It's been typical Belgium weather here in Houffalize, in fact it is raining right now as I type this. I managed to get my ride in early, before the rain started- so that was a stroke of good fortune. I got out for a partial lap of the course (due to some descents being fenced off and some missing course markings). The course has changed a bit from the past couple of years- they've added a new, technical climb (or run-up, as I like to call it...) and some muddy flats. Altogether the course is a little longer than it was last year, but mostly the same.
The added climb is very steep and has some un-rideable sections (for me at least, even today- in good conditions with fresh legs). I'm sure there are some guys who will ride it, but I'll pack my running legs just in case.
I've got an easy day tomorrow, and I've heard there are some go-karts nearby...
Well, I finished one place better than last year (always have to find something positive...).
I was the last person called up on the 4th row, and the only spot left was smack-dab in the middle. In retrospect, I should have just lined up on the outside on the 5th row, but I didn't. (Not that that's an excuse- Ren won the race after starting on the 5th row, but she had the good sense to line up on the outside.)
Anyway, The gun went off and there was an immediate blockage right in front of me. Had to come to almost a complete stop before I had even gotten up to speed. The next few corners were crazy and all the women around me were going bazooka (this is a term that Waldek uses a lot, and I love it. I don't even need to explain because you immediately know what I am talking about) so I was riding defensively, trying not to get taken out in the first minute of the race.
Waldek said when I came through after the 3 minute start loop
I was in 58th. Yes, it was sad. Much of the course is singletrack, and for the first few laps I was just trying to pick off as many people as I could. Definitely have to time your passes well, because those euros will stuff you in the bushes if you let them.
I was riding well, but it's definitely easier when you have all those fast women there to push you. I ended up a disappointing 12th place, but hopefully that will be the kick in the pants I need to smoke it at Houffalize. Now I am 32nd in the World Cup overall, so hopefully called up on the 3rd row instead of the 4th row. Hopefully.
We head to Houffalize tomorrow, which is good because I haven't had a good waffle since 'cross worlds...
We arrived in Offenburg yesterday and were greeted by sunny skies and cool, breezy weather. We got out for an easy spin, then ate dinner and went to bed- I slept 11 hrs. (I never sleep very well on the plane, so I just make up for it whenever I can.)
Rode a few laps of the course today- it's in great shape- nice and dry. Also got to eat at the Italian restaurant we got to every year- they weren't open for lunch, but Waldek of course sweet talked them into making us a couple of salads and some gnocchi (they were cutting the gnocchi when we arrived- delicious!). So now I feel like I could take a nap, but I'll stay awake and save my sleep for tonight....
Dusty a
Short Track:
This year's short track course was a little different than in years past. There was a pretty long (for a short track), steep climb, then a downhill, a little roller hill and back up the climb. I got a good start and was 2nd wheel for the first three laps. I wasn't feeling too spunky so I was content to sit on Heather's wheel for a bit. On the fourth lap (or fifth? They all kind of blend together...) a chase group caught up to us, and then the attacks started. Catharine went first- I didn't chase, and Heather, Lene and Emily went around me.
I had pretty good steady power, but was lacking some of the zip (and some of the motivation to completely bury myself on that hill- I'm not going to lie...), so for the last few laps I dangled off the back of that group grinding along at my own pace, eventually finishing fifth. Not my best short track result, but also not my worst. I was disappointed, but I didn't worry about it too much, instead I tried to focus on resting and preparing for the cross country.
Cross Country:
This morning, as I was sitting in my hotel room eating cereal with Katerina, Alison texted me to let us know that the women's race had been shortened to 1 lap. Initially I thought that was a bad idea. For one it was going to be a very short race (I was estimating under 1.5 hours). Also, Sea Otter is one of the few races where the women race the same distance as the men, and I think that that's important (they ended up shortening the men's race to 1.5 laps). In any case, it was significantly hotter on the course than it was in my hotel room...
First off, I decided against warming up on the trainer- it was just too hot and I didn't want to lose any more fluids than absolutely necessary before the start of the race. So I decided (along with everyone else, I think) to warm up by riding around the racetrack. My legs felt BAD. They felt flat, and I didn't feel like I could get on top of the gears and really spin. I wasn't too worried because sometimes I feel crappy in the warm-up and great in the race, but it's still nice when you can feel good in both.
After getting heat stroke at Santa Ynez last year, I wasn't going to take any chances. On the start line, I doused myself (and my feet- no one likes hot feet) with some ice water. I had Chris put 2 bottle cages on my bike so I could start with 2 bottles and take 2 more in the feed zone. I drank about 2/3 of one of my bottles on the start line.
I was expecting the start to be pretty slow, since you have to ride 1/2 mile or so of pavement, and who wants to pull a pack of people around for 1/2 a mile? Apparently several people did. There were a few women who attacked and kept a good tempo going on the pavement, but I was more than happy to sit in and let them work. The down side was I was in a bad position leaving the pavement, probably barely top-10. On the first dirt climb, some sketchy woman was riding really aggressively and pushed me over. I swerved into someone else's wheel and had to put a foot down. I was pissed! But then I thought that that's what I deserve for riding around in back, and not being more vigilant about my position.
I knew that position into the first singletrack was going to be crucial- there is no room to pass, and gaps can open up fast. I managed to get to the front and was first into the singletrack. I heard someone behind me say something- we had a gap? I wasn't sure. I thought it might be Katerina, and when I blew a corner sure enough, she rode by. I was psyched! Katerina is pretty fun to ride behind. She rides like a madwoman downhill, and I was doing my best to stay on her wheel. She was hauling ass, and roosting sand in all the corners- it was pretty fun. When we got to the bottom, I asked her if I could go first on the climb (singletrack again), and she was kind enough to let me by. The climb was pretty exposed and HOT. The sun was blazing and the air was still, no breeze. I could feel my legs getting sunburned. "Drink as much as you can!" I thought. I reached down to get my bottle, and....nothing there. I had lost my full bottle on the first downhill, and all I had was 1/3 of my second bottle. I tried not to panic, but I was worried. I knew that it wouldn't take long to get dehydrated, and I didn't want to take any chances in the heat. At the same time, I didn't really have a choice, so I rode at a conservative pace figuring if the others caught up I would still have enough energy to sit in and stay with them. In the feed zone I got two bottles and doused myself with some ice water.
The climb out of the feed zone was one of the longer fire-road climbs, so I took the opportunity to drink most of one of the bottles. I still had a little gap, but I could see a few women not too far behind, so I knew I couldn't ease up. The last half of the lap was very fast, so the heat wasn't as much of a problem, and by the time I got to the final fire-road climb, I had a nice head-wind (probably one of the only times when I have actually enjoyed a head wind, but at least it kept me relatively cool). I started catching more guys on the last road climb which gave me some good motivation and plenty of people to chase. Once I was on that last climb, I turned it up and just tried to leave everything out there. I still wasn't sure about the size of the gap, and I didn't want to look back (that always seems to make me slow down when I start looking back and worrying about what other people are doing).
I ended up winning the race with a minute over 2nd place. I was psyched to do so well especially in the heat. I think this was the hottest race I've done since Santa Ynez, so it's good to see that I don't have any problems racing in the heat. And this race gives me some good confidence heading into the World Cups the next couple of weekends.
Wow. My longest blog entry in quite some time. Hopefully not too boring...
Tuesday was the first New Belgium Short Track race of the season. I didn't race- I had a massage at noon, so I had to get my ride done early (no sense riding after Tina has throttled my legs...). So I made it out as a spectator, and I was impressed by the number of people who showed up. There were tons of kids too. Kids of all ages...
Dash: future 'cross racer. He did a whole lap!
It's time to wash your helmet when the straps stand up on their own. I grossed Ben out.
Thanks Tim Carpenter for these photos from the start at Fontana.
The focus. The determination. The tongue?
Not much else going on- just training and trying to get ready for Sea Otter and the next set of World Cup races. I've been cooking a lot and trying some new recipes.
Since I am somewhat prone to impulse buys at the grocery store, I have re-discovered the deliciousness of plantains and am ready to cook my first cornish game hen (actually just a fancy name for a young chicken, but I'll pretend it's some kind of a delicacy). Impulse buying can be great for discovering new foods. "Hmmm... I bought this kohlrabi, now what the heck am I going to DO with it?"
Anyway, back to plantains.
Plantains make a great snack or side dish. The taste/texture is kind of a combination of a banana and a potato- although that description doesn't really do it justice. I haven't yet experimented with cooking the fully green ones (I think they are usually boiled), but this works well with yellow (a little sweet) or black (very ripe and sweet) plantains:
Just slice (I slice at an angle so the pieces are a little longer), toss in a bowl with a little oil and salt and saute until golden and a little brown on both sides. Then try not to eat them all at once.
Winter is making up for lost time here in Fort Collins. We woke up this morning to about 4 inches of wet snow and lots of wind. Luckily I have a day off today, so I can enjoy sitting inside, drinking tea and updating my blog. Ben and I managed to get out on trails on Thursday and Friday which is good because I think we're going to be road riding for the next few days...
Last night I made a delicious paella. I have figured out that the grill is the best place to cook paella because the heat is more even under the pan (rather than having to straddle two burners on the stove). Paella is a delicious and easy one-dish meal. Try it!
Here's what I did:
1 can diced tomatoes, (puree tomatoes and juice)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sweet paprika (can be found at Whole Foods or any well-stocked grocery)
2 pinches saffron
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
1/2 lb sausage (I used spicy buffalo andouille- yum!)
2 small zucchinis diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup dried mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups boiling water until soft- save the soaking liquid)
I have a big, flat paella pan that I cook this in, so it is easier to cook it on the grill, but you could adjust the recipe and make it
in 2 skillets instead (stainless steel preferably, NOT nonstick).
First, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and saute them in olive oil until 1/2 done, same with the whole sausages (you don't need to season them).
Then, slice the sausage and set it aside with the shrimp.
With a little oil in the pan, add the tomato sauce and the onion, and cook over medium heat until the sauce becomes darker and pasty, then add the garlic, saffron and pimenton and cook just a minute more to bring out the flavor. Then add the chicken stock and the mushrooms with the soaking liquid. Bring to a boil. Next sprinkle the rice evenly over the whole pan (you can use a spoon to make sure the bottom is coated evenly). Next, add the zucchini, peas, shrimp and sausage evenly over the whole pan. DON'T STIR. Cook for about 5 mins on high, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is almost all absorbed (the rice should be al dente). Did I say don't stir? Remove from heat and let sit 5 mins before serving. Enjoy!
After 6 days at our team camp in the Bay Area, we flew down to Fontana for the first US Cup race. It was an early morning. Waldek, Catharine, Chloe and I had to get up before 5am to make our 7am flight from Oakland to Ontario (the closest airport to Fontana- which is right outside of L.A.). By the time we arrived at the venue (around 8:45) I was feeling pretty sluggish. Luckily I can always count on Dusty to have an ample supply of caffeine around him at all times... I had a quick cup of coffee and then headed out to pre-ride the new Fontana course.
They added a long, steep and pretty loose climb that I knew was going to have to run part of. There was also some new singletrack as well as a few sections that were the same as years past. The lap was pretty short- under 25mins and we were slated to do 4 laps. After the pre-ride I was still feeling slow- solution? More coffee. I actually had enough coffee that getting on the trainer to finish my warm-up seemed like fun.
I wanted to get a good start and be near the front for the steep climb, but I wanted to be a little conservative so I wouldn't blow up. I got the hole shot and led for the first climb and descent, but Catharine passed me on the paved climb. She was going fast, and I couldn't stay on her wheel when she passed me. She opened up a small gap, but I caught up on the downhill and passed her when she washed out in a corner. She caught back up on the next climb, and we were pretty close coming through for the second lap. She opened a gap up on the climb, but I kept her in sight- I don't think it was ever more than 20 secs or so. I caught up at the end of the second lap, and we rode through the start-finish together. She was climbing fast, so I let her go in front to set the pace. Again, she gapped me on the steep climb, but by the time we got to the next climb, I had caught up. My legs started to open up a little and I was feeling good. I was riding a little faster, so I passed Catharine on the next climb and was able to open up a small gap on the downhill and flat section. I came through the start-finish with about 20 secs and stretched it out to 1:30 throughout the next lap. I was pleased- I rode a steady race and it paid off in the end.
It was good to have a little back-and-forth, and I think 'cross racing has really helped me to race smart.
For lots of videos and race coverage, check out this website- Colt McElwaine has done a great job with it. The website has all kinds of cyclocross and MTB news and videos.
So now I am back at home for a few weeks of training before Sea Otter.
