Scheldecross!

Scheldecross is in Antwerp, just across the canal from the beautiful city. The sun poked through the frozen fog after the race and I was able to snap this shot with frozen fingers.

We were late getting there due to an accident on the highway, so I had little time to acquaint myself with the course and surroundings or to do a proper warm-up. I was pretty nervous and sort of "deer in the headlights" at the start, and I was not aggressive at all in the first few turns. Many girls passed me who were not as strong as me, and they opened litle gaps I had to close. But I rode okay after the first nervous lap, and picked off several in front of me. I got better at the sand each lap, and just had lots of fun on the course. Mark, the guy in the pit for me, had to yell at me to stop smiling and start racing! :) It was a good leg-opener and good to get my feet wet and get some nerves out about my first race over here. I did not race aggressively and still ended up 16th, so I know I will be fine. Tomorrow I will be more aggressive in the start and first lap. Did I mention how cold it was??? -4. And snowing! Frozen legs didn't help. Another thing I will help fix with a better warm-up. I had a great experience today, bottom line.


So let me tell you about my very first experience today at my first race here in Belgium: I got to registration, and Shaun and I waited in line. My name was not on the start list, and I was a little nervous about trying to talk to the men working registration, since they did not seem to know much English. Who walks in and gets in line right behind me? Bart Wellens.
What would you say to Bart Wellens if he was standing right behind you in line? Yeah, I couldn't think of anything, either. I wished I had my "Bart Wellens Kickboxing Academy" t-shirt on. I will be wearing it tomorrow in case I get the chance again! Although I couldn't understand a word he was saying to his buddies in Flemish, I could definitely tell he was not happy about being stuck behind us in line. Eventually, one of the registration workers took him ahead of me, and I didn't even get the chance to tell the registration worker that my last name was Wellons while Bart was clearly in earshot. I wonder if he would have raised an eyebrow.
Did anyone read that column at the back page of the most recent issue of VeloNews, about the guys who met Vervecken in the locker room at Southampton?

Another thought to share: it was odd to be racing without being able to understand the race announcer or what the spectators were yelling. All I could hear was the announcer's voice pipped through the many sets speakers all over the course "blah blah blah blah blah Hanka Kupernagel blah blah blah Daphny van den Brand blah blah blah Helen Wyman blah blah..."

My race shots aren't that great, but here are some:

A good way to cross the course and to view with a bird's eye view.

Bird's eye view.

Sven supporters.

Erwin!

This is REAL Pro.

A REAL flyover! This was taken after the men's race. See the podium on the big screeen tv?

Sorry I don't have any pics of me! Jos took some, I'm working on getting them. Will post soon.

Gotta get to bed now. Tired! Racing in Huijbergen, Holland tomorrow!

Foggy Frost

Feeling unbelivably fatigued last night, I went to bed by 10. It should have been earlier. I slept almost 12 hours! I yanked myself out of bed to experience my first full day here in Blauberg. Today was quite cold, about -3 (C). Everything was coated with white frost and the air was think with fog. The frost looked a bit like snow, but was not, it really was a thick frost. (Check out the pic below of the spider web coated in frost on the backside of a sign.) I rode for 2 hours and found a long bike path that traversed the country side. The bike paths are all labeled with numbered routes, and they have a system that cris-crosses the country and goes into Holland. You can see the signage in some of the below pictures. The albino bunny is for you, Ward, because I know you love bunnies. You would have lifted this one over the fence and taken him home with you.

We visited a bike shop tonight, the Van Eycke shop, and I was blown away. I could not believe the stock they had on the floor! Hundreds of bikes, sometimes every size of each model, with none of the steerer tubes cut, to ensure perfect sizing for the customer. I bought some of those seal skins waterproof socks lined with merino wool, and a craft windproof base layer that I've been looking for in an x-small for ages. I'm ready!

My first race, Scheldecross, is tomorrow. It's really nearby, about an hour away in Antwerp, I think. I'm a little nervous that the conditions might be a lot like Kansas on Sunday, frozen mud ruts and holes with a slick slime on top. I guess the practice would be good for me! I know it is going to be incredibly technical and hard compared to what I'm used to, but I hope it will make me a stronger and better racer.

Okay, I am out of time for blogging! Must get sandwiches ready for tomorrow and make sure I pack the right clothes.

Um.... I'm Not in Kansas Anymore!

Here I am in Belgium! My cyclocross pilgrimage. I feel as though I've stepped back in time. On my ride today, I saw no strip malls, no McMansions, no SUVs, no billboards, no McDonald's. Of course, I've only been here one day, so there's still time to have my hopes dashed. But I rode through small towns like villages with people biking or driving small cars to visit the boulangerie, the bakery, the market. Shops owned by local shopkeepers who usually live above or behind their shops. I saw a train gliding into the station swift, fast, and quietly, making MBTA trains into growling behemoths. There are bike paths lining both sides of most every road - in fact, you're not supposed to ride on the road unless you have a group of 7 riders or more. It feels a bit like riding on the sidewalk, but it's safe. On my ride today, I found the drivers to be very courteous and respectful of cyclists. One even backed up while waiting for me to pass so as to make sure his bumper was out of my way in the bike path. I also think I got a few looks from both drivers and other pedestrians in my full Ridley kit and bike today. Apparently, the factory is only about 20 minutes away, and I hear it's certainly the most popular bike around here. I hear that Neils Albert and Sven Nys are also nearby - I would love to run into them!


There is a market right next door, so I went over and walked through to look for food for dinner as well as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. I was surprised to see all US brands of these items on the shelves. I could get the same items here as in any CVS at home. I even saw many packaged foods made by Kraft - but in different guises. The language here is Flemish. Most speak at least a little English, and maybe understand some French, but definitely don't want to speak that. I feel badly that I didn't try to find the time to learn some simple phrases in Flemish before coming here, but I will try to pick some up quickly. I know the word for "bike shop" anyway, and while trying to tell the shopkeeper at the market (who did not speak English) which vegetables I wanted I learned how to say "sprout," "garlic," "mushrooms," and "onion." I had to have Brussels Sprouts tonight. And the mushrooms were delicious and incredibly fresh. The owners of the market were very friendly. I told the woman who helped me that I was visiting from Boston in the US to race cyclocross. She said I must be strong like Lance Armstrong, thinking he must be one of my heros. I chuckled and and said, "No, like Sven Nys." She laughed, knowing exactly who I was talking about. I think he is a household name here. At the airport, while waiting to go through customs, the woman beside me saw my helmet and asked if I would be racing in the "big race" next week (meaning the Hofstade WC). She said she was going to watch!

I can't wait to explore more and I'm sure the races will be eye-opening to say the least. I'm completely exhausted from the events of the past few days: a weekend in Kansas, the party after Nats, travel back to Boston, repacking for the trip, and heading right off to the airport after a day of work and an overnight flight. I will sleep well tonight and dream of cross in my temporary Belgian home.

Always a Bridesmaid...

In the time since I've last written in this woefully neglected soapbox, I've had four second place finishes. Happy with that? Yes. Definitely. Satisfied? No... but if I have to lose to someone, I find it ok to lose to a gifted and amazing athlete like Lyne. (Did you know she has her own Wikipedia page? ) I will keep training hard and racing with all my heart and soul, and maybe one day I will catch you, Lyne!

I love the Farmington/Northampton race weekend. The Farmington sand pit is my favorite all season - I love ripping through it like surfing a wave of sand. It was there that I laid to rest the battle with Mo for second on Saturday. I had a moment of genius. It's rare, but I actually reacted on instinct, and made a good move. I knew I wanted to come out of the sand pit first, so I could lead into the pavement, since sprinting is a strength of mine. I attacked through the sand by accelerating into it. Mo took the left line, I entered just to her right and aimed at an angle through to exit at the right corner. I sliced through the sand like a shark fin through the choppy sea, and with this shorter line, I gained 2-3 bike lengths and a silver medal.

Sunday rocked. I love the Northampton course. Except the loose, 30% grade run up. That's awful. But the rest is super fun! When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was race BMX. I think I watched the movie "Rad" about a million times. But other than myself and the neighborhood kids hucking ourselves off homemade jumps on our KMart Huffys and pedaling through all the mud and puddles we could find in the woods, I was never able to realize my BMX dreams. But, there are moments in 'cross racing when I feel like I'm living my childhood dream! Maybe I was destined to someday find cyclocross.

I got the holeshot in all of 75 meters of pavement before the first gravel 90-degree turn on Sunday. It lasted until the grassy straight heading towards the sand when Lyne passed me, Mo in tow. I got on Mo's wheel. We got to the sand. We exited the sand. Lyne pulled away. I was overgeared exiting the sand (careless error, and one I did not repeat during the race) and lost precious moments. Moments that turned into seconds... slowly but fast, it feels like slow motion as I watch it happen every race, bye-bye Lyne. In the end, Mo and I rode a majority of the race together, attacking each other back and forth, each trying to make the other faulter. It was painful but so much fun.

The Kentucky USGPs did not go as I hoped. In retrospect, I was really tired. I did not perform up to my ability. I felt like I was pushing as hard as I could, but was going nowhere. I felt like I had a governor on my motor, and I couldn't get out of my own way, despite feeling like I was flooring it. My legs were trash. I left very disappointed, hoping to prove myself in the field of "big girls." I will get another chance in NJ next weekend.

Granogue, DE & Wissahickon, PA. More great races. Granogue has the most elevation change in any course all fall. Hard. I rode relatively well, clawing my way back to second after a less-than-stellar start. Great to see family and friends and fans there cheering me on! Wissahickon, 2nd place won in a sprint. Again, awesome to have more family and friends there cheering! My aunt and uncle came and saw their first cyclocross race and loved it!

And no worries, Honey, the title of this blog isn't directed toward you....






Thanks, Dave McElwaine, for use of your great pictures!