speak and spell - Blog addition

I'm pooped! back to the US

2006-07-16T18:39:00.000+02:00

This trip has been fantastic and I am sorry to leave the beautiful Belgian country side, but I have all but worn out my welcome. Just kidding. Seriously though, I needed a break so my return has come at a convenient time in a way.

The experience overall has been an incredible journey of learning on and off the bike and I feel like it has helped me mature much faster than would have been possible spending the same time (any amount of time??) in the US. Bernard, Anne and the staff were, in addition to being super nice, very knowledgeable, understanding and imparted mounds of wisdom upon me. To conclude a particular one on one session with Bernard he asked me after hearing me say less and less: "have you had enough or do you want more?" I had become saturated over the course of that hour and a half. That just helps illustrate the amount there exists to learn in this world. I turned over a stone out of curiosity only to find two stones beneath it. So the quest continues...

I made some good friends staying, training and racing with one interesting group of guys. These were intelligent and motivated people searching for ways to give 110%, but also with a good sense of humor. Of course the mood was up and down depending on race outcome - high spirits after good team outings and a somber mood of reflection after muck ups. Even individual feelings of personal doubt seemed to blow away quickly in the positive team atmosphere cultivated at the center. That in addition to all of those individuals will be missed.

So where does this leave me? Geographically I am back where I started, although I have taken many steps down a path of learning in a short time. I have a better understanding of bike racing and all that is required to be competitive at the top level of the sport. I have gained fitness and knowledge, measured myself against one of the toughest proving grounds in the world, and I am left hungrier than ever. I feel I have gained in confidence from racing and not backing down; assured of my abilities on the one hand and seeing how much room there is for improvement in every area on the other.

One thing that has never escaped my mind is the sense of gratitude I feel towards all of those people who have offered me there support in any way large or small. From the friendly folks I meet in passing on the side of the road, super fans in the US and Belgium (Thanks Blanca!!), friends and Club members and the CC of course, and most of all my family. Traveling and racing in Europe has always required a tremendous effort to do properly and there is no way I could have done it alone, not even close! I was so hesitant to even take the first steps but AV members I spoke to encouraged me and the club then stood behind me all the way. I can't thank you guys enough for helping play this big part in my development. Thanks!

Lastly I have some pictures which I am trying to round up in order to present in some form but have had bad luck with posting in the format I desire on this blog, so stay tuned. And of course feel free to email me with questions/comments, I love talking about happenings from the east siide(of the pond.)

best
Nick

In loving Memory of Wesley Jacobs

2006-07-07T14:57:00.000+02:00

Who left us for the comfort of home. Yes the beast from the (south) east was what he was called. Ok so maybe Pretoria is the north east of the south? Whatever anyone from South Africa is just plain from the south because that is about as south as it gets. Wes left us about 2 weeks ago and the hole in our hearts still hasn't been filled.

Imagine if you will someone who has all of the banditry about him of say Robbie McEwen (won hi 3rd stage today) and take that to the nest level. You see Wes is an ex-cagefighter with a flawless record (he was banned after killing a man and then beginning to eat them.) He brings all of that intensity to bike racing but instead of a sprinter he has the power-to-weight of a champion climber and the palmares to prove it (he last year podiumed at the provincial climbing championship despite being a spritely 17 which was good for 1st junior).

With all of that.... anger you might imagine he isn't very social but, to the contrary, he practically had a harem of Belgian Ladies at his beck and call. Yes, equipped with a pimp South African accent he can ask for directions and end up with a date. In some ways it isn't fair.

In addition to all that, he is an ace computer hacker and the only person capable of beating confounding motorcycle trials computer games.

Yes he was as likeable as he was versatile and he will be missed. We can only hope his travels take him to the US so he can dazzle us and with any luck we will meet again at the CC next year.

Wesley Jacobs Every Body

An American holiday in Belgium

2006-07-06T10:35:00.000+02:00

I had a pretty darn good 4th with much meat consumption. We kicked off the day with a pancake cook-off that was hotly contested. When I say hotly contested I mean people were traveling to Brugge for secret ingredients and not one of the top teams was divulging any of their recipes. I am pretty sure there was even betting involved. Anyway in the end my entry of apple cinnamon whole wheat and oat pancakes was beat by some elaborate fruit and chocolate entries. Sigh. All of the pancakes were beyond delicious though.

A little game of soccer helped make room for the meat which was to come. We Grilled and Grilled and then grilled a little more. Along with freshly made salsa, tortilla chips and and several other delicious dishes.

Unfortunately there were really no fireworks so the celebration felt a bit hollow. So we decided in our over-fed stupor to fill that void, not the void that could exist in one's stomach if improperly nourished which was far from the situation in our collective case, but the emotional one left when our precious, dearly beloved celebration of independence from the clutch of our mother Europe, with a game of DISCO bowling - an activity that would have been met with the heartfelt approval of our ancestors.

The next day we went to see the tour which was AWESOME. We went to the start and checked out all the riders up close!!!! (try 15 centimeters - hey it's Europe, we don't use inches). It was a zoo and crazy and music was playing and people were screaming and cheering. We were getting thrown out of the riders area every 2-3 minutes but going right back in. We saw Leipheimer and Julich and of course George!! A few guys made it a mission to get as many autographs as possible and they got tons. That is just the tip of the iceberg too. Landis and Boonen (in Flemish it actually is Bone-in) were a little harder to get close to but hey. Tons of people, tons of sponsors giving away stuff and selling stuff, and tons of just craziness. And the stage hadn't even started. Fantastic.

We also caught up with the tour at the feed zone thanks to the back roads knowledge of our director Bernard who hustled us over there just in time to see the pre race caravan (probably 100 cars and 10 helicopters) and then the race that was by in a flash. I got a quickstep water bottle that someone threw at me. cool.

Now that we have relaxed our minds it is time to rage. We have a race a day starting saturday and it looks like I will be in 2 of them before coming home next thursday. I miss the states but I am having a great time here so it will be sad, and then happy. see you guys soon
Nick

France racin'

2006-07-03T23:37:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I went with a team of 8 riders and 3 support staff into France for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Preux-au-Bois, a UCI 1.12 race. It was cool to get out of the country and see a little of France but the heat was oppressive. It was pretty close as it took about 1.5h to get there by car.

The race consisted of a 8.2k circuit done 15 times for about 124k. The circuit had a quick stint through town, a long open road with pretty bad cross winds, narrow section through a neighboring town followed by a stair step climb with more cross winds. The field was about 140 strong and pretty motivated. From the word go it was strung out and attacking. Unlike my last UCI race I got right to the front in staging which was good for the aforementioned reason.

The plan was to have a couple guys follow the first move and about 15 guys got off within the first lap with one of our guys in tow. This group shuffled a little but went the distance. Behind the attacking was non stop and the heat was brutal (I think around 35-36 C). We had guys, three others and myself, representing the attacks and generally riding at the front. At some point our man in the break had a mishap and was out of the race but I am not sure when exactly.

As the race wore on I found I was getting the chills and goosebumps from dehydration (I assume) but I just kept drinking as much as possible. The second group split a few times and I bridged a couple of times after being caught out (man there were a lot of attacks, maybe 3-5+ per lap.) My final bridge came with 4 laps to go when I jumped away from my group when we had closed to within about 250m. I sensed that no one else was that willing to work so rather then have the gap go up I jumped away and one other dude came up to me. The 2nd group (the one in front of us) suddenly picked up speed and it took an entire lap going impossibly fast to catch up right as they slowed momentarily.

At this point I was about 3 laps beyond spent and went to the top 15 immediately to try and conserve and make the finish (have you ever hoped to be pulled?) After 2k of suprisingly orderly riding the attacks began to come again and 2 jumps later I was cooked!!! Shit. The team car came up and told me to just ride tempo and recover. Apparently we had opened up a multiple minute gap on the rest of the group with my 2 remaining teammates. I gradually got some strength back and with the encouragement of my DS rode solo with all my might for the last ~20k coming in about 1-2 minutes behind group 2 (about 45th place) and another 2+ minutes back to the 3rd group of 30-40 (I don't know if there were more left on the road maybe they were pulled.)

Well crap. I finished my first UCI race in (relative) style with plenty of attacking and taking ZERO BS from the locals, I did a lot of yelling and that seemed to get me places (literally). If I had conserved energy a little better here or there etc. would I have finished in the 2nd group? Maybe, but that is for another day.

I feel like lots of the little lessons I have been learning here came together in this and got me through one TOUGH race. But still there is plenty of room for improvement. I needed this race to help instill confidence. After a string of mishaps I was left hungry to race. After this race, though, I have the advantage of also having the confidence that comes from performing knowing that you can perform - not just have the ability to do so.

But I have to go get a good nights sleep for our 4th of July BBQ.
Nick

Guess What.

2006-06-30T09:46:00.000+02:00

I have been having terrible luck at these races. Last weekend my chain got a stiff link 5 minutes into the race. Have you ever heard of this?? I cleaned my bike the previous day and lubed it well. Then I rode it. On the day of the race I rode it 1.5 h to the race no prob. then wham! My legs felt brilliant as well, full of snap and without pain in the warmup and the hard start of the race. So I race Tuesday and I am well placed in the second group of places 9th through I dunno on a hilly (yes hilly????!!) course after 5 of 11 laps of 10.? k and ~1.5h. Guess what. They up and stop the race because too many cars are on the course. I can't seem to catch a break.

Ok, I am done whining. I race in France on sunday, cool! No details besides the country yet but when I find out I will fill you in. Speaking of France, the whole of of the CC is planning a trip to watch stage 4 of the tour (we will watch from Belgium). That will be the day after our 4th of July party which includes a BBQ, SWEET! Should help to get a little mental down time, I think everyone is looking forward to it. Should be a good time.

Weekends mean racing

2006-06-23T19:42:00.000+02:00

And this weekend is no exception. Saturday I race in Oostrozebeke a kermesse of 115k or so, I don't have all the details. I do know that we will be 8 and riding to and from the race in order to get a legit 5 hours with a super hard 3 hour race in the middle. Should be good. I want badly to get a decent result and I am pumped to be racing. I have decided to play the card that seems to work the best which is: stay near the front, don't go with early moves, and if I ever get outside of the top thirty move up FAST even if it means punching it HARD. Basically things that are simple and easy on paper but can be hard in these fast and chaotic races. So we will see.
So yesterday I went down to Waragem (wara-hem) for a fitness test. It was a step test with 3 minute/ 50 watt steps with lactate readings at the end of each step. I was pretty comfortable until 350 watts when my desire to ask the doc all sorts of training questions was suddenly stemmed by the need to use a significant portion of my lungs. I ended up stopping about 30 seconds from 500 which I know regret. Apparently it is important to continue until failure as a maximal lactate reading has some value. oops.
Anyway the doc said my endurance was pretty good and Bernard tells me something similar. It is good that I can stay below 2mmol(taken to be 'aerobic threshold') for a long time and at a moderate heart rate but there is still plenty of room for improvement in all aspects of form, following additional base work over (both in the short term and over the next years of development), cool. power at 4mmol (taken to be 'anaerobic threshold') was pretty good too.
To summarize I guess I fall into the category of Americans who have reasonable power but have much to learn in order to be successful in this environment (not really news to me or anyone else.) So I am excited because this reinforces my belief that I still have lots of room for improvement, both physical and mental, although it looks like the mental aspect is my biggest limiter at the moment.

well gotta go, improvement awaits...
N

Christmas at the CC

2006-06-21T12:19:00.000+02:00

So I came here wholly unprepared when I didn't bring a computer. I had thought that there was a communal computer but I guess that was a fixture of the past. After bumming computer time from a few increasingly agitated house mates I received a care package from none other than AJ with a laptop. Get right outta town, that was unreal. What a way to start a day! I needed something to cheer me up after a race gone awry. Thanks AJ!!
Unfortunately all of the potential for a good performance at yesterday's UCI in Geluwe went to waste. The race was a huge production with team specific changing rooms and showers, a big through town loop past crowded outdoor eateries and a small fair, a big race caravan etc. Unfortunately I was sucked into the mob of racers that was herded to the start area and I let myself get stuck in it a forced to a bad starting position. Of the 150 or so riders starting the 150k circuit race I probably started around 100th. I should have just hid in the bushes and jumped out when they were about to start and gone to the front line but I was hesitant to do so since this was the big time.
Anyway I was able to move up into the middle of the field some where but after only about a half lap there was suddenly hard breaking on a straight road and I was removed from my bike by the fellow behind me and to my right as we preceded to slow from 50 to 15km/h for no perceivable reason. I got up as quickly as possible and chased for the next lap and a half (15k laps I think) but the field was going ballistic and this was a not a real possibility. Crap!
Well if anyone ever tells you racing over here is easy spit in their face, cause it ain't. The level of experience is sky high. On the positive side my California 'education' on the bike has allowed me to tread water. I am trying to get to the point where I can swim though. Dr. Dag tells us that overall the people who he tests from the CC have, on average, a higher level of fitness then Belgians of the same age. I get tested tomorrow so we will see if this holds true for me as well. What this means is it is up to experience to learn to race and train to maximum effect. I feel like I have learned so much here in such a short time. I am looking forward to trying to get as much out of the experience as I can. Just learn as much as possible each day.
Well that is a bunch of stuff so I will log off
Lata
NHH

Peas, porridge and Eggs

2006-06-19T15:59:00.000+02:00

So life here at the center is pretty good. There is a full compliment of riders at the moment with 24 living here and 3 Belgians who live close by. Things are pretty civil though and spirits are good. There are 3 kitchens (which are FULLY needed) and 10 bathrooms and we put them to good use.
With the additional time on our hands many riders here will prepare elaborate meals. I have been trying some new things with cooking, mainly I keep adding more vegetables and see if my meals survive. Mainly the answer is... YES. There are some things over here that are cheaper than the US like milk, yogurt, eggs, meat can be reasonable, cheese but this varies because you can buy crap that is super cheap or amazing really expensive cheese. Local stuff can be super cheap but there is a lot of imported food that is unreasonably expensive.
Almost everyone watches what they eat to some extent but mainly I just try and follow the recommended diet of 3 reasonable meals and eat every 30min on the ride. This is making me hungry and since dinner is 1.5 h away enough food talk.
In other news I was selected for my first UCI race which is rated 1.12. How exciting! Tomorrow I will travel to Geluwe which is about 1-1.5h away. I am told that the race is crazy in the first 3-5k and that is where the selection is made. I am looking forward to it. I will keep you posted
Nick

Kermesse number 4, Kortenaken 6/17

2006-06-19T15:27:00.000+02:00

This race in Kortenaken was a 7.5K course done 15 times. I felt good and came to the start line at just the right time to get a front row spot. I felt super aggressive and went from the line with the vary first move which ended up as 6 as 3 pairs merged over the course of a half lap. We all began to rotate but after we completed a lap and had about 20-30 seconds on the strung out group (we were going HARD) they started stiffing me and gapping me. Well I couldn't last and after another lap of having to constantly close down a gap I was done.
I rolled for what seemed like forever trying to recover before the second group came into sight. I got up to speed but they railed it when I went by and I had to wait for the peloton shortly behind them. After taking a quick breather I started following the action very much wanting to be in the front group. Coming close to my limit a few times I had to relax but it was so active that I never wanted to rest long for fear of missing the split like my last kermesse, just make the split and recover after the split happens and it is all pacelining.
After a series of attacks I found myself boxed in and watched most of the field move up right before a turn. After rounding the turn the guy in front of me sat up to get a drink and there was instantly a 5m gap. I began to close it down and looked behind me for help only to see everyone behind me had sat up. After closing it down I immediately went to the front but coming out of the next turn a guy came up quickly on my right and knocked me out of the paceline before I even knew what happened (if this was on purpose then that guy is a JERK!!!). While trying not to crash I slowed down since I couldn't pedal and instantly slid from 8th to off the back of our group of 20-30. I didn't have the energy to catch back on the single file group after the bout of work I just put out :( . Too bad, but that is the price you pay when you race aggressively and take chances.
The group I was in was whittled down further and the group up the road reshuffled with guys getting dropped and others bridging leaving a lead group of 6 followed by a group of 7 and then a small pack a distant 3rd. We had a CC member in Scott Tietzel finish in the 2nd group, good work!
I knew from the start I was doing a bit too much work but I REALLY wanted to be in the first group. The last race started similarly and had the first move stick and I thought I would chance it. Well at least I proved to myself how much harder I can race than I thought was possible. Next: back to the save energy and go after it seems like everyone has already shot their bullets.
It seems like there is always a shootout at the beginning and sometimes a break gets off then but a lot of times THE break gets off after that, kind of a toss up really. Actually Belgians are know for pulling out of the race if they gamble on scenario A and B occurs or vice versa since you can find a kermesse any day of the week at this point of the year.

Wakken Kermesse 6/13/06

2006-06-14T19:55:00.000+02:00

Tuesday 6 of us rode south to Wakken for an early evening kermesse. The race was 15 laps of a 7.5k course for 105k total. It was HOT, over 35 C when we left the house. It was an easy 45 minutes of riding to get there and then we had plenty of time to sign in in a little bar in the middle of town. The course followed a familiar pattern of having a start/finish in the middle of a town with a few turns in town and then a the majority of the lap on the outskirts of town passing farms on fairly narrow roads with plenty of right angle turns.
The pace started out fairly slowly as no one wanted to go super hard if they didn't have to in the subsantial heat. 2 guys rolled off the front and the field was content to let them get a bit up the road. From time to time there would be an acceleration and everyone would jump on it. This happened for the first 2 or 3 laps with the pace going up and down but not super hard overall.
Gradually guys made it off in ones and twos as the pace began to increase. I stayed near the front (top15 to 20) and went with promising accelerations. It is hard when you don't know the field to pick the good ones so there was a lot of guess work here.
After one series of accelerations I was pretty tired and slipped to far back (top 30) and had to spend some time coming back up only to see that there was a group of 8 or so just far enough (100m or so) that a solo bridge seemed impossible. The pace was still high though so I bided my time and took a pull occasionally to try and keep my place in the first 10-15 and keep the pace high.
Unfortunately after a few more laps (about 8 to go) I found my rear tire washing out and had to pull out with a flat... Retired from the second group (places 17-35 or so). Crap! By this point in the race the accelerations were under control and it was pretty much just riding still with the same average speed of around 40-42 km/h but much smoother and working together.
After changing my flat and donning a new kit it was time to turn in my number (you get a refund for most of your entry fee) and ride home with the guys once the race was done.
Well another great learning experience. A shame not to finish but that is luck for you. I could follow moves but ultimately it comes down to being very consistent with your positioning which I can improve for sure. Learning the key players in the field will likely help as well.
Today (saturday) we have a kermesse latter in the day which I hear has a hill??? I will keep you posted.

NHH

A little Kermesse action: operation Tourhout 6/9/06

2006-06-13T21:22:00.000+02:00

This was my first Kermesse back from illness. Since my first kermesse I basically fired all my bullets in the first 30min/ 4laps to stay at the front I decided to ease of a bit and maybe just try and stay in the front 30 places or so and try and learn a bit more be seeing more of the race. The race was a 3.5k lap done 30 times making it feel like a big crit. There were a bunch of 90 degree turns in a town center and then a couple k of cross wind farm roads. After a crummy 5th row start I slowly over the first 4 Furious laps worked my way toward the front only to see 25 or so guys off. Whoops. So everyone knows starts are important. I dropped the ball big time on that.
Our group's tactics were organized chase, sit up, string of attacks, come back together, repeat. This made for a painful few laps while I tried to follow moves to keep my top 30 goal in sight. Well you can only jump so many times and the time I didn't jump it stayed away. Dropped the ball again. Our group maintained the same mix of tactics but more and more we were just pacelining as guys who had been attacking like crazy began to drop. We were staying pretty close to the 13 or so guys but one lap no one pulled and they were gone for good. With about 12 to go they suddenly said sprint right now for 38th place! This was 50 meters from the line so it wasn't much of a sprint but I was near the front since I had been working with a couple of other guys and got 3rd for 40th.
not a fantastic result but placing isn't to bad. I was one of two guys from the team who placed. The other, a guy who lives quite near the CC named Mike Bogaert, got 30th in the group of 13 that sprinted the next lap. An improvement for sure from my first race and I felt like I was strong enough to race here. Also this means that my road to recovery has been heading in the right direction. I can't wait to race again and try and improve further!

Better Weather and Spirits

2006-06-09T13:57:00.000+02:00

Well the sun has been shining for the last week which has been a welcome change to almost certain rain on a daily basis. Along with the change in weather has come the change in my health which has only gotten better throughout the week. Kicked is the Belgian flu, which I hear was quite the epidemic this spring. I hear Dr. Dag Van Elsande, our team doctor but also to Discovery, has said that a large number of pros have come up with the same thing. Apparently all the rain has been blamed for washing all the animal shit off the fields onto the roads and then onto the bottles of the many riders, boom! That's the theory anyways.

I have been riding 3-4.5 h since Monday and feeling stronger every day. Two days ago I rode into Holland just north of Sluis. I rode with fellow CC member Chris Wilson right to the beach and into these cool little bike paths that went through the dunes. We couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance to Cape Cod, MA - it was truly startling. Fun ride though.

The training has thus far consisted of low intensity high cadence rides which seems to be the thing over here. When in Belgium... I guess this type of training arose from the FLAT terrain and style of longer races. The Ardennes are about a to hour ride to the south - I will have to check these out. I have just been taking it day by day though with the training and it will be interesting to see what type of training is recommended once it is determined I am at full health.

Tonight I will race at 6:30, which is pretty late. With the summer equinox so near and a location at 51 degrees north the sun is out early and doesn't set until well after 9. Tourhout is the location which is a medium sized town about 20k south. This should be fun and a good test to see if I am recovered fully or just in my head. Either way it should be interesting and I will give it hell.

best
NHH

Kermesse in Ronse

2006-06-02T13:43:00.000+02:00

For Wednesday we were scheduled to race our first kermesse (we being several other recent arivees and myself.) Ronse is down at the foot of the Ardennes but the kermesse was mostly flat with a gradual climb. The course was 18 laps of a 6k loop with quite a few sharp turns and a good amount of wind as well as a few short cobbled sections.
Coming in My expectations were pretty low since I could feel my legs were still heavy from travel. I was warming up back and forth across the start line and had the good fortune roll up from the front late and get a front row spot. The start was pretty fast and I fought my way to what would become the winning break but as people joined everyone looked to me to close gaps and eventually I had to say 'listen someone else is going to have to come through'.
I spent quite a lot of energy stay quite close to the front and realized that if I was going to make it another 16 laps at this point I would have to chill out a little. Bad idea. As I drifted back the accelerations out of corners became FIERCE. This would be my undoing. After another 2 laps I was unable to match the fields accelerations and was repeatedly gapped. One final time and the differential was too great to get back in. I caught back on through a turn but was gapped for good upon the exit.

Race time 4 of 18 laps, 27min, average 42.5 k/h
Thoughts: The field isn't as crazy aggro as it was hyped up to be and the overall speed wasn't as killer so much as the accelerations (This will come to me with a few races I'm sure). Other than that I am told after the first 4 laps the speed fell down (figures) so maybe a more conservative tactic is the key (especially when not at 100%).
This race gives me confidence that with another try or to I should be able to make some sense of this type of racing. I didn't feel so much outclassed just not much room to f- around when the experience level is so high.

To get in some more training I went up some small climbs (2-4 min) since Hertsberge is quite flat.

Enter the dreaded 'Belgian Flu'

2006-06-02T13:37:00.000+02:00

Thursday morning at 6:30AM I woke up with a stomach ache. This turned into dizziness and a splitting headache that lasted throughout the day. Moving gave me motion sickness and thinking about eating gave me nausea. I managed about 400 calories worth of oatmeal for the day.

Friday morning I awoke feeling 'chipper' as my general outlook might be labeled (not by me hence the quotes.) whew. The 'Belgian Flu' as it has come to be termed is fast and fierce. We will see, I may even race on Sunday. Maybe that is being overly optimistic.

Happy times back at Willamette

2006-05-31T08:59:00.000+02:00

One week in Belgium

2006-05-29T18:06:00.000+02:00

I have been here exactly a week. I am still a little Jet-lagged but I am pretty much used to the day/night thing that seems to be going on here. My legs are kinda coming around. today was a rest day which involved:
Nap
Ride (get lost but not too lost)
IR/Sauna (this thing is the shit!)
That's about it!

Back to the ride thing. In Belgium they have a slightly different philosophy to road design. Build some roads (they don't have to be straight or follow many of the normal rules). Now add some road 'suggestion' signs. Finally since the roads don't resemble a grid (not remotely) add town direction signs.

This is fun for new comers until you want to get somewhere fast and don't have the faintest clue about the names or locations of towns in the area. But, I am learning and the system seems to be working, so hey!
K bye