recovery

First day back in the states, I do a two hour ride and get a flat. Didn't get a single flat in ten days in Belgium...
So, this reminded me of a conversation I had in Belgium about the differences in racing categories. In the US, we have 5 categories of amateur racers (for adult men, women have 4). In Belgium, it's 2, literally newbies (that's the translation) and everyone else (elite). Of course there's also masters, juniors, U23, etc.
One would think that with a larger racing community, this wouldn't be the case. But what I think it speaks to is the American need to be rewarded for our efforts. As we progress from new racer to elite, we are rewarded along the way with a new status. Why not have 2 categories (newbies and elites)? Many races already do this, by offering just two fields 1/2/3 and 4/5. Fields would be bigger, and more profitable for promoters (who are often lucky to break even). Of course, that would probably lead to more DNFs, which leads to more problems (it's amazing how many riders complain about being listed as DNF in results...)

last day in Gent

So, for my last day I decided to just do a long ride. It was raining, but somehow I don't mind riding in the rain here. I got my ass handed to me in the races, but I don't care, it's still loads of fun. Considering how out of shape I've been the last two seasons (ok, really five), it's great training for taking some fitness into the off season.
I'm going to go on again about why young, talented riders need to come here to race. There is nothing outside of a pro race that's anywhere near this hard in the states. And even then, these races can be hard for many pros. There are races just about every day within driving distance, and every race can be 2.5 hours of torture if you're good enough. There are so many young riders from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand that come here to race, because they know it will help them get to the next level. It was great to see Booey here, maybe it's an indicator that we'll see more young talent come over instead of us old guys.
Oh yeah, I also want to point out that the races I did this year are among the less technical. It was kind of disappointing to not get video of one of the really technical courses.

Rumbeke

Rumbeke was probably my best previous effort here, even though the result doesn't show it. I had spent the first half of the race at the front, until my knee started hurting again. I went from the front of the race to the back pretty quick, and my race was over. This time it didn't go that well. A lot of guys letting gaps open and sitting up. It was raining, so maybe that was part of it. Anyway, I lasted I think 4 laps. I went back, changed, and Lance was done too.
Anyway, it was a late race and we ended up hitting a lot of traffic on the way there. Friday in August vacation traffic! We weren't sure we would make it, but we rolled in just before registration ended. 118 riders. As we rushed to get dressed, I hear "Breakaway". Booey Hottenstein rolls up. He's over here too and he's doing pretty well. It's great to see a young talent like that getting some real racing exposure. We need to bring more young talented riders over here.

Koppenberg

Tomorrow is Rumbeke. Finally a real kermesse course. If I recall correctly, there are a couple dozen turns there. So far I've only managed to hit races with few turns or cobbles, looking forward to getting video of it. So today I did a long easy 60 mile ride to Oudenaarde and the Koppenberg. I put the camera on my helmet and recorded it, or so I thought... Anyway, 500m of rough cobbles at a max gradient of 22%. I didn't think I'd make it, but took it slow and steady in my 42x23. I don't see how the pros make it up it in the rain. However, the fast, technically descent on the backside is nice asphalt, even if it's only about 8 feet wide. The Kemmelberg I think is harder, especially with it's downhill cobbles which are arguably tougher that the downhill.
I also stopped for lunch in Oudenaarde and then the Centre Ronde van Vlaanderen. Very cool museum of Ronde memorabilia.

Beernem

So yesterday I decided to rest and do a ride out to Beernem and watch Lance race after he took the day before off. It was the only race in the area, and that showed, with 218 riders! I almost registered just to ride in that large a field. Most people expected nothing would get away on a very open course with such a large field, but indeed a break did get away early, eventually growing to a group of about 40. Seeing over a hundred guys strung out single file was awesome!

Dadizele

Only race today, back in West Flanders. Turns out it's a big one. Pays to 50 and sprints every lap for both money and points towards a Ridley frame. Great, as if these aren't hard enough, have to make them into a points race. Close to 100 guys, including some french team - several teams represented with team cars, managers, etc. Seriously.
Two minutes in, first climb and I'm shooting off the back. I mean I am full on sprinting up this hill and going backwards. WTF. But as I get to the top I realize they aren't pulling away from me any more and I bury myself to catch back on. Barely make it and dying for basically the next 40 minutes. I really have very little recollection other than OMG, this f-ing hurts. So I last a little longer, but I don't even know how many laps I did.
Tomorrow a long ride to Brugge, and maybe do a kermesse on the way back, I mean why not?

Erondegem

Chose not to race today because my legs are still dead, but Lance (not that one) wanted to do Erondegem so I rode out with him. After riding the course, I was really happy to sit it out. Lots of up and down, cobbles, and turns. Oh, and it was raining. Lance didn't last long, but did hit a new power high of like 1360. Yeah...
Anyway, vimeo only lets me post one vid a week, and so that won't be seeing any updates soon. The Knesselare video was more of the same anyway - staring at a guys ass for 14 minutes. The video I took of the Erondegem course was good though, really shows the variety on some of these courses. I think that will be the next video I post.
Tomorrow it's back to West Flanders.

Knesselare

So, despite wind and dead legs, I decided to race yesterday. I drove the 10 miles because, well, I'm lazy and it was into the wind. Came into the course in the middle and a race was going on. First thought was that I had missed the start (it's happened before that they change the start time at the last minute). But wait, all these guys look like climbers - they are all 6 feet and rail thin. Oops, a junior race!
So, lined up with about 60 guys, including like 8 Geox-Fuji test team and a couple Omega Pharma Lottos who I'm guessing are on the development team? I last about the same as the day before, no big surprise, but I may have been the first to get dropped this time...
The pace was pretty reasonable, but the sustained effort of 33-34 I just can't do, especially on the long windy street uphill into the finish. Overall pace was a reasonable 27mph for 2.5 hours.
After the race I met a fellow american - it turns out we know some of the same people. He's doing Erondegem today, so I'll tag along on the ride out there for my recovery day.

sunday markets

Woke up this morning with dead legs, so I decided to go for a walk to get breakfast. So many sunday markets! Entire square of plant sellers, another of book sellers, another of fruits and vegetables.

Came back and tried to brush up on my flemish while eating breakfast, and came across this clip which I find hilariously right on target.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwHotpl9DA

Zonnebeke

Zonnebeke was my very first race in Belgium, so I really wanted to go back. It's about an hour away (since we were in Ieper the first year, we did mostly West Flanders races). It only has like 4 corners, but it has slight hills. Problem with that is that these guys go really f-ing hard on the slightest uphill or downhill. It was sprinkling a bit, so I wasn't seriously motivated and my legs felt like crap anyway. I started at the back of the 106 rider field figuring I was going to drop fairly quickly.
Funny enough, I wasn't the first to get dropped after 1.5 laps. My average speed after getting dropped was 31.3 mph. Damn. And the first couple miles were easy.
Right after I drop and go to the car, it starts raining pretty hard. Good timing I think! Anyway, I've got video, so I'll post that shortly.
Video posted: http://vimeo.com/27376337

30 finishers, average speed 27.2, I wonder if my bike computer is off.

First (non) race

So, headed out to Zelzate, about 10 miles away. Unfortunately, I give myself way too much time and get to the race more than an hour before registration, which is 1:15 before the race starts. I realize I've eaten a bowl of cereal and it's 3pm. Everything is closed in anticipation of the town party and Kermesse. Eventually find a gas station that sells snickers. Hmm, perfect pre-race food!
Since last I raced here, they started requiring permission letters from your federation. I had requested mine a week before leaving, but hadn't received it before I left. Was hoping it would arrive and Ashley could email it to me, or maybe they just wouldn't ask. However, they did. So, first race was a non race. I hung out for a while to watch the race. Met a Brit who had been here for almost 3 months, and was finally finishing races. He spent the previous 3 months racing in Australia. Must be nice.
Anyway, ended up doing a nice 40 mile ride. Probably a little too hard because I was pretty sore this morning.
Big thanks to Allexia and Susie at USAC for getting me my permission letter yesterday. Unfortunately it's a pain in the ass to find an internet cafe around here, seems a lot of them are closed on the weekends in August. Ended up walking into one of the fancy hotels and got them to print it for me.

Gent

It's odd how a place can feel so comfortable. Maybe it's my brain knowing I'm on vacation. Flight over was fine, no problems, but I didn't sleep much. But got in the car and immediately remembered how to get to Gent (ok, there was a small construction detour I missed - the euro-pop was too loud). Anyway, managed to get to Gent and find the apartment without a map, dropped my stuff off and went out for a steak frites dinner and grimbergen. Walking around town, I ponder how amazing it is that I remember my way around, since most of my previous walking around included being inebriated. Put the bike together and tried to sleep. That didn't go over so well until the construction crew started banging on the door. Anyway, time to get ready for the race and then decide which one I'll ride to, Zelzate or Lokeren. Yep, two races within 15 miles of me.

cat 3

After a few years as a cat 3, despite my continual lack of training, I started to place. I was becoming a cat 3 sandbagger, but again, hadn't won a race yet. Still, I was having fun, especially because for the first time since 1994, I had a full team to race with, and I became good at leading teammates out for the sprint, or whatever other work was needed.
In 2004, my teammate Dan convinced myself and Christian to go with him to race in Belgium. He had raced there the year before and loved it. In 2005, Christian and I raced there. The experiences of racing in Belgium made me a better racer, even if I didn't train much more.
Finally, in 2005, I won at the Philly 2 Day.
In 2006, I had a breakout season. I rode more than ever. Most racers probably ride 4-6000 miles in a year. I rarely hit 2000 miles, but in 2006 I was close to 6000. I won several races, sprinting from 400m, from 1km, even from a break (I am definitely not a break rider).
I upgraded to cat 2 just in time to do the Mt Holly - Smithville Invitational race. This was a big time race for us, racing with the pros. Too bad I would crash and break my hip.

in the beginning...

I was never very athletic as a kid. My parents stressed academics (not that I worked at that very much either). But I loved to ride my bike. For my 16th birthday, I got my first real road bike, a used viscount aerospace. I also started smoking.
When I was around 24, I (mostly) quit smoking and started riding more. I watched the early Corestates races, with Armstrong winning the triple crown, and the Coors Light races down around dock street on the cobbles. I was hooked when a co-worker who had just started racing, introduced me to the sport. In 1992 I did one race, the Frankford Hospital Crit. I was spectacularly dropped. In 1993 I did a bunch more races, and in 1994 I upgraded to cat 4, doing probably 20 races. That was also when I upgraded my viscount. I got a great deal on a leftover Eddy Merckx SLX frame that I built up with Shimano 600 (Ultegra). I took 4 years off when my son was born, and started racing again in 1998.
I never really trained alot, good years I might have done 2000 miles. Family, work, life. But I had some great teachers. I regularly went to races with one of the QCW cat 2 racers, picking his brain, watching him race. On training rides, I struggled to hold his wheel and follow him.
I slowly got better, despite my lack of training and my tendency to do nothing in the off season. My last couple years as a cat 4, I started to get a reputation as a sandbagger, but I hadn't won a race yet. Finally, after saying I would upgrade when I won a race, the next race I won, a QCW race at Norristown Farm Park. Almost 10 years after my first race!
My very first cat 3 race, Cargas, I placed 4th. Took me a few more years to place in a race again.

weg piste veld

So, tomorrow I head to Belgium. I'm pretty excited. I'm a little disappointed that I'm going by myself, after all, it's more fun with others, but I'm pretty sure I'll still have a huge grin on my face when I get there.

It will be my fourth time there, third time racing. Staying in Gent, a really great city, with great bars and friendly people. Typically a racing trip to Belgium is one third racing and riding, one third eating, and one third drinking. I expect that since I'm by myself, I'll probably spend more time riding. Below are links to the race reports from the first two trips.

http://lexitec.com/belgium04/

http://lexitec.com/belgium05/