Coffee
VR: Road or mountain?
FD: Mountain for coverage, rode for riding.
VR: Colorado or Belgium?
FD: That's an easy one, Colorado.
VR: VeloNews.com or VeloNews Magazine?
FD: VeloNews Magazine. Seeing your name on a by line is always special... even though 10 times more people will read it on the website.

3 days in... kermis.

Raced a U23 kermis today in Hooglede. Yes, the same Hooglede that hosted 'cross worlds a couple of years ago. I wasn't too happy with how it went but I'll chalk it up as a decent day of training. It was my first real race of the year and I'm still getting adjusted to the time zone as well. Felt strong on the small hill and crosswind sections but the accelerations were my problem today. A few more hard races in the legs ought to fix that. After all was said and done, I crossed the line in 31st (of 71)... one out of the money. Alex and I returned our numbers and pedaled for home. Not a good result, but good wake up for the legs.



Alex and I headed home.

Plane Legs

Trying to overcome a minor case of plane legs. Symptoms include heavy legs, pedaling squares, feeling blocked, and overall tightness. The cure to P.L. is pretty simple: ride and stretch. That's what I've done the past two days and I'm starting to feel better. I think I'll be back to 100% by the weekend.

My bike and body arrived in Belgium yesterday without problem. It was actually one of the most stress free travel days I've ever endured. Practice makes perfect, I guess. My objective in the next week is to settle in to a routine and prepare for my first big race on the 20th. A kermis before then is highly likely, but I would have a training-type approach to the race. That's the news for now. The sun has stalked me across the Atlantic, but I'm a happy victim. 50s and sun. Nice.

Time to Fly

Leaving for Belgium tomorrow. My bike's all cleaned up and my stuff is gathered in piles on the floor. Tomorrow morning will bring a short spin on the rollers, some packing, goodbyes, and a nice long flight. I remember when the travel day was exciting and the flight itself was an adventure. The night before my first ever flying experience I didn't even sleep because I was so excited. Now the first thing I do when I board the trans-Atlantic plane is fall asleep. How things change. It will be nice to get settled and start racing in Belgium again... so I can put up with the epic travel day filled with planes and trains.

I do feel ready to rock on the narrow roads of Flanders. The fitness is good and will only get better with more racing. Did the old STS races in Michigan this past weekend. Beautiful weather teased many bike racers out of their Michigan winter hibernation. Saturday was a race filled with attacking... although no break could escape. I attacked more times than I can remember and the accelerations eventually got to me. I played my cards early on and didn't contest the field sprint. Sunday went well except for my double flatting on the ride out to Ann Arbor. Thanks to Brian and John for rescuing me. During the race I lapped the field with Steven Howard from Bissell. Unfortunately there was a large escape that was 20 seconds behind us and lapped the field as well. Confusion ensued. 12 of the 65 riders were a lap up. Lapped riders were pulled... and then there were 12. 3 laps to go. Attack. Counterattack. Cat and mouse. And I was 3rd over the line in what was essentially a sprint of 12. Not bad for twig-legged Vince. So it was a good weekend: 2 races, 8 hours of riding, and a 3rd place. So far this spring I've placed 4th, 3rd, and 2nd... I'll just have to get that win in Belgium.