Race 9 - Pulderbosch
I went with Luke to this race and we decided to take the train in order to shorten the riding time to the race. It was 60kms away. With the train trip it meant we only had to ride 30kms to the race. It was a hot day, with my watch recording 30C average while riding there. I was meant to rest last week but with the long rides and the heat my body was feeling tired - no way to start a race, I did feel superficially rested though ha ha. That was until the first corner when I needed my legs to give me some power that I realised the muscles were still recovering.
The race was a bit disappointing in that when the neutral vehicle sped off after taking us around the first hairpin there was a crash in the front of the bunch on the tiniest of roads. Subsequently 10guys got away and stayed away until the end. We closed the gap down to 10s after 6 laps but then the bunch decided the race was over and by the next lap the time gap was 1:30. It remained that until the end. I had to dig deep at times and got some really good cornering training in. My legs adapted to the speed and effort and by the final straight I felt some renewed power and went for the sprint, way too far out with about 1000m to go. I quickly opened a sizeable gap but with 200m to go my legs faded. I finished in the bunch but out of prize money.
Race stats: New max HR of 191, ave 145, 42.2 ave, max 70, 2h38, 110kms
Race 10 - Ulbeek-Wambeek Cycling is a haaaaaarrrrrrrd sport
I popped over to the apartment next door to check if the guys were joining me - a guess more of a formality than really expecting them to. Indeed. they looked like zombies plonked down on the couch watching the Grand Prix. Nevermind, I'll go alone.
With 42kms to the race in 31C and headwind, it was a hard ride. I knew I wasn't going to last long but I thought 3Euros for the extra training isn't too bad a deal. It was a very fast race, wow. I guess the same average speed as the other races but they guys were seriously pumping it and I couldn't respond. I lasted 60kms before the commissar's vehicle came past - then you know it is race over. Time to tackle the long ride home.
Race stats: 31C ave 33C max, 42kph 60max
All in all, 320kms done on the weekend and now I really do have to rest. This week there aren't many races in our area, so a good opportunity to take some time off. From Friday there is a race within 20kms until when I leave a week later. So I better rest this week and then I'll be able to whack it next week.
The Cronje's in Cape Town: Experiencing life with Milea and Cuan
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Eneco Tour
We were trying to find somewhere to ride on Friday when we finally decided on a bike path to Hoegaarden. While stretching before the ride, the coverage of the Eneco tour came onto TV and they said today's stage finishes in Hasselt. Hey, that is close to us, lets go there! So I quickly checked out the route online and we were off.
We raced there to get to the town before the peleton and just managed to see them do 1 lap of the town and then the finish. It was amazing to see all the helicopters, lead vehicles, motorbikes, follow vehicles, team cars etc. A serious entourage! It was the first time I saw a pro race, so bare with me ;)
As the bunch came to the line, it was evident that Boonen was going for it and the crowd went crazy. Hasselt is Tom Boonen's home town, so the crowd was 100% behind him. With his first victory in the Belgium colours, the crowd again went mad as they announced he had won the race.
Results from Cycling news:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/eneco-tour-upt/stages/stage-4/results
Some photos from the tour:
Remember I posted a photo a few weeks ago about the farmer going on holiday "Boer soek ruzt"?Well, the story continues...
and
Off to the race now.
We raced there to get to the town before the peleton and just managed to see them do 1 lap of the town and then the finish. It was amazing to see all the helicopters, lead vehicles, motorbikes, follow vehicles, team cars etc. A serious entourage! It was the first time I saw a pro race, so bare with me ;)
As the bunch came to the line, it was evident that Boonen was going for it and the crowd went crazy. Hasselt is Tom Boonen's home town, so the crowd was 100% behind him. With his first victory in the Belgium colours, the crowd again went mad as they announced he had won the race.
Results from Cycling news:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/eneco-tour-upt/stages/stage-4/results
Some photos from the tour:
Remember I posted a photo a few weeks ago about the farmer going on holiday "Boer soek ruzt"?Well, the story continues...
and
Off to the race now.
Rest & Recovery
The last few days have been a good opportunity to take some time off and relax. I've been racing and riding a lot and my body has started to take strain. I also couldn't keep up with cooking, so I had to tone the exercise down a little. Last night I made pancakes in desperation at 23:45!
Wednesday the plan was to ride to the bikeshop, but fortunately Stef was going there and offered us a lift. I rode in the evening with Luke, a mere 40kms and it was total agony. The bike shop was a serious let down. This is supposedly 1 of the best bike shops in the country, but it was smaller than a small bike shop at home with hardly any variety and prices the same as at home. I only got a chain ring, a cluster, a chain and some energy drink as I had run out of mine. It was so good to get out of the house on Wednesday morning and not be on the bike. It was just what my mind needed.
Yesterday, knowing that I wasn't racing today, I used the opportunity to put in a long ride. I rode with Helen to Begijnendijk for the 13:00 group ride. It was hot! Yesterday the news reported that it was the hottest day in Belgium with the mercury reaching 38.2C. I recorded max 40C and ave 35C on my 6hr ride. It was intense with a reasonably hot berg wind blowing. The weather cooled down rapidly in the evening and we were treated to thunder and lightning - real Jhb weather conditions! I stopped after the ride for some water and a Coke, then stopped again for water. Then again in Leuven for a Coke and again in Tienen for water. It felt good to ride without the intensity of a race.
Today is another relaxing day. I'll probably do 3-4hrs this afternoon.
This weekend we are racing again. It is going to be a tough weekend as both Saturday's and Sunday's races are 50kms away (and then you race 120km). But, with this week's rest and knowing there are no races for a few days next week, it will be worth pushing through.
Have a good weekend all!
Some pictures from recent rides:
All shops need to be closed at least 1 day per week. This can be any day - which makes shopping at a specific store a bit difficult. Most shops are closed on Mondays though
This is to help you not get lost - whatever!
Wednesday the plan was to ride to the bikeshop, but fortunately Stef was going there and offered us a lift. I rode in the evening with Luke, a mere 40kms and it was total agony. The bike shop was a serious let down. This is supposedly 1 of the best bike shops in the country, but it was smaller than a small bike shop at home with hardly any variety and prices the same as at home. I only got a chain ring, a cluster, a chain and some energy drink as I had run out of mine. It was so good to get out of the house on Wednesday morning and not be on the bike. It was just what my mind needed.
Yesterday, knowing that I wasn't racing today, I used the opportunity to put in a long ride. I rode with Helen to Begijnendijk for the 13:00 group ride. It was hot! Yesterday the news reported that it was the hottest day in Belgium with the mercury reaching 38.2C. I recorded max 40C and ave 35C on my 6hr ride. It was intense with a reasonably hot berg wind blowing. The weather cooled down rapidly in the evening and we were treated to thunder and lightning - real Jhb weather conditions! I stopped after the ride for some water and a Coke, then stopped again for water. Then again in Leuven for a Coke and again in Tienen for water. It felt good to ride without the intensity of a race.
Today is another relaxing day. I'll probably do 3-4hrs this afternoon.
This weekend we are racing again. It is going to be a tough weekend as both Saturday's and Sunday's races are 50kms away (and then you race 120km). But, with this week's rest and knowing there are no races for a few days next week, it will be worth pushing through.
Have a good weekend all!
Some pictures from recent rides:
All shops need to be closed at least 1 day per week. This can be any day - which makes shopping at a specific store a bit difficult. Most shops are closed on Mondays though
This is to help you not get lost - whatever!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Race # 8 - Jauche
Just a quick one, it is 12:45 and I need to go sleep.
I raced in the French part of Belgium today - Wallogne, in a town called Jauche some 40kms away. The Belgians I am discovering operate as 2 entities - the French and the Flemins. Different provinces, different government and even different cycling organisations - in the SAME country! I would like to quote Obelix and say "These Belgians are crazy".
The South of Belgium has a hilly landscape and today's 7km circuit did not have a single bit of flat road. We were ether going up on terrible roads or going down cobble stones. It was a stunning circuit though and made for some exciting racing. With the new province I raced in I didn't recognise anyone. After covering a few moves and initiating some in the first few laps the field decided to race against me. There we some stern exchanges of words during the race and some very close fist swings, but I made it out alive. With 800m to go I thought I was in it for a top 10 when, in the space of 10m, 50 riders moved from behind me to in front of me and formed an impenetrable wall. Argh. I didn't wait for positions - just handed my number back, but it was probably around 50th. I had a good race though and got some really good intensity work out of it.
Afterwards I played postman and dropped off a parcel at Meryl's host family near Jodoigne, about 12kms (or 20kms if you write the wrong directions down from GMaps) away. It was now 21:00 and I was well hungry having last eaten at home at 14:00. I think I made it obvious enough, as they offered me some bread, cheese and cold meats. I left there at 21:30 only to ride 30kms back home in the dark on poorly paved bikepaths in streets without lights. Got home at 22:40. Sjoe, not recommended! I normally follow the rule of only writing down directions to the races - I have to figure my own way back. Well, in the dark and with French names (as oppose to Flemish names!!!) for the same town and being in the dark, the trip was an adventurous one.
A long day out with 40kms to the race, 115km race and 50kms home. Race stats: 115km, 2hr50, 900m climbing, 27C ave.
Oh, on the supporting front - I saw cycling supporters taking it to the next level. Ok, it is already impressive having people watch cycling races and bringing cooler boxes with water for riders they don't know and their chairs. Yesterday there were some people with radios tapped into the commissaire's radio which meant they could follow the race as it was unfolding - who is in the break, who has been dropped, etc. etc. AMAZING!
Stef and Helen, the British couple from whom I am renting a room have made friends with a local Belgian couple in their late 50s: Harry and Emilia. Harry had a motorcycle accident at the age of 17 and could never ride but he absolutely loves cycling. Neither of his 2 sons (around 30) ride, but Harry and Emilia are at all the races handing out bottles, lending a helping hand and having some basic cycling tools and a useful foot pump. It is amazing to see how people can give so unsacrificially. Through them I also met Rudi - a local mid 40s guy who also goes to all the races. We now look for them at the races and they look after our bags, translate any information into English and hand us bottles during the races. AWESOME!
Tomorrow Luke and I are heading to the bikeshop, yippee. It is 40kms away though... Oh no, says the bank balance. Bike parts are about 1/2 the price here, so I am going to stock up on tires, chains, sprockets, cycling clothes and hopefully that is it.
after 1am again... Goodnight
I raced in the French part of Belgium today - Wallogne, in a town called Jauche some 40kms away. The Belgians I am discovering operate as 2 entities - the French and the Flemins. Different provinces, different government and even different cycling organisations - in the SAME country! I would like to quote Obelix and say "These Belgians are crazy".
The South of Belgium has a hilly landscape and today's 7km circuit did not have a single bit of flat road. We were ether going up on terrible roads or going down cobble stones. It was a stunning circuit though and made for some exciting racing. With the new province I raced in I didn't recognise anyone. After covering a few moves and initiating some in the first few laps the field decided to race against me. There we some stern exchanges of words during the race and some very close fist swings, but I made it out alive. With 800m to go I thought I was in it for a top 10 when, in the space of 10m, 50 riders moved from behind me to in front of me and formed an impenetrable wall. Argh. I didn't wait for positions - just handed my number back, but it was probably around 50th. I had a good race though and got some really good intensity work out of it.
Afterwards I played postman and dropped off a parcel at Meryl's host family near Jodoigne, about 12kms (or 20kms if you write the wrong directions down from GMaps) away. It was now 21:00 and I was well hungry having last eaten at home at 14:00. I think I made it obvious enough, as they offered me some bread, cheese and cold meats. I left there at 21:30 only to ride 30kms back home in the dark on poorly paved bikepaths in streets without lights. Got home at 22:40. Sjoe, not recommended! I normally follow the rule of only writing down directions to the races - I have to figure my own way back. Well, in the dark and with French names (as oppose to Flemish names!!!) for the same town and being in the dark, the trip was an adventurous one.
A long day out with 40kms to the race, 115km race and 50kms home. Race stats: 115km, 2hr50, 900m climbing, 27C ave.
Oh, on the supporting front - I saw cycling supporters taking it to the next level. Ok, it is already impressive having people watch cycling races and bringing cooler boxes with water for riders they don't know and their chairs. Yesterday there were some people with radios tapped into the commissaire's radio which meant they could follow the race as it was unfolding - who is in the break, who has been dropped, etc. etc. AMAZING!
Stef and Helen, the British couple from whom I am renting a room have made friends with a local Belgian couple in their late 50s: Harry and Emilia. Harry had a motorcycle accident at the age of 17 and could never ride but he absolutely loves cycling. Neither of his 2 sons (around 30) ride, but Harry and Emilia are at all the races handing out bottles, lending a helping hand and having some basic cycling tools and a useful foot pump. It is amazing to see how people can give so unsacrificially. Through them I also met Rudi - a local mid 40s guy who also goes to all the races. We now look for them at the races and they look after our bags, translate any information into English and hand us bottles during the races. AWESOME!
Tomorrow Luke and I are heading to the bikeshop, yippee. It is 40kms away though... Oh no, says the bank balance. Bike parts are about 1/2 the price here, so I am going to stock up on tires, chains, sprockets, cycling clothes and hopefully that is it.
after 1am again... Goodnight
Monday, August 17, 2009
Race #7 - Geelbek
I mentioned yesterday I would have a late night. Well, it turned out that I had missed another race taking place today. So here I was ready to race 80kms at a slightly lower speed at 19:00, when Luke says to me at 13:00 "Are you coming to the race, mate?" in his Aussie accent. "Ja swaer, later" was my response. Nope, 145km race at 15:00. We leaving in 10mins.
We rode 20kms to the race and I knew it wasn't going to happen. My legs were still trying to recover from the last 2 weeks' punishment. After 500m of racing it was confirmed, but I managed to race 50kms before my legs stopped responding. I used the rest of my time to hand out bottles on a hot day.
My legs feel better tonight and I have my compression pants back on - hoping they will do the trick after not using them the last 4 days.
Tomorrow I am heading down to unknown territory: Wallogne, the French part of Belgium. I hope I make it back alive... I am also planning (being the operative word) on stopping in at Meryl's family in Melin en route home. Bit of a round trip in the French province should prove interesting. The race is the usual 1.12B 120km race but the Southern part of Belgium has some hills in it. Will see about that... Oh, I did a cobble stone climb close to our home - it is unreal. I have new found respect for the riders racing over cobble climbs.
We are scheduled for a heat wave the rest of this week in Europe, so some nice summer days to look forward to while Cape Town is being washed away by the cold fronts.
I must go sleep now. It is 1am and I am still eating pasta and nuts. Arg, I can't feed my body enough food!
We rode 20kms to the race and I knew it wasn't going to happen. My legs were still trying to recover from the last 2 weeks' punishment. After 500m of racing it was confirmed, but I managed to race 50kms before my legs stopped responding. I used the rest of my time to hand out bottles on a hot day.
My legs feel better tonight and I have my compression pants back on - hoping they will do the trick after not using them the last 4 days.
Tomorrow I am heading down to unknown territory: Wallogne, the French part of Belgium. I hope I make it back alive... I am also planning (being the operative word) on stopping in at Meryl's family in Melin en route home. Bit of a round trip in the French province should prove interesting. The race is the usual 1.12B 120km race but the Southern part of Belgium has some hills in it. Will see about that... Oh, I did a cobble stone climb close to our home - it is unreal. I have new found respect for the riders racing over cobble climbs.
We are scheduled for a heat wave the rest of this week in Europe, so some nice summer days to look forward to while Cape Town is being washed away by the cold fronts.
I must go sleep now. It is 1am and I am still eating pasta and nuts. Arg, I can't feed my body enough food!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday rest day
Wow, I ate lots last night and today. I had 3 suppers and woke up this morning ravenous. While walking down the stairs to the kitchen I realised my legs were absolutely tickets. The energy jells yesterday did they trick - they kept me going well beyond my means and subsequently drained every bit of energy and ripped every muscle tissue at the same time. I tried to do as little was possible the rest of the day.
As mentioned yesterday, it was the home town race. Friday night was a running race in the town, Saturday night our race and tonight was the race for the locals. You have to live in the town and you are not allowed to have done any UCI race this year. So all the old toppies and bikes of all sorts surfaced as roughly 50 people pulled up to the 40km 20-lap race. They spoke to the mayor, the councilor, the oldest town member, and some other people of significance. A real community affair.
This weekend also marked the annual truck get together just outside of Tielt. A rode to go see the trucks and the people - what a strange crowd.
They also had a crane which lifted cars 30m high and then to everyone's amusement dropped them onto a log. Right...
So I did some riding today, probably only 25kms but my legs are starting to feel better.
Tomorrow (Monday) I'm racing in the local league, some 25kms away. It is going to be a late night with the racing starting at 19:00, probably finishing at 21:00 and getting home around 22:30 - all on bike. Tuesday another race and then 3 days off.
Some random info - I have been having issues each time I enter a race. I discovered on Saturday that my license says "Club 100 Cycling Club" and the UCI list of clubs the officials check against says "MTN Cycling Club" So they see no correlation. Sigh... Dear old Cycling SA...
As mentioned yesterday, it was the home town race. Friday night was a running race in the town, Saturday night our race and tonight was the race for the locals. You have to live in the town and you are not allowed to have done any UCI race this year. So all the old toppies and bikes of all sorts surfaced as roughly 50 people pulled up to the 40km 20-lap race. They spoke to the mayor, the councilor, the oldest town member, and some other people of significance. A real community affair.
This weekend also marked the annual truck get together just outside of Tielt. A rode to go see the trucks and the people - what a strange crowd.
They also had a crane which lifted cars 30m high and then to everyone's amusement dropped them onto a log. Right...
So I did some riding today, probably only 25kms but my legs are starting to feel better.
Tomorrow (Monday) I'm racing in the local league, some 25kms away. It is going to be a late night with the racing starting at 19:00, probably finishing at 21:00 and getting home around 22:30 - all on bike. Tuesday another race and then 3 days off.
Some random info - I have been having issues each time I enter a race. I discovered on Saturday that my license says "Club 100 Cycling Club" and the UCI list of clubs the officials check against says "MTN Cycling Club" So they see no correlation. Sigh... Dear old Cycling SA...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Race # 6 - Tielt
Written at 13:00
Today I had to race in my home town. I "had" to because the race goes past our front door and it would be unexplainable if I didn't partake. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it a great deal. I had been riding/walking for more than 6hrs per day sine I got my bike last week Monday, so my body had run out of energy. My Polar says it is 33C outside. I just went to get my number and my legs are knackered. The 1.5km ride to the start was too much..
Written at 20:00
Ok, race done. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to race the way I have most fun - from the front. At least I would get some high intensity sessions out of it until I pop, as appose to sitting in the back and popping in anycase. I also decided (for the first time) to take some energy gels in the race today. I noticed at the races the majority of riders have these screw off sachets they take. For the 17-lap race I figured 1 sachet every 4 laps should see me through.
Well, the racing went well. For the first time there was not a single corner you had to accelerate out of, so I was super stoked. Also, each lap had 2 off 300m long climbs in them. Belgians hate climbs, so this gave me the opportunity to work up the group at every ascent. With 5 laps to go I saw a move go off the front – I was setting the pace and couldn't respond. I saw it contained a guy I met a few days ago, someone Baardemaaker, who had been placing top5s at most the races. I thought that could be a dangerous move, but as on all the other laps, I expected the group to respond, well, not this time. No-one was interested in chasing and they had a minute's lead within 3kms. Argh! The next lap I punched it up the 1st of the 2 climbs and caused a split to form. I punched it up the 2nd climb and the split was now clear. Unfortunately there wasn’t much interest in the group to chase the 6 man break. At times there were some serious verbal exchanges between myself and the rest of the group. In the sprint I chose a very bad wheel, got boxed in and rolled through 20th in the group for another 26th place and 10 Euros. The facts: 158bpm ave, 181 max, 730m climbing, 32C ave, 41kph, 117kms.
Finally, a quick story on prejudice… I judge very quickly and I almost got in trouble today. I guy moved into our house this week while I was away. So I reckon this dude is a super funrider, but I don’t say anything and I mind my own business. During the race I see him a few riders in front of me and think to myself, wow, not bad dude. Ha ha ha. So we finish the race and I casually ask where this guy came. I almost fell off my bike when I heard he had won the race and is also an ex British National Champion. I hope he doesn’t read it and I will try my best not to judge again, or at least to keep my mouth shut ;)
Today I had to race in my home town. I "had" to because the race goes past our front door and it would be unexplainable if I didn't partake. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it a great deal. I had been riding/walking for more than 6hrs per day sine I got my bike last week Monday, so my body had run out of energy. My Polar says it is 33C outside. I just went to get my number and my legs are knackered. The 1.5km ride to the start was too much..
Written at 20:00
Ok, race done. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to race the way I have most fun - from the front. At least I would get some high intensity sessions out of it until I pop, as appose to sitting in the back and popping in anycase. I also decided (for the first time) to take some energy gels in the race today. I noticed at the races the majority of riders have these screw off sachets they take. For the 17-lap race I figured 1 sachet every 4 laps should see me through.
Well, the racing went well. For the first time there was not a single corner you had to accelerate out of, so I was super stoked. Also, each lap had 2 off 300m long climbs in them. Belgians hate climbs, so this gave me the opportunity to work up the group at every ascent. With 5 laps to go I saw a move go off the front – I was setting the pace and couldn't respond. I saw it contained a guy I met a few days ago, someone Baardemaaker, who had been placing top5s at most the races. I thought that could be a dangerous move, but as on all the other laps, I expected the group to respond, well, not this time. No-one was interested in chasing and they had a minute's lead within 3kms. Argh! The next lap I punched it up the 1st of the 2 climbs and caused a split to form. I punched it up the 2nd climb and the split was now clear. Unfortunately there wasn’t much interest in the group to chase the 6 man break. At times there were some serious verbal exchanges between myself and the rest of the group. In the sprint I chose a very bad wheel, got boxed in and rolled through 20th in the group for another 26th place and 10 Euros. The facts: 158bpm ave, 181 max, 730m climbing, 32C ave, 41kph, 117kms.
Finally, a quick story on prejudice… I judge very quickly and I almost got in trouble today. I guy moved into our house this week while I was away. So I reckon this dude is a super funrider, but I don’t say anything and I mind my own business. During the race I see him a few riders in front of me and think to myself, wow, not bad dude. Ha ha ha. So we finish the race and I casually ask where this guy came. I almost fell off my bike when I heard he had won the race and is also an ex British National Champion. I hope he doesn’t read it and I will try my best not to judge again, or at least to keep my mouth shut ;)
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