Even more Roc d'Azur

Almost a week has past since my Roc experience! I wanted to write down my experiences sooner but was waiting for the time and the pictures.

Last Friday was my day and I was very nervous....being nervous is normal for me before a race, but the pressure was on even more. I had stated the whole year through I had wanted to compete for a podium spot, when three weeks before the race my knee looked like football and I could hardly walk of pain. The fear of major damage didn't do my confidence much good either. And when I was riding on the Roc trails, 3 days before the race and could not keep up with my host and guide, I felt trouble....''I'm not ready'' ''My training has not been sufficient'' and more of those things went through my mind.

So, when on Friday I stood in the back rows of the second wave with my brother, I was relieved. It was an anonymous start; no way that riding away in the first kilometers would be possible, with all these people in front of me and no way I would be able to ride a fair result.

Off I went, said goodbye to my brother in the first climb when he passed me and felt the fire return when I was passing lots of people....men.....during that first climb. A technical climb that I had studied in July. I new what to expect and knew how to beat the sucker. All went well. The first descent was a big traffic jam and I knew that a descent time was, again, out of the question, with this kind of trouble during the first descent.

And sure enough; when the next climb doomed and with a little steep bump to pass on technique, before attacking the climb, I again was stopped by someone not able to pass the obstacle. Getting back on the bike was going to be hell and the rythm would be jeopardised.

Sure enough, I struggled on. I knew the terrain and passed lots of guys, on rythm and my power, but even for me the juice ran out, for the dead simple reason that it was hot, that I had not ridden under these circumstances and in this terrain for 2 years and because of the ongoing stopping and starting due to jams....after 2.5 hours I had had it and was close to quitting.

Do not get me wrong....the new descent was awesome and I felt that I could finally use the bike for what it has been made for. This was pure heaven, but also brutal reality. My lungs were burning and my legs moved on in a fine power mode. But I had had it and was very, very close to getting off, when I passed the house of my hosts. Enough is enough I thought; the knees are holding out, I can still ride technical runs, but this is too hard....

For some reason I moved on, thought that finishing is the least I can do. I don't want to dissapoint myself, nor the people who have helped me and who support me. I have to finish. When I finally crossed the line with a 45 minutes laps of my best time I felt dissapointed. 45 Minutes longer than usual is too much, even with the traffic jams....My front tire was flat and I had struggled in the last two descents were the flat tire pushed me straight, where I was supposed to turn a sharp corner......ai ai ai ai.....I just made it.

In the end, after a hard day on the bike and a short swim in the sea afterwards and thunderous clouds to end the day....I had finished 7th in my category. 7th.....who would have thought!

Roc 2010...here I come!

Roc d'Azur, still

I surpassed myself today....

After arriving in Roquebrune last night and having to take the two bikes into my room for the hotel-night, I finaly arrived at my destination this morning. The two days in Le Gard were wonderfull. I went for a ride yesterday, managed to put in two hours with ease and found some very nice paths....my arms and legs are the silent witnesses of the thorns and other sharp branches Í've had to cut my way trough. Two hours of beautiful little ways to areas I didn't know existed close to home...and the houses I've seen in the middle of nowhere, with their swimming pools...It is one of the most accessible, exciting places to ride a mountainbike. I'm thoroughly impressed!

And then today. The morning was spent visiting friends....Can I call my surgeon and physio of the rehab centre friends? Heck, why not! It was so nice to see them again, be it for advise or just to have a coffee with them....It was good to see them.

The afternoon was spent preparing the bikes...and then....after lunch; THE RIDE.

I haven't been this tired after a ride in, well, years maybe. Although it was only two hours, and two hours on the Roc d'Azur tracks, I have emptied my muscles and lungs of every microgram of energy today....It is impressive.

The two dangerous downhill passages have been cleaned of any superflu and are spectacular. Where I walked part of the first one because it was too steep to get back on my bike, I managed to stay ON my bike for the second one with the runners in my pants. And I managed!

But the mental toughness one gets of rides like these, have not been in my training efforts, so today was one year of getting mentally tough in two hours.

Am I still making sense?

The cool beer afterwards dropped into my system like a tranquilizer and I know I will sleep well tonight!

Roc d’Azur

After tattered preparations due to bad luck all around, I packed my car and drove off south. This is the first year that I'm a visitor to the Roc d'Azur; the first time that I had to look for a place to stay and the first time that I'm taking a holiday to go and ride. Up until now the Roc was held in my back yard and I had prepared on the tracks and trails themselves. In short, this is adventure again.

First stop, Mejannes le Clap, in Le Gard. First stop because I don't want to bother the friends where I'll be staying for too long, especially because my brother will join me too and that will make two of us in their house. First stop also to get some well-deserved rest, check-out the legs and enjoy the sun, the silence and the solitude. It is well worth it. I'm glad I decided not to get a hotel with a value of € 10K of bikes in the car and to drive on, despite the fatigue…the morning here was nice, the sun is shining and on my way to a grocery store in a small village close by, this feeling of rooted-ness…a funny word isn't it.

Anyway, let's stick to the riding. Two weeks of forced rest have not done the endurance-capacity a lot of good. The small sprints and short steep hills leave me breathless, with a biting twang to it. But when I ride the wide paths and I look at my gear I see that it's heavier than it feels…so strength wise all is well. Nice! I feel I miss the toughness of competition…again, a forced rest, so no last minute tests done. Heck, I enter a path, I know it's technical and I feel my shoulders tense up. Damn it, relax I tell myself and trust your legs and the bike…..The trail is tough, sharp stones and lots of loose rock but I manage to pass…..A test of mental toughness to regain the trust in my capacities. I'm happy and the fatigue of the last few weeks doesn't seem to bother me anymore. This is it….this is the way.

Roc d'Azur here I come. I won't win, but the feeling is back and I intend to enjoy myself out there. Another test tomorrow, longer than the 60 minutes of today to ride off the car journey, and then off to St Aygulf.

Flatland, cows and signposts

Our summer has been abundant up until now and it is nearly the end of August… The occasional thunderstorm and cool day have been pleasant alternatives to tropical, airless chokers. Again, when one works in an office without airco, where no window can be opened and where nearly 20 people are sweating it out in 35 C temperatures, one is requesting either a day off or a nice thunder's day.

In these conditions, the hours on my bike are pleasant however. During the week the hottest peaks have passed when I put on my colours of OCR, Gaul! or Specialized to go for a session. During the weekend I take in the heat of the sun when I'm out on my endurance rides. I just luuuuvvvv riding in the heat. Two weeks ago I changed my routine and went north..in the direction of Alkmaar and rode my k's through flat, Dutch land. All was flat, some villages a mix of typical post war and hyper modern architecture, some, smaller villages have maintained the original structures, with its typical square farms, high doors and pointy roofs. I also learned something that day…..

Because while I was rescuing a cow that was trapped in the mud because it had slipped of a steep embankment into the ditch, my fellow rescuer (one can not rescue a cow by pulling its ears….it's a big heavy creature, so we calmed it down, helped it maintain a position so no energy was wasted on not slipping any further and it clawed its way out after 15 minutes)….. told me that the infrastructure of New York was based on this part of Holland. It was the reason why the area of Midden-Beemster is on the world heritage list of the Unesco; wow, how very interesting. So if you want to find your way back, you only have to turn corners and head in the direction to wish to go. All is clear, the corners have 90 Degree angles and the roads are as flat and straight as pencil lines.

The focus is there; my energy is spent on 'making bike hours' in the proper proportions of my own personal training schedule and my food intake is changing. I am 6 weeks before D-Day and although shape is a vague term, I am gaining confidence too. I even rode the Roc d'Azur trails as a training session on a stinking hot day in the south of France at the end of July. On a wonderful new bike… And then al of a sudden there is the shaping of a mountainbike trail, in the nature reserve of Het Twiske, north of Amsterdam. Don't get me wrong, the area is still flat, the old turf-collecting fields have filled up with water, but the things one can come up with, with dikes, sharp corners and lush vegetation has made a fine, technical single track trail. It ain't long, but it's fun and we can finally ride an aggressive and technical track without having to travel for at least an hour. It's great fun!

Two Saturdays have I helped the organisers now, with clearing the track, chopping trees and branches and…..marking it up. We signposted the second track today, and now the pilots can check it out for themselves. The direction is set, the marks are up and there are no more drawbacks for kids, girls, diehards and beginners to beat them in. Have fun people, but be careful outthere….and….WHERE A HELMET!

Summer madness

The things we do when it's 28 degrees outside, but 35 degrees inside without any flow of fresh cool air....you get slightly mad! We all need to gasp some fresh air once an hour and rush downstairs...the 28 degrees outside is like a cold shower (!) and we feel king of the world when the oxygen hits the brain. We are the greatest; we are the champions!!

We ride the greatest bike there is! It's a mini bike, with the whole chabang attached and put on it....could be just my size, haha, you never know! Or maybe my collegue is a giant of 2 meters tall and the bike isn't so small after all.

The rest? A few projects brewing that all have to do with cycling and the missing module of the mountainbike trainers' program in France. I'm excited about it and will keep you informed.

Oh yeah...I'm going to have a very close look at the trails of the Roc d'Azur next weekend. Hopefully on a 2010 Era S-Works bike, but then if its a different one I don't mind either. The main thing is the trip itself. It's going to be quick and stressful, but I'm in the frame of mind that needs to lead to a very beautiful thing in October of this year.

Le cantal, the Oxygen Challenge and a fine performance

I'm riding through what seem deserted villages as soon as I leave the motorway on my way to Le Lioran, a ski station in the centre of France. On my way in I've already passed le Puy de Dome, a peak of 1800 meters but this was on the motorway and I've stayed overnight in Orleans because of major jams in Antwerp and Paris.

My sentiments and emotions are the same as ever when I'm driving through this country….I don't belong in Holland. It's these vast and varied spaces and emptiness that I need….this is the place I wish to be. Anyway, I was talking about the empty villages. It really felt unreal that there was literally not a soul on the main road, the shops were closed, the traffic lights out of order and the shutters of the houses shut. Where have I landed I wondered? How is this still possible, in this time and age, that I truly am traversing through ghost towns between 12.00 and 14.00? Is this really the area where this major event, the Oxygen Challenge will be held? Arriving at the scene I can hear the speaker from afar and fair enough, there are cars parked….but a sense of being hopelessly out of place creeps up again….have I done the right thing in driving 1000 km for an event without character?

I pick up my number "mon dossard" and am being welcomed in a very nice way. Although there are not that many people around, it looks well organized..but then this is an A. S.O. event. A couple of guys ask me to take their picture and after a short hour, I decide to check-out the campground. Again, an empty street and village, but the campground looks nice and the welcome is warm. During the rest of the day and evening the campsite fills up with mountain bikers and contact is soon established. Even now, I feel at home and at ease, and I haven't even raced…..my race starts at 11.00 tomorrow and my only goal is to stay in one piece and to enjoy myself. This is my first event after surgery and I'm nervous and excited. The weather seems to hold….the sun is shining and it's going to be hot.

Saturday 23 May 2009

I survived and I even did it in a very good way. I was glad I had changed my race from 50 to 35 km….especially after finishing and having heard other stories. This was not your usual 35 or 50 km race…this was the toughest so far in my racing history. But boy did I ride well, all considering. One of the few to remain on the bike during the final brutal climb towards a ski-station, passing technical passages thanks to control and strong legs and helping out others standing aside their bikes with cramped legs. Had I not taken pictures or helped out or even talked to others just for the fun of it, my time would surely have been 20 minutes better, but who cares. The competitor in me stood up for sure, but the tourist as well as the nature lover was stronger.

The Belgium mountain bike connection

It has been a fascinating and exhausting two weeks. More and more I'm convinced that I want to pass my exams one way or the other in order to bring into practice my knowledge, experience and, most of all, passion. Last week the job brought me to Malmedy, in the Belgium Ardennes, for a test weekend organized by a Belgium mountain bike magazine. Magazine subscribers could test ride bikes of number of brands and the maximum number of 300 had enlisted. Two colleagues and I, all three relatively new to the company were sent out to help, advise and measure the bikes.

We worked our butts off, unable to take a lunch break and working round the clock to help all the Specialized enthusiasts get on a bike, personalizing the suspensions and making sure all comments were heard and questions answered. With over a 100 tests on Saturday and slightly under a 100 on Sunday, we were happy with the performance of our small team and the bikes. Hard work, but very worthwhile. Off to work on Monday morning though, and it was not easy to be as present and kind on the phone as usual…..tired.

After a day off on Koninginnedag, off I went again to Belgium on the Friday, but to Houffalize this time. Houffalize is the spot for World Cups and one of the most technical and exciting tracks of the WC circuit…..Because of the Specialized Factory team with Christophe Sauser and Lene Byberg I was interested in taking a look…but would I be able to get close….and did I really wanna go? Perhaps I should have kept quiet when someone in the office asked who was going to Houffalize, but I raised my hand and had already asked the team manager by email whether I could meet the team. When our suspension guru said that I could bring some parts to the team, there was no way out. I felt obligated to go, and dragged my tired body to Houffalize.

So I arrived on Saturday 2^nd May in Houffalize and dropped off the spare parts. I hung around and was shown around. I could take a close look at the bikes, the newest technology to be tested this weekend and the machinery of the bees surrounding the athletes. With all due respect, I didn't want to get into the way of anybody and most of all, of the athletes. I shook hands with them, but the dazed look on their faces told me that they had no idea who I was of where I came from….They are experts in closing themselves off. Where the mechanics and 'trainer' (nutrition and soigneuse) were happy to answer all my questions and chatter away, the riders would not start talking to me themselves. I respect that and was not surprised, nor offended….I guess it is part of their daily routine. Although it was a short and very interesting day, I decided to take off in the evening, to my precious little home in Amsterdam to get some rest. That means that I wouldn't be there for the big race, but I'll watch it on TV.

It was a rewarding day; I met Thomas Lapeyrie, who is riding for the Scott team and whom I know personally. He's a fine lad and an excellent rider and it was great to talk to him and his parents for a short while. I handed over the relay to my colleague Axel who I saw Saturday evening, for the day of Sunday and stepped into my little green monster to head home. There is also the French Cup race to take a look at, because of a few friends that compete….Too much ; )

A sunny morning on a train. Mine is well protected

Train ride

Riding in a group

Spring is in the air! After months of miserable grey skies, we can finally play outside without fearing the cold, beenies or thick gloves. The playing outside constitutes of riding my road bike during endless hours. It just isn't my thing.


Until I got (bought) my new bike.
Again? Yes, again, but the difference between my 'old' and new road bike is significant. Off course it's a Specialized, a 2008 model Ruby carbon bike in a 48 size. A small, fast and furious little thing. With the bike, a whole new world opened up for me. It still is and will remain a form of training for me. A way of accumulating hours and base speed....
The real roadies wouldn't talk about accumulating hours; they would talk about "making kilometers", but I know better after numerous years of training with professional schedules. Schedules help and they make my life easier to get into shape....it's not just about making/ accumulating kilometers, it's the way you build it up and pace yourself.

My new bike, thus. My position is better and I tire a lot less quickly....the frame is stiff and I can now approach bends and other obstacles in a whole different way. The transfer of power is definitely more efficient.

With the new bike I can now join my collegues on the weekly lunchrides. Initially, the girls would go together and the men could head off at their usual quik pace...but I've only ridden once with one of my female co-workers. My first group ride was a nervous and exhausting affair, where my male co-workers wanted to be the first of the group. I could do nothing but follow.

In the beginning I figured that we were going to ride in turns; 'take over' head to head and I was not afraid to do my part of the job. However, it seems that my initiative was taken up by most of the guys as a signal to ride faster and faster, without much consideration for my first time group effort.
It's not all negative though. To me it is a pleasure to ride in a group to come to grips with the group dynamics of cycling. I had learned a bit during my studies in Sospel and Coustellet, but that was always to nervous; everybody had a say about how to ride and the experience building sucked that way. But now, I can feel and learn what it's like to hide behind a big back and feel the difference in energy expense; I can renew my nervous relationship with the technique of nearly touching the wheel of the person in front of you....It's cool.

It still remains a way of training and not of living though. Mountainbiking rules.
Enjoy the ride

The courtesy of Dutch bikers

How long have I been back now? Just over three months and how often have I ridden around on the sinewy roads around Amsterdam and the foresty lands around Arnhem? About 15 times?

The people I encounter during my rides are rude.....so far I've had one or two responses in my greetings to the riders I face. It would have been nice to say 'encounter' but I don't 'encounter' anybody, because they're so rude.....The 99% percent majority of men don't want to recognise that cycling can be done with pleasure...that the joy of riding can be visibly on one's face or in one's attitude. They are grumpy men, who take themselves extreeeemely serious. The 1% of ladies I meet does say hello....in strong recognition that we are a rare breed.

I always say hello when I 'encounter' a different rider, be it a mountainbiker or roadrider....it's the way we do things in France....in saying hello, we acknowledge the pleasure of being outdoors, we recognise the passion of riding bikes and in saying hello we also acknowledge that in case of emergency we help eachother....It's the way it should be.
But here, in the Netherlands, we just want to outsmart eachother on our bikes....Greeting eachother would be the equivalent of actually enjoying your surroundings....of acting as if riding under grey skies and rain is part of the deal here, but that our passion is stronger than our mood or desire to have another stroopwafel and cup of coffee on Saturday or Sunday morning.

In all honesty people....lighten up...don't worry and be happy....enjoy the ride and show it.

Specialized's french network

Here I am, back in France, for a week of visiting clients, with my tandem colleage of the outside sales. The week is almost over, I'm going home in a couple of hours and I'm not even unhappy about it.
It's been really cool to see some of the people I'll have on the phone, to see their shop and where and how they are positioned....but on the other hand, I've really been sick as a dog all week. Does is matter what it is? The flu, or a conjunctivitis or just a really nasty cold? Not really...i should not have left my home to go to France in the first place on Monday morning. It will take me so much longer now to recover and get back into the full swong of training....I screwed up my health this past week and the consideration of other people was not there.

You know, driving in the Jura and Alsace and Colmar, Dijon and Chaumont, the snow and wind have been spectaculair. It has also made me realise that I miss the place. That I miss the big open spaces and nature. I really really miss the place.

I've seen faboulous bike shops, shacks and traditionalists....machos that will never talk to me me on the phone but who always ask for a male colleage, kind and funny guys that will appreciate my knowledge of cycling and one woman that runs a shop. However, all in all, I'm not all that impressed this week. Let my sick bones and stuffed and sore head and eyes be the reason for it.

Specialized Safire

It ain't mine.....let's put that in front of anything else. It is a beautiful bike though!!

On a cold winter day with a stiff wind I decided to go for my first big ride since my knee surgery on the first of october 2008. It's not my kind of weather, but I have to re-begin my training some day, don't I.

So, this bike is on loan, from the job though, let's put that straight!! Don't know whether you knew, but I started at Specialized in December. I just wanted to see some bikes last week; I'd like to KNOW what I'm talking about on the phone to customers, but instead of just seeing and touching, I got one on loan. I could bring it home hahaha.

I'm not going to bore you with the specs....I'm testing and comparing with my old Epic, and after one long day I can't give any definites.....

It's sooo light though! In the background the skaters on the frozen ponds and lakes and in the foreground this beauty of a bike. The weight did make a difference during the final kilometers, when my legs hurt, my knee burned and the power had gone. There the difference was obvious. On any other bike I've had, I would have suffered those last 15 minutes, but now it felt difficult but souple. That's it for now. Happy riding, whereever you are.

I'll keep you informed.
Winter day