Back to the Netherlands

Wooah! One more week till worlds. Today we travelled back into the Netherlands, just a short while from the border of Belgium. One our way we stopped at the Canadian monument outside of Ieper, the plaque on the side commemorated the 18000 Canadian troops that stood on the British left and took the first German gas attacks. I’m not particularly in favour or against the wars of today and way back when, but it’s pretty cool for me to be able to bring my bike here as a Canadian, and compete on the same race course among multiple nationalities without being scared for my life. So it was a good stop!

I meet up with the rest of the team on the 28th, and until then will be hanging at another bungalow in a little village called Hoever. It’s pretty much smack dab in the middle of Roosendal and Breda. It’s about 30km from Hoogerheide. Other than fighting off a potential cold, I’m not sure what to expect this week, but the plan to explore some nearby little towns via bike.... and try and figure out how to appropriately place these into my pre-race meals (picture below). This was a pannekoek (pancake) and waffle shop with pretty much any topping combo you could think up; Including ice-creams and fresh berries. I had pannekoek with banana and a little bit of chocolate sauce. mmmmmm

This stick dude is by the pannekoek house.... clearly and indication that pannekoek and cyclists are a good mix!

HOOORAY FOR MUD! and Fish on a Stick

THE RACE Jan 24 2009

Today was a C2 race in the quaint little town of Zonnebeke about 2hrs from Antwerpen. The weather was nice, the sun was shining, and I got away with wearing a few less layers than normal.

The first 30min onsite is probably the most interesting. I get to try and figure out where Sign- On is, where the toilets are, where the start is, what my start-time is yadda yadda yadda.

This part of Belgium is practically kissing the border of France, and has a pretty distinct French Influence. So, the people here speak a version of both Dutch and French. Haha, but that still doesn’t help me. I wanted to be different and took Cree in my secondary education. Anyway, the people here also speak English. Or at least when you ask them if they speak English they say “Yes, a little” which I’ve discovered can mean anything. This isn’t a problem, they are such nice people who are super easy to approach and talk to. I don’t usually get a clear answer from just one person, but after 4 or 5 I’ve got a pretty good idea that I get my race number in that pub across the street. I handed my race license to the official looking guy at the laptop. I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, so he compensated with some accurate hand gestures, well shaded doodles, and clear pointing skills. Okay, my number is 3, and I’m starting with the Junior Boys at 1:30. Okay, thanx.

Pre Ride - Although still not fitting of the “fantasy euro cyclocross” image in my head, it was a pretty sweet course. I would classify it as MORE FUN when compared to Suihuirsterveen. There were snack-shacks set up around the course for spectators. Menu items included some kind of bratworst, ham-hamburger and dried fish on a stick! Not to mention the beer stands – they had line-ups at 11:30am and most of the spectators had a beer in each hand. People coming to watch the race would park their car, then go to their trunks to put on a big pair of wool socks and rubber boots, then grab a flat of Pilsner or Jupiler and make their way to the course. (see rubber boots below) haha

This course was shorter, with a lot more turns. One section had riders zigzag back and forth down and up through this sort of ditch/trench in the middle of a park. It was grass – but since I am pretty sure the water level in the ground is 245% saturation, the moment you ride on it, your tires dig into the dirt underneath and create a bogging sorta effect. No barriers, but there was one cool sketchy downhill, and then tonnes and tonnes of that incredibly tough Euro Mud. Overall I liked the course, and knew the mud sections would be the hard parts for me. Two pit areas, both probably essential for this course, but I had Mangey stationed at the muddiest one.

The pit areas are neat. It’s actually where I get the most classic euro-cross feeling. The pit guys are all older gents, with rubber boots or entire rubber suits like fishing gators, and old archaic brushes haha, probably passed down through pit-man generations. They usually have a cigarette hanging outta their mouths, and a beer posted on or beside the base of one of the bit barriers or stakes. Mangey has been the only women in the pit area in every race. She has yet to run into problems, but at every event one or more of these seasoned dutch cx pit-guys steps in to help wash the bike, or... wash the bike for her. Haha, poor guys – eventually the pits will be overrun with women techs.... won’t be long before they can only reminisce about the gold old days.

Start – Well, women race with the junior boys at this event. Check out the Vid.... haha, FAST, fun... but long. It hooked a mean right after about 500m, and then another 100m or so before crack’n a hard left into the mud. Felt like forever! I couldn’t really understand the start announcer again, so I just waited for a whistle, or gun or something. I tried to tag and memorize the other girls in the group so I knew who I was chasing, but easier said than done. Junior boys and women are not always easy to differentiate :P. Trust me. Most of us got called up behind the boys, so we got positioned at the back, and that is pretty much how I hit the dirt off the start. The other girls and I trickled in the bottom half early on. The boys hit the mud sections fast, usually too fast and a few buried their front wheels in and flipped over the handle bars; creating some fun hit’n miss group crashes. It was pretty much guaranteed that they would land face first, haha, so I couldn’t help but laugh at them (reminds me of me). There were 3 crashes in front of me that I, giving me some opportunity to move ahead a couple spots with the other girls. I was riding up with two other women, one from Japan, and the other I’m not sure. The first lap was pretty high pace (likely due to starting with the j-boys), and the two girls just ahead were riding pretty frantically through the mud. Lots of power, but they were almost crashing themselves off their bikes. One of the girls was clearly powerful, once she found her rhythm she moved through the mud sections with ease. I was straining to figure out how!!!... what tires? what gearing? what lines was she riding? But I’m pretty sure she was just super amazing through the mud.

Second Lap - She gapped us a few bike lengths in a longer mud section, and I started concentrating more on the girl from Japan. She was jockeying for the lead in front of me. We had our 2nd bikes stationed at opposite pits, so it made for some interesting racing. She would get her fresh bike first and then navigate through the mud easier. I had to work hard to stay on her wheel. Then we’d get to the second pit and I would change bikes, and pull ahead of her. Fortunately for me (I CALL THIS AN AMAZING STRATEGICAL DECISION) the second pit was right before a more technical section (steep down –the up, with mud section – followed by hardpack). With my fresh bike each lap (and mtb skillz! Woop woop) I managed to navigate the next sections faster and easier. I finally drop’d her on the 3rd lap and thought I was running a smooth 2nd among the women. Haha, however, during my little battle with the girl from

Japan, we got passed by a “junior boy” haha, or so we thought. Turns out it was a girl, and we both neglected to realize it. So, I finished 3rd, but a good 3rd. The girl that came in 1st was strong, and I’m aware that mud is my weakness among these riders. She put a good couple minutes into me by the end of the race.

MUDDY! If it weren’t for the bike changes this course would be almost impossible with only one bike. The grass acted like a binding agent and kept collecting in the stays and in between the sprockets on the cassettes. My Blue Louis G was equipped with Hutchinson Bulldogs, and My Black Louis G had the Dugast Rhinos (I am talking about Tires for those of you who are learning with me). It was a complete toss-up. The rhinos were way better for the deep mud, but most of the mud was faster to run anyway and the bulldogs were better on the hardpack. So, I guess I had a good combo, and the only saving grace was the fact I had a bike change each lap (Which went flawlessly every time). High Five to Mangey - the only Female Pit Person!

What I learned – Mud is actually pretty new to me. It’s not the same as the races back home, and this season was especially dry. I’m still trying to find some legs for that stuff – but I am impressed with how they (the other racer dudettes) can ride it here.

-never leave without duct tape! I snapped my Chain Catch on my Blue Louis on a training ride in “The Woods.” None of the shops have them, cause no one runs single ring. SO! With some help we used super glue, and duct tape and so far so good!

On Flanders Field

Okay okay okay – here’s the scoop. We are staying for a few days in a town called Ieper (7km from the race site). Not Leper, but Ieper with an “i” or traditionally spelt Ypres. Haha, does it ring a bell for anyone else? We were advised to stay in this town (only 7km from zonnebeke) because of accommodation availability. It’s has good accommodation because its very “touristic.” But I misunderstood the kind belgie woman and thought she said Futuristic (kinda the absolute opposite).

So, here is why this town should have rung a bell. This relatively ancient city used to be famous for its cloth production but eventually fell to political wars, disease and plundering. It’s more commonly known for its position in WWI as a central front line where the allies held and advanced ground against the German Amy. Ypres is situated on the traditional land of Flanders (now part of Belgium and Netherlands), and today now represents one of the standing city monuments of the war, complete with a museum “In Flanders Field” and post war reconstructed buildings that capture the original look of the city pre-war. This city had a lot to do with the outcome of the first war, and Canadian troops played a big part – which explained the abundance of Canadian flags in shop windows. I should have known better, but it’s pretty cool where the bike can take you.

Cool stuff about this place. I’m not a great shopper, I prefer riding my bike around as a souvenir, but the flavour of this little town needed some quality shop’hoping action. Lots of clothing stores, and as much as I could prob use some Euro style, I didn’t check these out. The good stuff was in all the Belgian Chocolate shops, Waffle Shops, and cute pub-style restaurants. They also make a pretty good line of local brewed Bier’s (beers). The sweetest part, is street waffle stands. The picture below is of me and a Belgie waffle dude. They are amazing! Like no waffle you’ve ever had. They have a slight chocolate/caramel taste and you get it hot off the grill. MMMM.

I've figured out the Dutch High Performance System

Okay. So, the rest of my family arrived today to prepare for their roles as team Canada's cheer squad. Or at least a part of it.

Early this morning Mangey and I went back out to "the woods" near Appelscha for a ride before we had to go to leeuwarden to pick up the boys. We managed to hit up a fantastic little trail network that... well for the first time this trip actually incorporated some actual incline. Nothing big, but at some points I think I may have been @ or just above sea level at the top of some of the "and hills". I almost fainted from the change in oxygen and atmospheric pressure. Must be all that living at -3m below sea level.... I'm thinking not a good country to invest in with Global Warming and all. But good to invest in their pastries... they are KILLER AWESOME.

I still feel great. A little more zip in the legs everyride, and it the bikes are working perfect.

After are ride we had to head into Leeuwarde to the Train-station. The boys landed in Amsterdam early that morning, and were expected at the station around 1pm. No prob. Except we didn't actually know where the station was. And, one would think that a train station would have signs leading to the train-station that say something like "Train Station.... or Train.... or Railway". I mean, how different could it be in dutch? However, we didn't find any such signs, but instead noticed a heavy prevalence of signs that said P+R and included directions arrows. Our high-tech female intuition told us to follow those signs. Sure enough - they got us to the train station - after about 6.5 right-hand turns in a row. I'm not sure what P+R means yet. It's probably really simple like "public railway" or something... railway... peekaboo railway. I dunno. But if you need me to pick you up from there I can do it now. O yeah, look at all the bikes... what a cool world!!

So then it was time to give the boys a tour of our bungalo and area. We went to go introduce them to Tim and the other Canadians, but there is a SWEET playground along the way. So Sweet, that I have figured out to detail the Dutch High performance training system. First Clue - all the bikes... everywhere. All the bike paths, and trails, and bike friendly place. All the little kids on bikes, biking from school n'such. They start them young, and then mold them into efficient little "bike everywhere" machines. How better to create the best riders, then to farm from a world of riders. Second Clue - there dang playgrounds. These things are crazy. Designed for little dutchians, but based on the German Gymnastics program. I've got a couple clips below of some favorite playground items at this particular "Training" playground. But I'm not gonna lie, most of the other equipment was too scary and gravity defying for us to try with confidence. The monkeybars were like 15feet off the ground... for a 4ft five year old that's a good 8-9ft of falling. Unless your from here, then that's fun. WEEEEEE. But seriously - AWESOME PLAYGOUND. It was a perfect alternative for some cross training. Agility, core, grip strength.

How can you not love this. I want one of these to own. I would have the coolest house on the block. A perfect way to settle disputes between roommates.

Other than eating Sugar Waffels (new found favorite) - and mini stroopwaffle (THEY COME IN MINIS!!!!) - The day is made up of good riding, some occasional sunshine, and a lot of rain. Oh, and Euro-Sport Live television. Something other than hockey. Umm Everything but hockey to be exact.

Tomorrow were gonna aim for a longer ride. Prob about the 3-4hr mark on the trails. Have some Pannakokgen, and then head to Gronnigen. It's got some buildings from the 1600s. That's what Tim says anyway. So, stay tuned!

P.S

Thanx for the emails and msgs of support. They make my day! I wish you were here too Grandpa J!!

My first low key local holland race!!

WEEEEEEEEE!

Zuidwoulde - the local race was in Zuidwoulde Ned

It's about a 50minute drive south of our bungalo. Another cute little town decorated in brick houses and hedges.

The Race was actually a MTB venue, and although the course was more suiting to cross bikes, there were more MTB racers. We all race the same race, but the results are separated by bike be it a cross bike or mtb. Still creates a fairly large starting field, and fun competition. We found our way to the site mostly with luck and a few brightly colored green signs. Being a local race, it was even more apparent that i wasn't a local. Having no real idea what the registration signs said, or what kind of sign up system to expect. Fortunately, the lovely people at the sign on desk spoke enough English to get me signed up, and the rest was up to asking random people random questions. When does course open?.... Is course open?.... ummm. Parc.... Parcours Open? haha, and with enough hand gestures, and a few lucky people picks I managed a pre-ride. At staging I didn't understand a word the official was saying. I had no idea who i was starting with or when i was going. I just did whatever the other girls were doing. I bunched on the the back of the group behind the line, and started camera conversation with Mangey. Then the whistle blew. I looked forward and the entire mass of people I was (I guess starting with) took off. "Have Fun Pep" said Mangey, as I sprinted back on to the group. Haha, I love the dutch language.

The course reminded me a lot of Stony Plains accept the challenge race, WITHOUT the steep climbs, Actually, the biggest climbs on this course were off cambre corners in the sandy dooney part of the course, and mounds of dirt, that had potential for grabbing some serious air... ahh, Why didn't i pull off a No-Footer! What was I thinking? I wondered what mountains the mountain bikers here actually ride on - cuz on this course a cross bike just seemed more suiting. The rest of the course maneuvered through single track in "The Woods". Haha, I like how riding through the trees is called the woods. It was pretty fresh cut single track, mossy, muddy, but twisty awesome. It was my favorite part. I was at no disadvantage on my sexy louis G cross bike, in fact this is the type of riding that favors both my strength and general preferred enjoyment. I got a pretty good kick outta dropping the boys who rode mtb's in the singletrack on a cross bike. WOOP WOOP!! A good portion of mud aslo made this a cross worthy course, so again, i wonder where the mountain bikers actually have mountain bike races. All in all, i was actually really impressed with the venue. Some nice variety (for the cross bike) and fun atmosphere. They had a snackstand with homemade soups and ...something on a bun it was sooo good. Hot homemade dutch soup really hits the spot on a really rainy and rather chilly north Holland Day.

My Race

I raced elite women, but most were on MTB's, and our start was combined with Junior boys/Girls, and cat 3,4,5 men. A lot of racers off the start. Having slightly missed the start whistle, I had to put on a bit of an excessive sprint to catch on and work my way through the group. It was fun. I felt great, my legs were feeling the groove. No problem. Less then half a minute in I made my way back into mid pack of women, men, mtb's and cross bikes. We hit the sand off cambre corners still fairly congested, but it made for some playful elbow rubs, and really made the talented line pickers stand our (yours truely. Wink wink). I was feeling great and just kept riding clean and fast lines, picked of riders one by one, and each lap worked up a little further. By Second lap I dropped all the female competition, and was working in on a top 10 placement among those springy leg'd junior boys. Haha, they hate getting passed by girls. So cute. I played Cat'n Mouse with rider #24 (not sure what his name was). Put pressure on in the single track, pass in the mud. He would work himself into the ground to get past me again. Haha, the died on the third lap. I finished I 7th outta the whole group. Might Have given those other gents a run for their money if I got to the front a little sooner. But, it was tonnes of fun. I liked the flow of the course, and Im feeling pretty on the mark. A local team member of Tim's gang says its muddy and rainy in Holland almost everyday. Haha GOOD! Bring it on

Here is Andrew. He seemed to have a great race. Finishing right after Tim, unofficially 2nd i think. Im gonna go out on a limp and say the course favored his mtb skills on the cross bike. He said the course was slow - then ride slow!! haha, who you fool'n

Here is Brian - Canadian from Calgary. looked like he was riding good, not sure where he finished.

Oh yeah - this tractor had to pull almost every car out of the "muddy field" parking lot. Haha, Mangey dug some pretty good trenches in the ground with our muscle ford minivan. HOOOAHH!! She did a great job as pit crew and supported again. Even though her zero body fat skeleton froze to death out there today.

My Next race is a doozie. Zonnebek, i will correct spelling later. Thats next weekend. My last hoorah before the BIG ONE. This week will be full of rides, prep, waffels and hopefully some shananigans.

Huge bike shops

So, my first official day of Tourist activity.

We ventured Into the city of leeuwarden just a short 10min drive from our bungalow. I need a 10sp spacer cuz i misplaced mine (dang). We managed to find a bike shop. Got verbal directions from Tim, but pretty much just drove around till we found it by accident. The place was called, Jan Terpstra - which is apparently a big deal, and also the Team that Tim, Andrew, and Brian have association with. BIG STORE! Wow, this place gives the new RVC in Edmonton a run for its money. Some fancy bike brands I haven't even heard of before, and styles of bikes that clearly identify the importance of cycling as form of transportation. There techs are not in the weekends, and the sales dude admitted he knew nothing, so we browsed and left without a spacer.. no big.

BTW - im supposed to bring back a cycling hat for Tracy - anyone know a good one I should keep my eyes open for?

Im getting used to the driving. Rip'n our sweet ford minivan around like it's one of these things....

After Leeuwarden we drove to Drachten, found a cool strip mall thing at ate a little deli. I had no honest idea what I ordered, but it was amazing. Mangey opted for a veggie sandwich, she felt safer that way. Again, im blown away by the number of bikes there are here. It's like they built the bike path networks, and then built the streets, and buildings around them. So Cool! It's perfect for the cycling tourist. Jump on your bike in the morning, start riding in any direction, and enjoy the scenery. There are little towns and villages every 8-15km, and lots of bakeries.

Apparently my race tomorrow is just under an hours drive from our place. We are heading over to Tim's shortly to get the logistical lowdown. I'm wondering if the local races will resemble the races in Alberta, or if they still hold that fantasy euro flare. I cant wait to rub some more elbows tomorrow, and hopefully I'll rock more pics for the blog

Hooray for waffels, fast trails, and feel good legs.

The votes are in; this weekend’s race will be a local one. Vicky T. (another cool canadian cx'r) invited me to Roubaix for the world cup, but at this point that’s 2 more days of travel, and 2 days less riding and getting a good groove in. It would have been great had the logistics gone a little more my way, but o’well. Tim and his gang are stick’n around to do the local event too. I’m still expecting to see the same Dutch flavour as the last race. Hoping for that homemade liquorice at sign on.

We seem to be getting the hang of things around here. The driving will still scare the crap out of us sometimes. It’s two-way traffic on roads that are one car wide. I’m still not sure what all the road rules are... like who yields for who? At this point I think whoever has the biggest hunk of metal on wheels gets the right away. :P but so far no crashes. The road maps aren’t the easiest to understand. I can’t pronounce 90% of the towns we drive through, so asking for directions is fun. I’m getting the hang of it. ROCKOUT!!

We spent the last two days venturing out to a national park for some riding. We could ride the road till rubber wore off, but I mean really? Who wants to ride the road... really? So me and Mangey (Tim and the gang were out later today) have been hitting up a mix of Single track/double track/ sheep track/horse track.... and wagon track? Lost? Yup, a lot. But it’s easy to get lost and not be lost if that makes any sense. We have found some really wicked trails. Not super technical, but fast and full of curves and tiny little aggressive climbs. The chip/gravel trails are actually a base of crunched sea shells. I guess most of the part at one time was sea bottom. We even rode through one area that pretty much consisted entirely of sand dunes (which has been the extent of any sort of hills in the area). Wildlife.... not really any yet. Sheep, haha I never actually heard a sheep bleat in real life, haha, they sound awesome. Lots of Ducks, and the occasional deer.

We are not sure what the two signs are actually indicating. But they look like bike wheels, so we followed them, and so far so good.

I’ve yet to be in a place that's as bike comfortable as here in the Netherlands. The bike path network seems endless, and it’s a very very common form of transportation. There are riders everywhere on old looking singlespeeds, with baskets and pedal powered handlebar lights. Haha, one older dude riding with the KOOOL wooden shoes. Everywhere you drive its “Yield to cyclist or watch out for bicycles.” It’s pretty sweet to be in an area where cars and bikes get along.

The weather is perfect for me. It will range from -6 to plus 6ish this time of year. My body is pretty comfortable in those temps so it hasn’t been hard to get out riding. It is very consistently wet around here though. Foggy mornings, rains, mists. I don’t mind, but it can be gloomy. I did a night ride a few days ago on a chip trail close to where we are staying. It was foggy, and I could barely see about 5 meters in front of me. Was eerie feeling, but AWESOME! Hard to get scared when I’m not at all sure what to be worried about. I don’t think there are killer sheep, and the lockness monster is not from here..... Maybe there are killer garden Gnomes.... where was Rumplestiltsken from again? Pffft! I could out ride him anyway.

You all thought I was joking, but chocolate covered waffles are amazing! Along with fresh Stroopwaffel and good baked things everywhere... yes imp eating in moderation, but c’mon.... chocolate covered waffles.
Tomorrow we are taking a bit of a tourist day after the ride. Time to get in some urban action, and down town city driving. Maybe pick up my own set of wooden shoes. I have been feeling great; my legs feel awesome. I laid down some huge sprints in the trails today and didn’t want to stop. After 3hrs we eventually got hungry and called’r a day. Not before I (accidently) rode Mangey off the trail and into a ditch. Hahah, she’s riding my second bike, and didn’t want to wreck it, so she pretty much launched herself off the bike into this trench thing. Haha, my bike is ok!! She’s okay too...