Kyle Douglas

Last few Days

2009-05-01T07:30:00.005-07:00

I have two more beautiful days left in Belgium. What better way to spend them by touring around the country side. My ride was around 3 hours and 30 minutes, covering 73km. Not bad for a mountain bike with knobby tires. It is amazing the history of a place like this, every town tells a story. Not only do the towns tell stories but so do the forests. I came across a very interesting forest yesterday so I thought I would venture back and snap a few photos for you the reader. The forest was the where E company from the US army bunkered in to hold off the German's from taking the city of Bastogne. They have a little memorial by the forest with a plaque and a description of what had happened their many years ago. Now down the road 5km they have a massive memorial that is dedicated to the brave men and women of the US Air Force, US Army, Special Forces, etc... Pretty cool!

My Ride...

View Larger Map

Enjoy the photos.

Wow....

The Forest...

The monument Dedicated to the US

Belgium country side

Eye opener...

Some kind of church/prayer place built in the side of a rock...

Now entering Luxembourg

Road riding is pretty easy when you have roads like this

Lets see what the next day will bring....

News From Belgium

2009-04-30T11:26:00.002-07:00

I am over half way done my trip, not the best feeling but home is always nice.

I was able to ride the course today and the best way to describe it is... HARD. It might be do to my poor fitness or the fact that it is hardest course I have ever ridden. It has 1030 feet of climbing a lap and most of the climbing is very demanding. I tried riding a lap at an easy to moderate pace... well that was the plan but it quickly turned in to a tempo ride for 2 hours. I tried my hardest to keep the HR low but the variables were working against me. My rusty mountain bike skills also played a massive role on how I handle the many tricky single tracks. I need some major mtb miles to get my self back to where I need to be to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. After my two poor attempts to ride fasts around the course Derek and I decided to ride home. We arrived back at the house at around 2:39 ride time. I wanted to go a little longer so I headed towards Luxembourg. It was the first beautifu

l day in Belgium, and my ride kept me out in the elements for 3 hours and 30 minutes.

There are so many amazing monuments of the war in this area. My goal for tomorrow is to take some photos of the massive war graves and the monument that is dedicated to "E Company" from the US Army.

Stay Tuned for some hot photos and few more stories....

cheers

MMMMMMmmmm.......

Germany and Belgium

2009-04-28T13:19:00.002-07:00

Here are a few photos!!!

Riding in Germany....

The car/bike/our gear/ us.... eeeeee

The house in Belgium... or cottage

The house in Germany

And for the people who know me.... "I give the smoke to the Baby" smoke vending machine

The Supporter

2009-04-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Tales from the other side of the fence: Bike racer turned Supporter.

Support is key to the success of all athletes. The supporter has a tough task of looking after the needs of the riders. Some points it can be very frustrating and at other times exhilarating. The preparation for the supporter varies from the tasks of the athlete but the success of the riders weighs down on the delivery of the supporter.

My task over the next week is to donate my time to the needs and wants of Derek, Amanda and Emily. I accepted the challenge with open arms and an open mind. I am an elite athlete but the many long hours I log on the bike won’t even compare to the strain that is going to be endured to my body after a day of helping. Riding does not prepare you physically to be ready to lug bottles, spare parts and extra clothing from point to point over the day.

The morning consists of making sure you pack down as many calories as you possibly can, not that far off from a racer. The only difference is the form of the calories comes in many different varieties. Racer: CARBS CARBS CARBS, while the supporter eats anything that doesn’t talk back. The next step is to make sure you have all the instructions/wishes from the riders. These can range from where they want to meet you to what bottles they want on the third lap. Although it sounds simple the complexity of it is tested as the day goes on. Believe me STRESSFUL! Pack the car and Job #4 is done, only 689 to go!

Race site brings the added stress of pre-race jitters. Even the best-trained athlete’s get caught up in the “moment.” As they chirp orders at you, “I want you to take this from me at the start line,” “you have my bottles?” and the classic “what pressure are in my tires?” Athletes have a million things going through their heads, when really the mind should be worried about the task of conquering the race. The quickly forget that job of the supporter is to make sure that everything is done and done properly. The trust needs to be built and maintained, tough but defiantly attainable!

As you sit and wait for the gun to sound, the silence is disturbing. The calm before the storm, you can taste the anticipation in the air, it is thick and tense. The only break you have is when the starter says, “15 seconds.” The 15 seconds is your moment of grace, where you think, “wow it is a beautiful,” day or “hmmm I am hungry.” Bamm goes the gun, your signal to move like hell to the feed zone/tech zone. Usually accompanying you is a 40lb backpack, a cooler and spare wheels. Not the easiest things to maneuver through crowds of spectators.

The main job of the day is to feed, feed and feed the riders some more, which on most days is a breeze. World Cup feed zone is a total different story. I think the best word to describe it is INTENSE. Not only do you have to make sure you don’t mess up the feeds to the riders, you have to fight off all the other feeders to get the prime section. It reminds me of being at the bar… and yes there are drunken people around. The only difference is your girlfriend takes the spot of a rider and if another feeder bumps them or looks at them weird you get pissed.

Once that job is complete you quickly switch from bottle deliverer to the caregiver. If it is a good day and everything went well the rider is chipper and will tell you about every little detail of how they battled. If it is a bad day you all of sudden obtain your psychology degree and you help massage the bad and ugly in to something good. The positives sometimes feel like your pulling teeth but it is your job to do your best to cradle the rider in to putting it behind them and focusing on the future. Not my cup of tea, I am more the tough love type, “walk it off!”

You would think your day is done but it isn’t! You will be up to the late hours of the night getting things ready for the next day. Clean the bottles; wash the bikes and chitchat about the drama of the race day.

Would I trade my bike in for this…? Never!!! I would way rather have my battles on the racecourse then from the sidelines

Matty D has Arrived and Off to CALI

2008-03-27T07:56:00.004-07:00

Matt arrived 2 days ago, safe and sound!!! We took him out for a mtb ride within 2hrs of him being here... living the dream!!!

Today we take the motor home to Cali for the NMBS race... super pumped first race of the season!!!

TUCSON, Birthday and MTBING

2008-03-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted an update we were conquering the wall of pain. Now I am 1 year older and I can feel the wisdom pumping through my body. Each day, each moment and each situation it seems that I learn something new about myself, and the people around me. I turned 22 on March 13^th and the day was action packed. We decided to move to Tucson for the weekend to get in some mountain biking and see the other Canadian friends. We all went out for Mexican food in down town Tucson. I had the Grande Burrito… it was grandee delicious. Thanks for a wonderful birthday Fudge, Derek, Mark, Adam, Emily and Charlotte! After enjoying 8 dollar pitchers of beer we all headed pack to the “land yacht” for coconut chocolate cake!!! YUM YUM.

The next 2 days Derek, Fudge and I would take on the challenge of conquering the local mountain bike trails. The riding we did was the most technical trails I have ever been on. Derek and I constantly challenged each other to try new lines down rock-polluted trails. I was super proud of Fudge. She really pushed her skill level; she was riding things that made me look away! We all left with some cactus marks and bumps and bruises but it was well worth it. The second day Derek and I did an EPIC ride… 7hr, 125km mountain bike ride!!! EPIC, ENDURING and certainly without doubt EVENTFUL… pretty much wraps up the ride in three words!

Well we are all safe and sound back in Yuma. I missed the warm blue sky’s, so nice to be back!

Cheers

The Tripod

2008-03-08T08:35:00.004-08:00

It has been a few days since I posted anything... the last few days have been crazy busy... sorry about that... here a few pics of the last few days...

Derek standing 3/4 of the way up... look at that %
We found a crazy mtb climb... it is about 2-3km and you go from 80m to 530m... wall of pain!

We have a new addition to the squad... Fudge arrived a few days ago...

Cheers

delta squad

2008-03-04T07:34:00.005-08:00

Derek and I had a fun ride yesterday in the dessert. We rode through an army base and still we found a way to have fun!

Is that a rocket in your pants? Or are you happy to see me???

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which way to the gym? Tank coming through!!!

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Gone with the Wind

2008-03-02T17:03:00.002-08:00

If Yuma was a place of water then today would have been a sailors delight, but it is a desert. When you add 60km/h winds and sand you get an enormous mess. Derek and I both decided not jump on the bikes because of the sand blasting conditions, so instead we climbed a mountain. The other day we found a trail while mountain biking that looked like it would reach the summit of one of the surrounding mountains. Cory, Derek and Myself laced up the hikers, packed our daypack and set forth. The beginning of the trail was easy breezy. A nice 6% grade would lead us on for half the climb. After a quick stop at a lookout we pushed on. It seemed with every step the grade got steeper and the trail got thinner. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the top, the goat path disappeared and the remaining push to the top looked like it required climbing gear, which we did not have. We made our way back down the mountain and headed home. Derek and I jogged home, while Cory got picked up by his Dad (Ken). Total time for adventure #7 was 3hrs 7mins, we covered 12.5km.

Cheers

Dougy and Derek

Into The Wild

2008-03-01T09:02:00.004-08:00

Yesterday Derek and I ventured out into the wild. We did a 3 hr mountain bike ride in the desert. The night before a friend of Ken’s (the owner/ friend of the family that’s house we are staying at) was telling us how he hasn’t seen a snake in 6-7years and not to worry. Well about 1hr 45mins in to out ride Derek looks at me and says, “snake.” I said, “really?” “Do you want to go back?” Derek said, “kind of.” So we turned around and went back to check it out. Lucky for us it wasn’t poisonous. The ride was a lot of fun. We either went up or down and every trail was polluted with rocks…. Derek described it at as sketchyyyyyy!!!

Today is a rest day so we are going to ride in to town and check out the bike shops!

Cheers for now

KD and DZ

Piks

2008-02-28T21:25:00.006-08:00

The Dougy and Derek Show

2008-02-27T13:08:00.003-08:00

The time has come to get back up on the pony. The blog's main focus is the time and life of Derek and I. We Are currently in Yuma Arizona, riding our bikes... I'm on vacation!!! Hope the change of pace is cool...

Some of you may have seen the movie 3:10 to Yuma... well our trip started at 5:10. We left Ashburn at 5:10 Friday night, the journey began! The first night we got over the boarder and bunkered down in a Walmart parking lot. (that happens everynight on the way down) The next day we punched it and bunkered down in Texas. It was a long day of driving. Derek and I really wanted to ride in Tucson so we camped out in a really nice campground. Cris was an animal driving, driving and driving... he was driving like a champ. The next day we set out for the last bit of the drive, a short 4hr drive from Tucson to Yuma.

One word to descirbe Yuma... HOT... it is now our second day and I have all the visible tan lines...

LIVING the Dream.... Im on vacation!!!

cheers

Kyle

Doug Kybo- war of the worlds

2008-01-30T04:33:00.000-08:00

War of the Worlds!

Wow my cyclocross season has come to a finish. I did the time, I put in the effort and I raced the race of all races. I am happy with my performance at Worlds but not satisfied. The best way to describe it is when you see a nice croissant and your taste buds go wild but then you bite in to it expecting a burst of flavor, but rather you get the flavor of a piece of cardboard.

The start was hectic, right off the gun the guy beside me crashed taking out another guy causing the whole back of the field to slow. I dashed left and then dashed right trying to find my way through the riders. The whole first lap all I could taste was blood. I was going so hard I was getting dizzy. It is World Championships I was thinking, now or never, feel the pain now live the rest of your life a champion, die or do something, go balls deep! Pretty much flashbacks of every movie quote came in to my head. I put my head down and hammered. I was in a group with 2 Americans and 1 Canadian. One lap passed and I found myself falling off the wheel of the group. I just couldn’t hold the pace. The next 2 laps were hell; I swear I was riding backwards. Lucky for me the last 2 laps made up for my disappointing middle of the race. I hammered hard to the finish passing 3 guys and closing the gap to the forth guy. The last 2 laps I had speed and rhythm. I ended the day crossing the line in 50^th. Happy with my performance but not satisfied! The rest of the Under 23 Canadians were all happy about the day!

After a long hard day of racing I dived in to the local cuisine and enjoyed 2 pizzas, beer and wine… wow did it all taste yummy.

The next day was the Pro Women’s and Pro Men’s race, It was cheering time! The rest of the Canadian Athletes spent the day cheering on Wendy, Kelly, Mike, Aaron and Osmond. They all had great rides!

Monday I toured Venice and checked out everything in the sinking city. Pretty cool place! Got to spend the day with Mom, Dad, Bill and Sonja… what an adventure!

Now I am home for a bit, time to rest, work and get ready for mountain bike season!

Cheers

Out of touch

2008-01-29T00:33:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

I just finished up being a tourist... I am about to head home... once I get some good internet I will put up my race report and some photos!

cheers

thanks for all the supppppoorrtttt!!!!!!

Die or do Something

2008-01-25T01:42:00.000-08:00

The day, the afternoon and the night before the big event!

The wait, the preparation, the anxiousness and the pain all have been worth it. Tomorrow is World Championships! In September I sat down with my coach and we laid out the months ahead everything leading to this event. Every weekend traveling to a new town, racing against all sorts of people. It all has paid off! The people and the companies that got me here I really owe, if it wasn’t for there belief in me I wouldn’t be in Italy about to race the World Championships. The immense support from family and friends has kept the cranks turning. It is time to funnel every ounce of fight in to the race tomorrow. Game Face.

Every act, every thought, and every decision you decide to make or not to make is creating your tomorrows, carving your character and creating your destiny!

The course… is fun, hard, challenging, etc… tomorrow I am going to go out and bleed from my eyes, while I am bleeding from my eyes I am going to have fun. Who would of thought bleeding and fun would be in the same sentence. In the wisdom of DZ… its just another hard training ride except there will be 20,000 people yelling at you to go harder and faster!

To switch courses for second I just want to let everyone know John Rambo is back in Rambo 4… In theatres January 25^th 2008, TODAY!

Training on course

CHEERS

Ian Man-dawg Manning- The other brother who does not play Football

2008-01-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

Ian Manning Interview

Ian has arrived in Italy and I thought it would be appropriate to give him the KD 10 question special. Little background on Ian: he likes long walks on the beach and candle light dinners… sometimes the sounds of the ocean. He rides for 3 Rox Racing for the cross season and is currently an employee for Starbucks and Milestone’s.

1) Who is the man behind the sunglasses? Define yourself.

I am a 21-year-old titan who enjoys a goodtime, and am going into my 3^rd year of treating cycling professionally.

2) Ian you arrived in Italy yesterday… is it what you dreamed it to be?

Besides only sleeping for the last hour of traveling and not seeing much of the airport I was shocked on how warm it was when I stepped outside. It is a nice 10-15degrees difference then back home right now. Seeing the old downtown section of where we are staying in Treviso was incredible, its beautiful and just makes me eager to see more of Italy!

3) This is your first time in Europe and first time racing outside North America is this one of your bucket list items? How so?

Racing all over North America has been nice, but to finally step across the pond was always a dream of mine and now I am able to “check” that off and still plan to race over here much more.

4) Racing for The National Team… pretty cool… I noticed when you put your new Canada race kit you starred at yourself for a while in the mirror. What was going though your head?

Dang I make this look good…haha! But yeah I was always so glad the sizes were right.

5) How did you get here? What do you think was the main reason you are going to take on the World in few days?

Well after a season full of bad bounces in road I decided cyclo-cross was going to be different. Therefore making criteria from certain races and still pulling off a result at nationals after crashing with couple laps to go has allowed me the chance to be over here….and some good training with you buddy!

6) How will Worlds change you as a racer and person? Or will it?

I have been fortunate enough to race many highly categorized races all over North America competing against many world class cyclists But Worlds is in a class of its own, it brings the best out in you where you fight as hard as you can for that one day of the year.

7) What is your plan for World Championships?

To bleed through my eyes from the pain of going past my capabilities that I know I can do.

8) What is the future plan for Ian Manning?

Worlds is the last race of the season for me, I will go home and start to get ready for the upcoming season where I have to ride to what I am capable of good results.

9) What is the best advice someone has ever given you?

My mentor who owns a bike shop who I have worked for 9 years has raced all over Europe and has more knowledge then you can shake a stick at. He has constantly given advice to help steer me in the right direction. But what sticks out in the mind the most would be…”when you think you are going hard enough, go harder!”

10) Work hard now live the rest of your life as a champion… what is your opinion of that quote?

To me that means that you can not just slack and half ass everything, take everything in stride and always give a memorable effort because you need to work hard to be a champion you do not just walk in the starlight.

ITALY!!!!!

2008-01-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

I arrived safe and sound in Italy today... hooked up with the National Team. My roommate for the remainder of the trip is Ian Manning... going to be a good time!!! look for the inside Ian Manning interview...

cheers

Interview

2008-01-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

Check out www.cyclocrossontario.com for an interview I did!!!

Racing in Europe

2008-01-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

Picture by Norm

update

2008-01-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

The last stretch of the trip!

Well before I give you the race report I want to update you with the last few days. I have been staying in Mol, Belgium at a Belgium cottage resort called Sunparks. The place was a really nice facility. I was staying with Rob “Robocop” Orange, “Hot Rod” Olliver (he likes to party) and sickie mic sickie Stephen Proulx… The whole point of moving from Leuven to Mol was because Master World Championships was on Saturday in Mol. I was pitting for Robbie Orange on Saturday and did he have a great race!!! In fact all the Ontario riders had great rides. Congrats to Steve, Marc and Vicki. Also props to the westerners Norm and Brad!

Over the last 3 days the life of KD hasn’t really been all that different. Riding, Eating and sleeping… The main that has been stripped from me was the Internet… and wow three days of not checking out the World Wide Web has really hurt!

Race Day: World Cup Nederland’s

Lets just say pre riding a course is sometimes a good idea… and warming up is also an even better idea. It was one of those days… My head wasn’t really in it. I had my first DNF in Europe. Now that’s something I really don’t like doing because quitting is something that I don’t do. I had a pretty pathetic crash in to a fence and bummed up my side. It happened on the first lap and just took the wind right of my sails. After completing 3 horrible laps I pulled out and called it quits for the day. There is a first and last for everything and that is DNFing in Europe.

On a positive note the rest of the Canadians were riding strong. Shaun Adamson was riding strong in the Under 23 race. What I know of the junior race Dave Larson completed his first European race… Tag yeah! Wendy Simms and Kelly Jones were ripping up the elite women’s race. Wendy grabbed another 5^th… BAM! The Elite men’s race was exciting. I have to say Aaron Scholar is hilarious to cheer for all smiles from that guy. Osmond and Mike G were ripping up the course!!! Now one Canadian I really don’t know but was funny in the race was a Quebec guy named Pascal. He almost ate it hard on the decent I crashed on but he saved it. After saving it he waved to the crowd. Lets just say if you wave to a cyclocross crowd they don’t forget you. Every time Pascal would drop in on the decent the crowd would go nuts. Nice work buddy!!!

Well today is travel mode, Hot Rod and I are grabbing a Hotel at the airport and getting ready for our flights tomorrow. Italy is tomorrow and World Championships is 5 days away. Each night is slotted for movie watching… can you guess? Rocky!!!

Robyn, Cris, Bill and Sonja arrive in Italy tomorrow!

Ian “The Champ” Manning arrives tomorrow as well!!!

Cheers

Living the Dream

Picture of crash

2008-01-20T11:17:00.003-08:00

so0000000 here is the pic of me crashing last week!!! hahahah ouch!!!!!!!!

GONE

2008-01-17T05:53:00.001-08:00

so yeah... No internet... I will update people in 3 days...

CHEERS

In or Out?

2008-01-16T04:27:00.001-08:00

Kyle more then meets the eye!

Today is moving day! I am parting ways with the Leuven Apartment and parting ways with Molly my roommate. Molly is heading back home to Portland but before arriving home he is attending the last UCI race on the American calendar in California. Rod and I on the other hand are moving north. We will be living just outside a town called Mol with Rob and Steve, 2 other Canadians. I have 13 days left of my trip and 10 days till World Championships…

For once I woke up early and got started on the day. Made the morning coffee slipped in to my scandalously fly bike kit… a.k.a spandex and ventured out on the roads of Belgium. I had one major thing to do on my ride and that was finding the Scott factory. I was meeting up with Eddie Dewit from Scott to chat about plans of returning for next year and to check out the building. I made it to the factory under 45mins and met up with Eddie. After I left Scott, I decided that I would rather not take the same route home. With a quick decision I hung a right on the first road I came across. I journeyed along the coble-stoned road until the road stopped at a “T”… Hmmmmm decisions??? Left or right??? I knew that home was in some direction left of where I was….so I went left.. This road slowly turned in to a dirt road and led me in to a forest. I knew it would go somewhere like all roads… they do lead you somewhere!!! As I was cruising along, I began to daydream and take in the elements around me. In my case trees and small steep banks is what was entertaining me. Something caught my eye though. I stopped and tried to make it out from the trail but just couldn’t make it out. EXPLORING time! I ditched the bike and started to climb the small bank. I found a small concrete opening imbedded in to the side of the bank. I tried looking in but couldn’t really see anything so I climbed to the top. At the top I found a concrete staircase leading down in to what looked like a chamber. Now this is when I couldn’t decide do I proceed and explore this bunker like thing or do I play it safe and walk away. Knowing my luck if I went down or tried to look around I would have gotten hurt… that would have been a beauty phone call home… Anyways I took off. Grabbed my bike and carried on my way. I got home safe and ended the ride with a wondering mind… all I can think about what was in the concrete bunker…????

I may never know…

Cheers

Participants described three main ways in which they drew sense and meaning from life: through interconnections with others (belonging), taking part in activities (doing), and seeking to understand their own nature and the world around them (understanding)."

allez allez

2008-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Viva La France……….

France it went by so fast… fewf. My French campaign was shortly lived. I was discussing with the roommates… (By the way I have one new roommate Rod Oliver from Cyclocross Ontario)… how in cycling you really cant blame other people for your result in a race. While in most team sports you can pass the blame off to another player, coach or in the Leafs case the GM for a bad performance. With that being said a Dutch rider may have taken me out early in the race and it cost me a few spots but really the 37^th finishing spot was what I could do! You always want better, you always will want to be faster and you will always want to be the winner and it can all happen! I am a true believer in the defeats I face now will make the journey to being victorious that so much better. That’s the beautiful life of an Athlete, always wanting more! The road you may take may turn or get bumpy but… fight it so that when you get to the end you can be a champion. Proof… Wendy Simms best World Cup finish to date I think was 14^th… today 5^th!!! Congrats Wendy. Also props to the rest of the Canadians… the high fives, the smiles, the cheering...and the fun… is what makes it all worth it!

Anyways my race may have had some ups and some downs but overall I went to France raced the best in the world and placed 37^th. Now I prepare for another World Cup where I set the bar higher, digging deeper and knocking a few places off the number 37!

For those who have Facebook I will be putting up some videos from the race. Also I will be putting a photo album up as well. I have a photo of me eating the Dutch rider after he ate the fence… but Rod forgot his cable to transfer the photo. Once we get it I will post it on the Blog, it is really funny I had a good laugh!

Cheers

Happy living!

Gotta be KD

Oh France...............

2008-01-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

….F%$#… I give the smoke to the baby!

Today I woke up after a super crappy sleep and thought wow I am tired wish I wasn’t going to France. All night I kept getting up, if I was lucky I may have gotten 5hrs of sleep. It was like I was in prison trying to sleep and my cellmates name was Bubba and Bubba had an expression on his face that spelled out trouble!

Anyways enough prison talk! We packed the car and headed to France! For once on this trip Molly and I arrived early and had time to check out the course, have a coffee, brush up on our French speaking and relax with our belgie friends! (I wrote this right after the race… before the bitter bus came)

5hrs later…..

I thought the race went well… I placed 33^rd… not bad… but deep down the race just seemed blahhhhhhhhhhhh… the course matched my style… well half the course and the other half was all flat soccer field stretches! I would get some rhythm and then loose it. I would catch a guy then loose a guy… for every positive there was a negative. I had bike problems, then my bike worked like a charm. I am just going to say it, bad day at the office. Molly was super pumped for my ride he thought I was killing it… I just wasn’t feeling it.

I just really don’t feel like writing up a report on this race.

Notes:

- Tomorrow World Cup- (I am watching Rocky tonight)

- France’s roads SUCK!

- Molly and I got lost a lot today- 2hrs of wasted time.

- Rode my bike… like a champ in the tech spots

- Stressed

- TIRED

Conclusion: the number of times I have sworn today, 567,098,478

The End

Better days Approach!

5hrs 38mins later...

found a positive...

I raced today in Roubaix... a very famous area... and I did 3/4 a lap of the track per lap of the race that the famous road race Paris-Roubaix finishes on!!!! SO COOL!

How fast is to Fast?

2008-01-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

My last race was on January 2^nd 2008, 10 days I have been without a race, I will tell you why. I have been doing 2 things… secret training… so shhhhhh don’t tell anyone and I have been collaborating with a local Aerodynamic Speed Specialist Team (A.S.S) to design me a bike to race at World Championships. I know 10 days doesn’t seem like a long time but we have been working around the clock. The work that goes in to designing a bike custom to fit your needs takes a massive effort. It really has tired me out. I want to thank the following people for there efforts!

Igor- Aerodynamics Specialist

Alford- Master Machinist

Kasha- Marketing- Sales

Hans - Graphic Designer

Bob- Agent

Now I am not to sure if I will be able to getting it running for this weekend only because it needs a few tweaks but Molly my roommate took it for a ride around the block.....

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Molly says, “Its quick… shake and bake”

Anyways... I am off to France in the morning... look for race updates by Monday... not sure if I will have access to Internet!!!

cheers

hot off the press

2008-01-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

New Quote..

The one choice that cannot be taken away from us, is how we choose to live. In knowing this then why do we not act on this choice. Instead we fret over things that will only provide fleeting happiness. Let what you want the world to be, become the way you choose to live.  

Written by Renee

Good Morning

2008-01-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

Gather around its story TIME

2008-01-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Upperrdaterrrr

Today is January 9^th 2008- T-minus 17days till World Championships!

The last few days have flown by. It felt like I was packing my bags up to leave to come here, January 26^th is fast approaching on me.

I Decided to put the cross tires back on my bike to do some training in the forest. As you may recall I found myself there a few days ago on my cross bike, but with slick tires. I had to go back and ride the mountain bike trails I found. I was loosing sleep over the fact that I found them, took the safe route out and found the nearest road, which is a sin in my books! I ventured back there yesterday, found the trails and rode them. I stopped at a “T” where there was a bench and a map of the forest! On the bench sat a man, a man that had striking resemblance to no other then Ron Hancock. If you’re reading this Hancock family… I found Ron’s long lost twin. I had to take a second and look. In fact I was tempted to even say… Ronbob?... The gentlemen I guess noticed my abnormal curiosity toward him and started talking some gibberish to me… which I think, was Flemish… What I got out of it was… Hello…srtdfyugihojerfvubdwoeqivffygchbjkjdfbdivc… I pulled out the Ik spreek non Nederlands en non Francais… Lucky for me Ron’s twin could speak some English! Yeah well not only did he look like Ron, he could tell a story like Ron… I enjoyed my 10min break talking to EuroRon and went on my way….

I am tell you this story because today… I was riding back in to Leuven and I saw EuroRon again. He was crossing the street near my house… he waved, I waved… we both had a moment! The best part was the forest I saw him in was 20km away from town… EuroRon gets around!!!

Well other then that I am just relaxing in the Apartment! I found a new addiction…washing dishes…. Just kidding Mom…

Cheers

Gotta be KD

Values

2008-01-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

Values???

I am sent an email every morning from Alvin Brown. It usually contains some sort of advice that helps drive through each day… Yesterday He posed the question, what are your values? Some people don’t take the time to even think about what there true values are. Some of the time you probably are acting out your values in life and don’t even realize it! Maybe take time out of your day and write them down. Take a second and read Alvin’s email!

At the end of last Year and beginning of 2008, I began to look at my goals and desires for the rest of this year. This is something that I feel is essential to everyone's growth and development, not just for the material reality but also for the soul.

As we have all heard before, if you don't have a plan for your life, someone else will and you may not like what they have planned for you. If you have not made your 2008 plans, let's get to it. The time for getting ready to plan is NOW!

Here is the question that was asked by Franklyn Covey, "What are your values?" I found this to be a great question to pose to you all. I have been doing my yearly goals in detail for some time now and this is the question I always come back to because ultimately, your values must be an integral part of your ideal end goal.

Here are some examples to start with:

Truth

Change

Benevolence

Persistence

Consistency

Love

Charity

Achievement

Fill in your own, but let's get it together because when the chips are down your values will drive you through.

Give this some thought and begin to implement this in your life. Bring back the PASSION, life's too short!

To find out more about Alvin Brown and Vital- Dynamics check out his webpage… www.vital-dynamics.com

GPS- making it to easy

2008-01-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

Back at it

After a nice day of resting I was back at the preparation for the next coming weeks, with the ultimate goal of performing at the end of the month.

I was using my GPS today to guide me through the twisty roads of Belgium. I started off on a four-lane road with a two-way bike path on each side; it then turned in to a two-lane road with a single lane bike path. As time passed the road changed to a two-lane road with no bike lanes. The road began to turn and go out of a little village, as it did this it turned in to a single lane paved road, then coble stone, then dirt, then finishing off as a goat path. I ended up being right in the middle of a forest, on road tires with mountain bike trails starring me right in the eyes, so tempting. One thought come to mind, DAMN road tires!!! Maybe a blessing in disguise, knowing me I would have attempted some of them and injuring myself. The next thing I thought of was only if DZ was here… it would have been one the classic Dougy and Derek moments… did you just do that? Yes, why?... Now I have to do it!!!... Thank you for not being here Derek!!! Shortly after I would find a road. I pulled out one of my skillzzzz, other then following my trail back I put my ear to the ground and listened for traffic… Just kidding the GPS pointed me to safety! I finished off a great ride and enjoyed delightful bowl of soup with hummus and rice crackers!

Cheers from the flats of Belgium

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

Mahatma Gandhi

Day by Day

2008-01-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

The Days of Resting

Rest days are a blessing. Most of the time you are not resting, it usually consists of getting everything done that you have been putting off because of your training. Once again I had many things to do before I had a chance to put my feet up and enjoy the classic sit and do nothing. Since I arrived everything seemed to be rushed. A rush to build the bikes, a rush to get on the bike, a rush to eat…. The days just didn’t seem long enough in the first week I was here. Now that I have most of the items out of the way the days seem longer and I have time to chill!

Yesterday I decided with the help of Rob Orange to go and watch him race in the Northern part of Belgium. He faired well in the race. His bike on the other hand took a royal beating. This course was ankle deep of mud. I washed his bike after and I would say it weighed in at 40lbs. While I was up that way I decided it would be sweet to ride to the North Sea. Sooo that’s what I did t kill a few hours before Rob’s race.

After the race we also took a gander in to Brugge to grab a bite to eat. The place is still the same… coble roads, tall old churches and tones of chocolate stores!

Lastly… I have been bored so to keep myself entertained I have been doing the good old Google search on things. I came across the Muhammad Ali web page and a few of his quotes…

Enjoy!

To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.

Muhammad Ali

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘‘don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.''

Muhammad Ali

I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.

Muhammad Ali

If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.

Muhammad Ali

If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.

Muhammad Ali

10 Questions with Mike Berube- Professional Photographer

2008-01-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

I decided to change up the main focus of the Blog for just a second to interview my good friend Mike Berube. I asked him 10 questions about who he is and what he is about. Before you read the questions I just want to give you the KD of Mike Berube. Mike and I went to High school together, we had lockers beside each other and a few classes. I have been talking to Mike almost every night because our time zones are a lot closer then the people back home in Canada. Mike is currently working in Africa and is knee deep in the political outburst in Kenya. This guy sees things that we normal turn away from and his job is to photograph it and send it around the world. Most nights I come home and I fix my bikes, work on writing up my race reports for the family and friends back home. Mike meanwhile has to go out in to a country that is polluted with violence and risk his life so that we can read about it as we drink our morning coffee!

10 Questions with Mike Berube…

1) Who are you… if you and I just met in the elevator and you only had 10 seconds to tell me who Mike Berube is, what would that be?

1. Hey I'm called mike. And I am a human being.

2) Where in the World are you?

2. Right now I am currently in Kenya Africa working for a series of magazines covering the conflict here. I am also using the work for a book I am publishing in the summer.

3) Do you ever get tired of traveling?

3. I love traveling. I never get tired of it. I love to see the world in all of its horror, beauty and wonder. I love that I live out of a suitcase!

4) Is photography a passion, art, work or just something that fell in to your lap?

4. Photography literally was something that I thought was just a hobby. I never knew it would be my life. My camera takes me everywhere. I have met many people with it and seen many things with it. It fell into my lap in high school and that is all the education I have with it. I have not looked back since.

5) Why do you think photos have an influence on people?

5. I think images have a profound effect on people because it generates an immediate reaction to what is happening or what is being said. It is important to say something with your life and your work. To stand-alone and be one in a crowd. I think that when people see what is going on in the world they want something done about it. Because if we don't who will?

6) What was the hardest thing to photograph for you? And why?

6.The hardest thing to photograph... I always have a hard tome approaching a situation that involves me approaching a family and entering their house to get pictures and to make the story. It is hard because as photographers we "take" pictures... We are always taking... So it is important to ensure you give back in some way and to make sure that everyone feels good about the situation. To put your subjects at ease and show them that you are human and that you have true compassion for the situation that they are in.

7) What is the Best advice someone has ever given you?

7. There are lots of great people I have met and many things I have learned and have not learned... I still make mistakes... everyday... I have probably invented some as well. But the best advice… Bob Gilka at National Geographic... "F8" (camera setting) and "Be there"

8) What Kind of story will you tell your grand kids?

8. I would tell them to be aware of the world and events and to show compassion and help those in need of a voice, shoulder, friend or someone to listen too... And to speak out against wrong in the world. Protest peacefully either by painting, writing, photography... whatever it takes... and in that protest... to help and show others to protest. so that people may live safe and happy like them.

9) If there were one thing you could change in this World what would it be?

9. Peace... We need it.

10) What do you think about this quote… live for something or die for nothing your call?

10. Your whole life... I believe is a self-portrait. You have a canvas, photograph, pencil and paper... what will you make of it in the end? What mark will you leave? And will that live on when you are gone? Will you touch others in a way that no one will forget you? Live for everything!

I was motivated to post this because I think everyone should take a moment and relax… If you are frustrated because you missed your TV show, or you didn’t get perfect on a test… just chill…my message is… Be grateful, thankful, be happy and have fun… things could be a lot worse…

Life’s a Garden Dig it!!

To get a closer look on what Mike Berube is dealing with… here are a few links:

www.mikeberube.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7170493.stm

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/01/03/kenya.violence/index.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080103.wnewken0103/BNStory/International/home

Fish out of water

2008-01-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

Race number threeeeeeeee… today is brought to you by the letter F… for Fun

Today was one of those days that I am thankful is over… super tired, traveling and racing has finally caught up with me. I have been here for 4 days and I have had hardly any major problems, just lots of racing. Molly and I had a long day of getting things done before we headed to the race. We had to drop off a rental and pick up another one. That flat tire we had ended up costing us 150 euros… don’t rent from eurocar….anyways… We got a new a car that is cheaper and a little bigger. We started the day bummed out about the tire but that was a low that would shortly end with our day of racing. We arrived at the race. I met up with some fellow Canadians, talked with the Brits and met a wonderful family that will be helping me out for the remainder of my trip. Molly had more bad luck swing his way when they denied his license, huge headache. I jumped on the course and pre road 2 laps, after that I jumped on the road… which was a mistake I frooozeeeee… The course was very interesting, off camber down hills, stairs, beach (running/riding), tight twisty corners (very similar to single track) and loopy frozen grass corners. Now on a good day that’s a perfect course for me. I was just not in the groove for the first three quarters of this race. It all started with a bad start, then I was being a little girl in the corners riding the brakes, then there’s the beach. I felt like a fish out of the water, just flopping all over the place. Something came over me on the last 2 laps, I think it was the… what would Rambo do…. Kill count 134538939458… it was one of those great moments when you grip your bar tighter, clinch your teeth, put your head down and hammer. First came the no brakes in the corners… two wheel sliding… then came the KD burst’s out of the corners… Now it was time for the sand, as I dropped in off the ramp on to the beach, I just began to float. The running on the sand felt like I was a deer galloping through a forest. I started to get back in to the groove. I ended the race on a high note… patience’s… your legs after 2 races in 3 days and traveling can pay a toll… I placed 34^th… and was very close to not being lapped…

Molly and I had a house race… whoever won doesn’t have to clean the apartment… Molly got 28^th… looks like vacuuming for me… I better fly over Cris for that job!!!

NOTES:

- Next race Jan 12^th/ 13^th…UCI race and World Cup…

- Pumped for a little recovery!

- After the race I chilled in a RV and drank Coffee with my pitting family…nice change

- Rob Orange landed in town… time for some chillin with other Canadians.

- Molly is leaving for 4 days… home alone in Belgium…

The Rambo quote that got me past today…

“Live for something or die for nothing…your call”- John Rambo

http://movies.break.com/rambo/

Result

2008-01-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

sooo on a good note, i ended up 28th today...taking that right to the bank

Kybo First Blood Part 2

2008-01-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

Round 2… I came, I raced, and I conquered in one-way or another!

I am trying to write up this race report in record speed because of many reasons… 1- super tired 2- I race tomorrow (3 races in 4 days) and our internet has hit the s*&t fan!

Today’s race was another crazy attended race by all the top cyclocross racers in the World. The field had a lot of depth in it. Current World Champion, UCI World Ranking leader, U23 World Champion, 2^nd Place U 23 World Champion, 2 Prior World Champions… and the list goes on! Oh I forgot to mention 2006 Under 23 National Champion…hahahaha. Yeah this guy! Anyways back to the race. This course was crazy hard. My roommate warned me to maybe consider skipping this race only because of the damage it could do to your bike and body. Sign me up! I couldn’t get on the course because of the large amount of drunken Belgium spectators polluting the course with their stumbling bodies! I then quickly decided to dash out on to some side roads and get the legs warmed up. Going in to this course blind could play a major role on the outcome of the result, but seriously I am not looking for a result I am looking at it as a building block. Once again I get a sweat call up. It never gets old when you here your name called and you get to ride past all the crazy screaming fans. They really are not cheering for yours truly, they just seem to yell for the duration of the race. Usually at the start of a race you will here a gun, a whistle or the classic GO, not here they go with a red light changing to a green. (Thank you for the heads up on that one Shaun). As the group accelerated up the straight pavement section we made a quick right to climb a long gradual hill. I glanced right and then left then looked forward, I then became aware that I was sitting in sweet position. Now at this point all I knew was that we made a sweeping right to a 180 degree corner that led in to a double barrier. After that… I had no clue…it was moi against the course. The next 7mins was crazy… fighting for position, making corners on 4-6 inch deep thick mud and trying to just unleash any furry on to my pedals! I held in strong, making gains then loosing then fighting back… it was a tug a war! I was sitting in with a group of 4 guys, knowing that it wasn’t going to last I hit the gas and blew the group to pieces. As I looked back one guy made the effort as well. The 2 of us played cat and mouse until his efforts got the best of him and he fell off my wheel. Just as I thought all the effort was paying off I heard the cheers from the crowd…, which means the leader is approaching. Panic mode… pedal pedal pedal… it wasn’t good enough the UCI Overall leader came roaring up behind me to lap me with 2 laps to go. I got yanked and the days done!

I made up huge ground on my racing. Last year I was getting lapped with about 3-4 laps left in the race. By the end up this trip my goal will be to hang in for the whole race. It’s a massive goal but shoot for the stars.

Notes:

- As I was getting ready some Belgium dad was just laying in to his son who was no older then 17. Molly and I couldn’t stop ourselves from listening in. Molly thought it would be appropriate to lay in to me as a joke… it went along the lines…. If you don’t beat the world champion your riding home… If I have to get your mother out here she will loose it… etc etc etc…

- When we pulled in from the race I got out to hear the famous. Hisssssss… yeaop we got a flat tire on the car…it’s fixed now!

- Last night for New Years I celebrated in great fashion by reading a book because our Internet crashed… then I watched fireworks. The locals did a great job! I also enjoyed a great bottle of sparkling mineral water.

- I had to go to the grocery store New Years Eve… The check out line was 30mins… the worst 30mins I have had in Europe.

Cheers

Gotta be KD

JEtLeG more like JeTMAn

2007-12-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

Race number one: Check, done, fini, complete...

The common syndrome of traveling is the good old jet leg. Now as a firm believer of travel fatigue I would say I had my best day in europe (other then Worlds last year) today at Diegem Superprestige. I was looking at this race as a taste blood, legs cramp, blowout, with low expectations to clean out the winter blues kind of race. Lets just say all that happened in a 5 star fashion. I was super excited for this race, its by far my favorite course in Europe. It has many tech sections, lots of climbing and many drunk spectators pollute the streets, the perfect mix for a cloudy day of cross racing in Europe. I was just wanting to go out and have a happy day in the saddle, take it all back in! Last year I remember they missed my call up and I was sitting in last place. This year they did not forget and I got called up 8th... HUGE... I was actually a little disappointed, now hear me out. I wanted to just fly under the radar and start at the back, feel out the race legs. I didnt hesitate I rode up and placed my self on the far outside. Starting a race in Europe is a mix of insanity and crazy high speeds, my middle name is insanity and crazy high speed... so right up my alley. I hammered off the start and just tried to sit on as many wheels as possible. The thing is these guys move forward and you move back there is no other way to explain it. I just kept the speed up and danced on my pedals. Around the second or third lap fellow Canadian Shaun Adamson pulled things together and put a sweet pass on me (big ups bro) and was setting a mean pace. I couldn't resist to jump on his wheel and hammer it out. I was just hanging on to his wheel for the next lap, he was riding super smart so I wanted to put myself with him. The next lap the cycling Gods felt like giving me a boost and I franticly screamed up this muddy hill putting a gap on the little group I was in. I think Shaun went for it as well but he could not get the last 15-20ft... and in cross thats the dead zone. Shaun ended up finishing strong to my knowledge. Anyways back to my race. I ended up catching a group of five guys, which had 2 Americans in it. Perfect so I thought, chill here and fight to the death. We kept chilled for about a lap and then came the speed bursts by the Euros, then followed by an attack by the Americans. Gotta be KD... so I hit the gas and unleashed the lumberjack within and put the attack on, we ended up catching a guy and dropping a guy so it was a win lose situation. Now at this point I had 2 laps to go. The worst feeling if you have nothing left. Your thought process goes from alright I can do this to... earmuffs mom... f%$@...but at that moment a line from Rocky 6 came in to my head and it carried me to the finish...

I think I was in the top 50... hahaha good race... top 50... if you have a problem with it fly to Belgium and we can discuss it over a cup of finger extra strong coffee...to the face

After my race I grabbed a bite to eat and got out of my muddy uniform. I was moving quickly only because I had to pit for Molly my American roommate. Molly had a sweet race in my opinon... let me ask... in his words... "eff yeah, I had fun, didn't get a result because of my flat but I had fun!!!" from the champ himself.

Anyways I will rest tomorrow and then do back to back races on Jan 1st and Jan 2nd

stay tuned,

" the road may be bumpy... so ride a cross bike"

Made it

2007-12-29T05:24:00.000-08:00

Alive and in one piece… I think that’s the best title to any story where people are wondering if you are ok…

I arrived in Belgium today and stepped foot in to my apartment at exactly 11:30am.

The last 24hrs has been an amazing adventure. It all started at 9180 Ashburn Rd with my drive to the airport. Fudges battery was dead in her truck so we had to jump it with my Mom’s truck. The drive to the airport was easy and relaxing, it was a non-issue all to the stellar driving of Fudge and my Mom. The airport is another story, my bike bags cost me $250 and everyone wanted to know what was in the bags. Before I continue on with my little story I have to thank Sonja Graham my travel agent for getting me awesome flights over to Belgium. Anyways back to the splash. I had no real problems on my first flight other then I was hungry. The long Haul was a tiny bit different. The crew forgot to fill the plane with water so we left the terminal 1hr 30mins after our original departure time. The weird part of it is that the plane landed 38mins early in Brussels, crazy. I then grabbed my bikes and headed for the train station. (Note to self…caring a bike bag hurts a cyclist body… invest in wheels or sherpa) I landed in Leuven, waited for an hr and then arrived my chariot to take me to the housing.

Now I am just trying to get settled in because I race tomorrow…..eeeeeeeeeeee…..

Cheers

Tis The Season...

2007-12-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

Over the past week I have been trying to get in the last few winter activities I enjoy this time of year. Unfortunately the weather seemed to turn to the worse and it rained all day today. We lost most of our snow... super depressing.

To rewind a bit last weekend The family and I went out and cut down the family christmas tree... It was a blast... here are few a photos.

After tree hunting we went to the CRCS Xmas skating party...

Getting back on the Horse

2007-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Time fly’s by when you are having fun. The last time I posted on my wall was over 4 months… that’s way to long… sorry for that. I would like to say the reason for not posting was the fact that I was loaded with things to do but really it was me being pure lazy. Now that I have shaken that bug I will be posting regularly on here just to keep people updated with my adventures or just to write down my random thoughts…

The Update:

I will be leaving for Belgium on Dec 28^th to start my Europe cyclocross campaign. I will be racing 3 UCI cross races, 2 World Cups and last but not least World Championships on January 26^th in Italy. I am super excited about Italy, it has been a life long dream to go to Italy and now I get to go and race there…living the dream!

The Prep:

Well right now I am just trying to log as much bike time as the weather permits me to. As most people know Snow+Bike= sickness, depression, trainer time and crashes… With the snow I have been logging many epic snowshoe adventures. My home turf offers many unique landscapes to challenge my efforts.

The Life:

This time of year seems to always stress people out because of the added “to do list”… aka Christmas shopping. For me I have completed my shopping and most of my travel plans, my stress level is at an all time low.

The End

Cheers

Sicky mCsicky!!! Would you like to biggie size that?

2007-08-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

So for the last 3 weeks I have been fighting mono and for the last week I have been getting the shit kicked out of me by strep throat. The 2 things you do not want at the same time!!! What is Mononucleosis?

Mononucleosis (often called "mono") is an infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Signs of mono include fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of your throat, swollen glands in your neck, feeling tired and not feeling hungry.

So with that out fo the way, I have positive news and that is I have lost 6lbs!!! Who needs diets when... just get mono!!!

Also with my time spent sitting in my family room I have kept myself busy with Youtube... here are 2 of my new favs... goodbless the OC and SNL

cheers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEji6K-375I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3umNk9nVxbQ&mode=related&search=

magic man, now u see me now you dont!

2007-07-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Life has really been in the fast lane, it just seems like yesterday I was going to doctor appointments trying to figure out why it hurt to walk and ride. A year has passed and so many cool things have happened. Life really just fly’s by. I recommend sitting back take 5mins and looking at what you are doing. Too many people are doing things they don’t enjoy, if your one of them, its time for some “YOU TIME.” I got his sent to me, talk about hitting the nail on the head!

Genuine satisfaction

A quality life is about much more than merely accumulating a lot of stuff. A quality life is about much more than impressing others with how clever or fashionable you are. Real fulfillment comes from making a positive difference in the world. A life of richness comes from focusing not on how much you can grab, but on the original, valuable and lasting things you can create. When you choose to compromise your most deeply held values, anything you gain by doing so will be of no real use to you. If you must betray the unique person you are in order to feed your appetite for fleeting pleasures, you have dealt yourself a tragic loss. On the surface, virtue and restraint may seem to be dry, boring and old fashioned. Yet they can bring a depth of richness to life that cannot be attain in any other way. The joy of opening gifts on Christmas morning becomes a meaningless chore if you've been immediately satisfying every whim all year long. The delight of enjoying a gourmet meal loses all its appeal if you've spent the day grabbing snacks every time you're slightly hungry. Be careful not to invest your precious life in things that disappear the moment they're consumed. Focus on what you can give, and express, and create, and you'll experience genuine satisfaction that never runs out.

Cheers

best speeech ever!

2007-05-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say really.Three minutesto the biggest battle of our professional livesall comes down to today.Eitherwe healas a teamor we are going to crumble.Inch by inchplay by playtill we're finished.We are in hell right now, gentlemenbelieve meandwe can stay hereand get the shit kicked out of usorwe can fight our wayback into the light.We can climb out of hell.One inch, at a time.Now I can't do it for you.I'm too old.I look around and I see these young facesand I thinkI meanI made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.I uh....I pissed away all my moneybelieve it or not.I chased offanyone who has ever loved me.And lately,I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.You know when you get old in lifethings get taken from you.That's, that's part of life.But,you only learn that when you start losing stuff.You find out that life is just a game of inches.So is football.Because in either gamelife or footballthe margin for error is so small.I meanone half step too late or to earlyyou don't quite make it.One half second too slow or too fastand you don't quite catch it.The inches we need are everywhere around us.They are in ever break of the gameevery minute, every second.On this team, we fight for that inchOn this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around usto pieces for that inch.We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.Cause we knowwhen we add up all those inchesthat's going to make the fucking differencebetween WINNING and LOSINGbetween LIVING and DYING.I'll tell you thisin any fightit is the guy who is willing to diewho is going to win that inch.And I knowif I am going to have any life anymoreit is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inchbecause that is what LIVING is.The six inches in front of your face.Now I can't make you do it.You gotta look at the guy next to you.Look into his eyes.Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.You are going to see a guywho will sacrifice himself for this teambecause he knows when it comes down to it,you are gonna do the same thing for him.That's a team, gentlemenand either we heal now, as a team,or we will die as individuals.That's football guys.That's all it is.Now, whattaya gonna do?

Canada Cup #3...

2007-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Dry and fast is usually a term that you would not describe Mount Tremblant! This year seemed to bring new conditions to an old course, a very nice change! The trip started on Thursday with the 7hr drive in the team bus. The drive was pretty relaxing, napping, eating and stretching, the luxury of traveling in a motor home. There was one moment of excitement during the drive! I defeated Derek in a passionate game of Crazy 8’s Countdown. For you that don’t know Derek he is undefeated in Crazy 8’s…. till know! (Karma would swing his way in the end) We got to the venue around 8pm Thursday night, not enough time to check out the course but enough time to set up camp and hit the pillow for some ZZZZZ’s! Day 2 was hot, hot, and hot, the heat was intense. It seemed like the second you poured water down your mouth it was coming out all over your body. Pretty much Derek, Haydn, Chris, Cory and I were the fun boys just chilling in our shorts! We assembled a big group for pre-riding Friday afternoon and hit the trails. The course was identical to the 2006 Canada Cup, the only change was fast and dry. We were all excited about the course and all had a good feeling about Saturday. Friday night was nothing special pasta dinner, early bed time, stretching etc… Saturday a.k.a race day. First I will say Derek and Amanda rippppppppppppppped it up winning the Pro Men’s race and Pro Women’s race…. Wicked sweet!!!!!! I had an amazing race as well. I placed 23rd out of 79. The best part of the whole thing was I started in last position… My whole race consisted of passing people. Pretty much I banked on people blowing up and hoping to catch and pass as many of them as possible and it worked. All around it was a great weekend for the whole team!
Stage 2- The after party…. One word… D.A.N.C.E….

Later…

Wow, it has been to long!

2007-05-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Howdy everyone!!!

My last post on here as you can see was March 28th, wow to long! Now that the mountain bike season is well on its way I will be posting as much as I can. Hopefully I can jazz it up a bit and add a few new things to this blog... any ideas? Anyways good luck to everyone this season!
cheers
KD

last update

2007-03-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan seems to be doing alot better, We went in for a visit today. Ryan's parents are in town, giving him the care he needs. No matter the situation Ryan can pull jokes out of know where...he has a talent I will say. Today was his first day of getting out of his bed, which he has been in since the weekend.

I am leaving AZ so I wont be in to see him at the hospital! Best of luck buddy see you back in Ontario!

cheers

Ryan's update

2007-03-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well the update on Ryan goes something like this. We went and visited with him yesterday brought him a few things he wanted. He is doing ok for a guy who has to lay on his back and can only move his one arm. He told us he was not happy with the night shift nurses but the day shift ladies were really nice. The doctors say it’s a 95% chance that he won’t need surgery. The next couple of days are crucial; they are monitoring the swelling in his back to make sure nothing shifts. He is still cracking all his normal Ryan jokes. The

Quote of the day from him is: I’m doing as good as a guy could be with a straw up my penis!

His position for the next 2 days, the plastic shell he has on is his body cast!

Ryan's Zoolander picture!

Get better buddy!!!

2007-03-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

I have not been posting on the blog for a while only because there hasn’t been anything to share.

Now today a tragic thing happened to my friend and roommate. He was out training and took a spill! The crash has left him with many broken bones and a back brace that has to be on for 3months. I really don’t know what else to say, it’s a shock to my other roommates, his family, friends and me. I hope all the best for Ryan and that he heals and comes out of this stronger then ever!

It just goes to show you that at a drop of a second your life can be changed. Live your life to the fullest potential. Start walking and your feet will carry you where you want to go!

Playing the waiting game outside the hospital!

he really wanted to read but cant lift his arm past that!

Ian and myself joking around with Ryan, he was in good spirits!

that is Ryan's position for the next few days!

Berthdeh

2007-03-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Birthday Post

So today I turned 21, and for once I am the proper age for legal drinking! Thank God. I have received many emails and posts from people that I have grown up with, met in High school or met on my many journeys around the world! I just want to thank everyone for taking the time out of there busy day to pass on there birthday wishes to me!

Now Today I woke up at 630am…usually not normal for a person on there birthday… but I am not normal! Mark and I had a quick bite to eat and headed out on the bikes at 730am. We had to meet a group of guys at the University of Arizona for a ride. Since I have been cycling the longest ride I have ever done is 192km. I figured no way better to celebrate my birthday by doing something I love and something that is my passion. I ended up doing a 210km ride from Tucson to Kits Peak, which is a 12mile climb and then back to Tucson! The total trip took me 7hrs, long day in the sun! Birthday wise I couldn’t ask for anything more.

For the rest of the day I plan on hanging out with my Canadian Friends that re down here… so around 10-12 people…have some food and a few beverages… After a day like what I had I will probably drink 2-4 beers and be drunk…cheap and right to the point. People take note if you want to get drunk for cheap do 7hrs of riding!

Cheers….
P.S> stay tuned for photos from the birthday night….some funny things might and I say might happen!

A lil of this and that

2007-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Now when you ride your bike all day you seem to do funny things while your not riding. We had a Pre Ste Pattie dayz shin dig...and this is what came of it!....

The dream team, backstreet boys watch out!

Mark chillin on the computer.

Ian Dancing with his new GF...where is she anyways?

Wow I see we got the memo for the outfits!

Ryan is trying to find his lucky charms!

where is the rainbow...infact where is the pot of gold!

the house in AZ

2007-03-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

Our living room in tucson...where the laptop magic happens!

The kitchen, aka eat and cook our meals!
Mark Batty and my sleeping area. My bed is on the right!

Mark and my washroom.Ian and Ryan's Bathroom.

Ian and Ryan's bedroom...this room sucks...hahahaha

What we do while we are not on our bikes!...

bring on the weather

2007-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

After my adventures in California I jumped on a plane and high tailed it over to Tucson Arizona. I had a great time in Cali, I saw everything I wanted and more! Now that I am in Tucson I will be logging the long hours on the bike. I am looking to build a solid base for the upcoming season. Since I landed I have done 350km’s, in 4 days. The guys I am living with are cool dudes. Ian, from Ontario, Mark, from just around the corner and Ryan from Hamilton. It is really easy to wake up and jump on the bike knowing the sky is blue and it is always above 20 degrees. Living the dream…living the dream. Along with my roommates there are a bunch of familiar faces here in Tucson. Adam Morka, Emily Batty, Buck Miller and Danielle Kenny just to name a few. Now for the apartment, last time I was in Tucson, we lived in the south east part and now we are in the northwest. All I can say is it is a lot classier then Eastside Place (2004 Apartment). Rio Vista (present apartment) is in a cleaner area, has a closer grocery store and not as sketchy people.

Let the fun begin!

cali pics

2007-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Cali

2007-02-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

First I am going to apologize for not posting sooner, so sorry about that. Pretty much since I landed here in California I have been riding and going and seeing the sites.

The Flight

I began the journey with Ken (friend of the family) giving me a voucher to try out the lounge at the airport. Now this is a VIP lounge so I thought I suited it very well. They had free beer, free wine, free anything and everything. It was a good start to the trip! Now on the flight was a lot different. 45min in to the air a guy had some medical problems. At first site the flight attendant thought he was having a heart attack, but he ended up being diabetic and had some complications. Now for the rest of the 4hrs there was crowd of people around this guy helping him. I for sure thought the plane was going to land…but nope we kept trucking to LA.

Day 1

I built my bike did a nice easy 1 hour ride and chilled. I needed the rest from the long day of travel. The roads in the area are pretty nice, really rollllllyyyyyy!

Day 2

I woke up and did a 1hr 30min ride around the town, trying to find the good loops, which I did! Then it was shower change and off to San Diego. We went to a few cool places, tried out local food and enjoyed the sites. We went to the Ocean, looked along many beaches. After we finished up with beaches Amanda took us to an outlet mall right on the Mexico border. First time I saw it, I was pretty pumped. Then home, then eating, then bed!

Day 3

Once again I woke up early to get my ride in, ended up doing a 2hr 30min ride around Lake Skinner. Nice loop, but a local told me the roads on the other side of town are better! Then Amanda, Morgan, Natalie and I went to the OC. Hahhaha oh man just like I pictured it. Nice cars, nice houses and mean people, just kidding the people were nice. We checked out a few malls in the OC, the girls shopped, I watched. Amanda brought us to this gated community where people like Teemu Selanne live, yeah massive homes. Lastly we went out for dinner a sushi restaurant, very classy.

Day 4

Woke up early to get my ride in, 1hr 30mins, home shower eat gone. Finally we were heading to my beach. If you haven’t taken a guess yet, then it’s called muscle beach. The funniest place ever, words can’t describe it. Every weirdo in LA hangs out there! From there we went to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and then Hollywood. In fact I stood right around where the Oscars were. I got my pictures of the big gold men…it was a cool scene, lots of security.

Day 5

Laguna Beach, Newport and Huntington Beach. A day of coast lines, So many beaches so little time. The way to describe them is ski resorts with out the snow and ski, all surfers and surf shops. I have a tonnneee of pictures I will put up soon as I get them on my computer to show you how nice the beaches are.

That has been my activities since I got here. Now for some quality biking hours!

Cheers

back in the sadddddleeee

2007-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

I took a break from riding and from writing once I got home. I needed the time to just chill and relax. I felt that there was no need to post anything. Now that I have had my time off and tried to get the body back to 100% I am off for training in California and Tucson. My plan is to build my base up in the nice warm weather of the south!

So stay tuned for a regular updated Blog starting on Tuesday. I fly in to California at 1045pm. You may not know this…but its kind of big deal!

One thing I have been enjoying while home is the snow; I have been trying to regularly snowshoe and ski. With this global warming you never know how long we will have snow for… thanks Al Gore.

Partayyyyy

2007-02-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have been home for less then a week and in that time I have done absolutely nothing. I have been logging a lot of sitting time! A part from that I have been also organizing a surprise Rock Star Party for Matty D. I had a bunch of help from The Fitzy squad, Moma Duke Douglas and many others. The party went great, Matt was totally surprised! It was nice to come home and relax and have an amazing party! Here is just a taste of what happened… I don’t think everyone could handle the whole thing!

The Begining of the night...

Kelly and I attempting the Titanic...she let go!

Put your hands up in the air, put your hands up!...missing from picture Ian Manning

Look Mom no hands! tricky dicky dutch playing games

steam roller....great girl/guy ratio, must be someones birthday!

Birthday Boi rocking out!

Birthday boi trying to show me how to dance...TRYING
The last ones standing...not bad not bad! well sitting

Morning after...only a few Casualties!

The BIG deal

2007-01-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

World Freakin Championships….wholllyy molly…that sums up what I felt before, during and after the day! My day couldn’t of gone any better, I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee when things click. I owe it to a lot of people that helped my day go smooth… I will start with my teammates…always pumped and ready to rock! Greg for telling me NO PAIN 3 times in the morning in a 30min span! Neil and Andy keeping the team area organized and making sure riders were looked after. Lastly Dave our mechanic, he kept the bike going! Now the race was super intense, the most spectators I have ever seen. The most important fans being my Mom and Sonja! You could hear there motherly cheers on every step that I took on the stairs. My race prep seemed to run smooth, great warm up, hit the trainer for 45mins. I did a few intervals and couple leg speed jumps. You had to sign in 15mins to 30mins before the start so I rolled over did that and then just chilled and rode the start section. I had a pretty good call up, 31st. When the gun sounded I put my head down and braced for elbow rubbing. A lot of pushing went on so you had to really hold your line. The first few laps went great I was sitting in 45th and I was in a group with 6 guys. I took a deadly spill half way threw. I decided to run in to a fence with my hand, lets just say the fence won! It stunned me for a second but it made me loose contact with the group. I ended up catching one of them that fell off the pace and beat him to the line. I placed 50th, not bad for my first World Championships. Along with myself and the other Team Canada guys, I think we all had great days, except Aaron, he got in a fight with a fence and yes the fence won! For the rest of the day I packed my bike, chilled and enjoyed many deserved cold beers.

Some of you might be curious, but Yes I did watch Rocky 4 the night before my race. The best underdog story of our time. NO PAIN

Tara, Mike and Greg raced the next day, they all had sweet rides. I do have to say that Team Canada, yeah we are kind of a big deal!!!

I am home now for 2 weeks, time to do a little snowboarding and relax!!!

Thanks guys for a great 5 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the photos on Canadian Cyclist
http://www.canadiancyclist.com/

The last 2 days!

2007-01-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

here are a bunch of pics, enjoy...it has been a fun few days.............3days...WORLDS

The NEW house

2007-01-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Move

2007-01-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

The big move was yesterday; we packed up and moved from our Tielt-Winge house to the Cycling Center in Hertzberg. The Center is a very nice facility and offers a lot of beneficial services that really help us out. For example steam room, massages, full garage with tools and a very comfortable chilling room. For the big Lance Armstrong fans, in the garage hangs one of his TT bikes. Once again Greg and I roomed together; we have a good rhythm why mess it up now! What else is there about this place? Oh yeah I was very disappointed when I left our other house because of the location of the bakery. It was very close and had amazing bread. I just got in from a ride and noticed that there was a bakery super close to our new house. I stopped in to check it out and wow they have a bigger selection. I am going to Brugge in the next hour, try out the tourist thing. I will be putting up pictures of the house tonight so stay tuned!

World Cup

2007-01-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have to start off by saying the trip has been an eye opening experience, definitely learning a lot from each race!
The World Cup course was a very interesting course it had many elements that helped out every type of racer. It had tight muddy corners, pavement sections, technical down hills, for sure my favorite course so far. The whole day for me seemed to go smoother then the last couple of race days. First we had a Team Canada set up with trainers, tools, mechanics, helpers and most important a good group of athletes! Going to races on your own trying to find strangers to pit for you really effects you, it takes you away from focusing on the race. Neil organized everything and it really seemed to work well!
Now for the dirt on my race. I had a great warm up on the trainer, I felt great. The start to the race is always pretty intense. I have a really good UCI ranking so I get called up in the top 20, second row is pretty sweet. Niels Albert was right in front of me along with Zdenek Stybar (World Champion). The start was a fast road section for about 500m. Like every race it was crazy fast and hard. I kept the rubber side down and put the elbows out. I railed the first few corners and was sitting in the top 30, I found myself around a few Americans and Aaron my fellow Canadian! We tried to hold the wheels but the group we were in just had to much for us! We fell back to 40th place, that's where we both found a great groove. It worked out well that we were together, we just kept the pace and worked hard to close the gap on a group of 3 that was just 15 seconds up on us. On the second last lap I dropped my chain on this sketchy down hill and it cost me Aaron's wheel. I think we would have caught the group, the Canadian train was moving! Too bad for my small mechanical but we both seemed to have a lot better race then the past World Cup! That is pretty much how the race finished, big improvement for both of us.
Now Greg, Tara, Shaun, Aaron and I move to the Cycling Center to begin our prep for Worlds
6days!!!!

Busy Day

2007-01-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today we had an action packed day in Tielt-Winge . A very bad storm came and dropped a pile of rain on us. Along with the rain a few tress dropped in to our backyard. The day was a normal rest day, woke up had some breakfast and headed to the grocery store. When we got home Aaron mentioned to us that the Police and a neighbor had stopped by to talk to the owner of our house about a tree that fell on to his fence. Greg, Aaron and I went and investigated and discovered that a few trees had in fact fallen on to the guys fence. That is when Stef our English connection came out to check out the damage. Lets just say a house full of Canadians, yeah we can chop trees. Aaron and I aka the lumberjacks, started to begin demo of the tree. Stef supplied the chainsaw and the three of us went to town! The Belgians know how to ride bikes, the Canadians can cut trees!!! It was like batman with the bat signal in the sky, we see fallen tree we get to work. We had this massive tree cut and removed in and around 1hr 30mins…we get shit done!!! We had a deadly trio for the tree cutting, Aaron from Edmonton, in the army reserve. Stef, from England, Cycling Manager. Kyle Douglas, Ontario, son of Cris Douglas! Yeah watch out people!!!

Enjoy the pictures of tree removal 2007!

quote of the day

2007-01-19T06:21:00.000-08:00

Shaun says, "why are you watching the info channel?"

Kyle answeres, "because it is playing better music then the music channneelllsss !!!"

end quote!

2007-01-18T03:38:00.000-08:00

Check out this link, it is one of my starts. If you look closely you can see Greg, I am right beside him...its tough we are going pretty quick! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2353031102151934051

Racing in europe,!!!

Look at those crowds...intense...!!!

Tara is not a happy camper after stairs like that!

Stef and myself talking during the womens race!

Greg and my room in France, hold me I'm cold!!!

Hi I'm kyle from canada eh, where you at where you be eh!

oui?...non? huhhuh!!

2007-01-16T12:50:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary,
I arrived back in Belgium a few days ago from viva la France!!! France was amazing fun, a lot of bonjouring went on! It was a very cool experience because in 6hrs I was in 3 different countries, Belgium, Luxemburg and France. I had 2 goals while I was in France and that was to have a good race and to try as many things that had French in there name. Here is my list of incomplete and completed ventures:
French Toast- negative
French Loaf- positive
French Cappuccino- positive
French Fries- negative
Perrier- positive, I know it doesn’t have the word French in it, but common its Perrier!!
French dressing- positive

That’s all I could think of while I was there…

Now let’s dive in to the racing portion of the adventure in France. First the course was the hardest course I have ever ridden. A lot of flat open grass sections that were so saturated that you would sink 2 inches down…yeah not fun. The course was limited to things that I am good at…Climbing! I tried to stay positive but I just knew it was going to be a true test. Morning of the race everything went as planned, eat breakfast, pack car and relax. Tara headed over in the car before me, I decided to ride over and use that for my warm up. I was excited to race because there were now 3 U23 Canadians in the mix so we had one another to feed off of! I had my race plan all set up in my head, conserve and have consistent power from start to finish. Then came my 8th spot call up. That’s when I decided it was time to take the lead and dance with the big boys. Being called up 8th at a world cup was big deal for me, had the red and white on my shoulders ready to giver. I looked down the front line and beside me were the Dutch and Italian National Champions. Then I looked farther and the field just got deeper. The whole front line was National Champions from all different countries…WOW…you may not know this but that’s a big deal...hahaha. I decided that I would forget my first game plan and use this 8th call up as a test. I would go as hard as I could and try my hardest to stay with the front group. Bang sounded the gun, I found myself sitting in the top 10 after the first corner and 20 step stair case, and the best part I was feeling good. I did everything I could to stay in contact with the lead group. It didn’t last long, I was breathing so hard I was struggling to find air…for the first time in my racing career I could not keep up with my breathing, that’s how hard I was going! As you probably suspect I started to feel the pain…I went backwards faster through the field then you can blink. I was pretty pumped about everything; I was able to stick with the best in the world for a lap. All I need now is 6 more laps! I ended up 32nd in the race, things fell apart after my huge first lap effort, it cost me in the end, but I got 1st for experience points!
Now I am back in Belgium training and enjoying the rainy weather of Tielte-winge!
11days!!!!

brussel sprouts in brussels

2007-01-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

Now I was told by a wise person, "Kyle you must try the brussel sprouts in brussels to see if they are better!" Yeaop thats what I did, night before I leave to go to France I cooked me up some sprouts de brussels...sprouts, sprouts, sprouts in my belly yum, yum, yum!

they are better!!!!

La doucheeeeeeee

2007-01-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Douchesssss….yeah you heard me! Now at first you think who’s he douche but when really you should be thinking what is a Douche. Well it’s your lucky day because I am going to let you know. It’s an outdoor portable shower! I forget to mention this in my report I put up last night, I don’t know how it slipped my mind because it was probably the funniest thing that has happened to me on this trip! After my race I picked up my clean clothes and headed over to the douches. Tara forgot to mention to me that they were shared male/female showers. I jumped threw a red plastic curtain door in to the showering area, the only thing between me and the world. There was one other guy in there getting changed, so not a big deal. Anyways I was getting undressed trying to figure out what I was going to do with all my dirty clothes. At this point I am supporting the no clothes show and in walks two pretty attractive girls just talking away. Me as cool as I am is thinking um shit, I am in the girls shower? Then I was like there’s the other dude in here, we both couldn’t have made the same mistake. The girls are just chatting away while I am just standing there naked. At this point I am thinking alright this would probably be a good time to say hi, but then I thought that might come off a little creepy. Then I just figured they made a mistake and came in to the guy’s showers…and in my books that’s a great mistake. They just didn’t care…they picked up some gear which was either there’s or maybe a husbands or boyfriends and just continued on there day like nothing happened. All I know is that my naked white ass was hanging out for them to see. I wasn’t alone on this because the other guy was just chilling in the shower while the girls were there. I guess that’s how it is done in Europe! I hope the France showers are even better…

Ding, Ding

2007-01-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day, I had a great feeling about the race, but was still feeling the tail end of the cold. The boat rocked both ways, mentally I was ready to rock, physically I was a little bit worried about the cold. Tara, Andrea (Shaun’s friend) and I jumped in the fun wagon and drove to the race venue. It was only about 1hr away, was not that bad. I was a little bit out of my head space when I arrived because I was having a hell of a time finding registration, the arrow did not point in the right direction, I found that out later! After a long search, I couldn’t sign in because my number wasn’t ready (look at picture). Yeah thats my name on the number! Once I settled and tackled the language barrier I settled in to a nice race mode. I got changed and started to check out a very sand course. It was an amazing course, lots of tricky sand pits…and super sketchy corners, yeah my cup of tea! I couldn’t find my groove right off the start but once I had a few times around and changed my tire pressure I could rail. At least I was going Kyle fast, but it wasn’t winner fast! Once I got back to the car I helped Mrs, Ross get ready for her race. As soon as she jumped on the trainer it just started to poor rain. It wouldn’t be racing in Belgium if you didn’t throw rain in to the mix. We did a frantic tire switch…it wasn’t that frantic but makes the situation seem intense. In the end we did a bad tire change and it ended up costing Tara, she took a spill and got a little mark on her knee. She ended up with a wicked ride crossing the line in 11th…Way to go! Now it was my turn to represent the fun wagon. Shaun and I did a warm up on the road and then did a few efforts. We both felt good, you may not know this, but we both are kind of a big deal…people know us! (we watched Anchorman!). I got a sweet call up…3rd row…yeah I was impressed! Not only did I get third row but fellow country man Greain and Shaun were on either side of me, watch out Belgium Canadian invasion! Back to the race…the start was hectic a whole pile of guys flying down a straight pavement section in to hard grass left then hard grass right…it had pile up written all over it, successfully the Canadians had some shake and bake up there sleeve and we made it threw! From this point on I can not really speak for Greg and Shaun’s race, but check out there Blogs at… http://crazyfast.squarespace.com/ http://sadamson.wordpress.com/. Me on the other hand had an amazing first lap, I moved up and had great pressure. I settled in to a great rhythm on the third lap I slowed down and 3 guys blazed past me. I was really worried about going to hard and pulling my cold in to my lungs. Then I remember: A) I was already going stupid hard…so keep going, B) I was in Belgium racing, so keep going and C) who cares, go harder… so that’s what I did and I ripped by the 3 guys. In the end I was super happy; it was a step up in my performance compared to my other races. In the end I place 31st, not to shabby! That was how my day unraveled!

Here are a few roads that I have been training on, Matt quote, "reminds me of Europe."

yeop thats a church in the middle of the road, and thats my bike!

Race #3

2007-01-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

The warm up to a very wet, muddy and cold day!The Start to the day, look at me go!

Ouch, the stairs hurt alot!Tricky, but fun!

Is it over yet?

Crossssssinngggg the line, Brrrrrr, thank god thats done!

Racing In Europe

2007-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

The most asked question that I have been getting is, how are you?, how are things? and hows racing in Europe? Well I was given this photo from my new photographer friend Joe Sales. I think it describes what life is like racing in europe! Ouch!

Good times

2007-01-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

New years was celebrated fashionably late in our house. We all had races on Dec 31st and Jan 1st, so we all went out to the local watering hole to chug back a few on Jan 2nd. It was also Neil’s last night in town along with our american friends so we toasted to a fun trip. It was a fun night just to have a different atmosphere then cycling. We all dipped into different kind of beers and other drinks. The favorite was the red cherry beer, Kriek, very smooth. Shaun and I tried a shot that you sip. You couldn’t shoot it, it was just to strong.

I stopped at a gas station for a snack, and this is also for Matt and his old college roomate John. There was a wine and cheese bar. I found it funny, gas, coffee and some wine and cheese.

Need a good laugh!!!

2007-01-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

This is for Matt, you'll love it buddy!...

Debbie Downer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGaYMy_jh64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pAWg0hGzE8&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToVTbGQyj2Y&mode=related&search=

The Barry Gibb Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eglacD5ujY&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvs6FDsVdcs&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5_qdj1UgU&mode=related&search=

hahaha... I had sometime on my hands!

love you
kd

Rest Day

2007-01-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Last night was Neil’s last night in Belgium, so we all went to the local watering hole to enjoy a cold beverage. It was a fun night because we all did not party for new years because we had races on Dec 31st and Jan 1st so we celebrated 2007 in style…fashionable late…Jan 2nd…hahhaha

Today was a rest day, I been having a leg issue and it needed some extra recovery time. So Shaun and I entertained each other for the whole day, this is what we did. We cleaned all our equipment. It was well overdue, many muddy races over here. We then decided it was a good day to walk around the little town we live in and check out the butcher shop and the local newsstand. I made a pit stop at the bank; freaking mean ladies working there…they hated life! The butcher has to be my second favourite spot in town. It so sweet, they have fresh meats and cheese. So now I have the bakery and the butcher shop…watch out! The newsstand was pretty cool, just a tonne of Dutch magazines and newspapers. I found one English one. Then Shaun and I decided to come home, we both got a piece of sheep from the butcher and some sandwich meats. When we got back to the house Tara and Greg decided it was a good time to go hit up the grocery store for some fresh produce. My day just pretty much consisted of getting food.

I have a bunch of pictures that I will hopefully get up soon. My computer is taking a long nap (waiting for the power cord to arrive). Once I got it I will slap them up for your viewing pleasure!

interviewww

2007-01-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

check out my Interview on www.roadie.ca

http://www.roadie.ca/viewtopic.php?t=238

word

KD

rocky, die or do something!

2007-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

My 3^rd race in Europe and my 2nd race in 2 days…. Hopefully was going to be my turning point of racing here. After having a bad race in my eyes I came to the conclusion it wasn’t that bad of day at the office. I was judging too much of the race on a number position when I really should have looked at the general performance. After analyzing the day… I.E. warm-up, pre-race things, race and cool down, it was a great day! So for this log I decided to describe the race like a hockey game, most of the people reading this are Canadian. Bear with me but let’s see how it goes.

The bus arrived at the rink, you know we unloaded the equipment and started our pre skate ritual. Tara was first on the ice, testing out her skates making sure her shots were on. I took a bit longer to get ready; I had a few things I had to do. Tara asked for my help with some technique so I gave her some pointers and we just continued on! Tara had a good game she played hard dug deep when she needed to. Her offence was firing but the “D” kept on collapsing, it may have cost her a point but she did come out of the game with some solid points. My game on the other hand was patchy, I kept over skating the puck, it cost me a few turnovers that the other team turned in to prime scoring chances, in which they capitalized! I had my head down going threw the center and got caught with an elbow; it rang my bell but also woke me up. The other team may have one the game but I won the third period. Now if I just put in a solid 60min effort with 3 strong periods I will come out with the win.

For anyone that doesn’t get it, I got 30^th. The first half of the race was not up to par but the last half I had a good engine!

Cheers

Race Report!

2006-12-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

Race # 2

Today was my second race in Europe and the last day in 2006! Racing here is super cool, over 5000 spectators watching and cheering you on every slip and every attack! My day was a lot better then my prior race (Dec 26th World Cup) for one I had my own equipment, and a few more days on the bike! The day had an overall positive outcome but as an athlete you always strive for better. I ended up 51st out of 70ish racers which on paper doesn’t look to promising but I pulled out a lot of positives from the race.

The course started with a slight 75meter climb, hung a left down a street of cobbles and right in to a gravel right hand corner, very sketchy. It zipped along a grass section and right in to a long mud pit. After the mud pit was a set of stairs and back on to the pavement, with a high speed right hand corner in to a wooden ramp downhill! After the ramp the course followed along to Pit #1. It was an interesting pit because it was 6-8 inches deep of mud. Then you would scoot along a football field, do a few turns and back out on to a road climb that shortly changed in to a grass/mud climb. Then it went along a village road climb that winded up and around the town to an upper soccer field. The soccer field had barriers and pit #2, a good resting area! Then you would fly down another road section in to a set of S turns on this grass section. That is pretty much the lap.

The course suited me somewhat, the road section killed me, the euros can move on it. I was able to dangle in the twists and turns and put some space on everyone but would loose a lot of time on the pavement sections! Other then that I just tried to push the big gear and be as quick as I could! I had somewhat of a handicap from the get go, I was the last person called up. No joke last name on the list. I tried not to let it rattle me, I just knew I would have to shake and bake to move up and with style I did my best. I got as far as 40th by the mid way point of the first lap, it would cost me later. Around lap 4 I was hurting from the big effort to move up and I moved back fast. A train of 4 went by me then another train of 3. I tried to dig deep and push it with them, but just couldn’t make the legs go faster. Few other got me while I was trying to block the pain. I would have to say my first and last laps were the best! On the last lap I got within range of the train of 3 in front of me and closed it to 10seconds, but that’s the far as I would get!

I finished the race a little bit raged but then quickly cooled off, realizing I learned a lot about what I have to do to get my legs going for January 27th! Let the games begin!

My new kit, got to love the red and white!!!

All my equipment!!! 2 bikes, 6 wheels, 1 pump, 3 bags, and a was bucket!

Pre race pesto pasta and a little JJJJJJ...Jenga!

Cyclocross Ontario

2006-12-29T15:26:00.000-08:00

please go check this webpage out, these guys are doing alot for the sport!!!

http://www.cyclocrossontario.com/

dont be scared!!!

Thank you Cyclocross Ontario

Cleaned it up

2006-12-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

I figured with the time I have between racing, training and eating I would spice up the blog and put a little loving in to it for your viewing pleasure. Now whenever you’re working, at school or bored you have somewhere to go to find out a little KD gossip. Unfortunately sometimes won’t be much, but some days it may just blow your mind.

Just to give you an update I have been doing a bunch of cyclocross training over the last two days with Greg Reain. It has been quality riding, he showed me this really interesting forest that has some amazing little loops that really tune up the cyclocross skills. After two days of riding in the forest I took it upon myself to name it “Greg’s magical forest,” I don’t think he likes the name. The riding needless to say is magical…..ahahaha….other than that I have a new roommate, now in one room is Greg, Shaun (new guy) and myself. All Canadian, so we all get along!

cheers

mmmmmm

2006-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

I was warned before I went to watch out for the bread in Europe. I guess there is a lot of better bread making countries out there but I would have to say…a little bakery around the corner from my house is crazy good. I went there for the first time today, bought a loaf of pumpkin seed bread and a little glazed treat. WOW…lets just say they have a returning buyer!

Yummmmmmm!!!!

race #1

2006-12-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Dear diary… today I raced my first European race, and lets just say it was filled with intense nerves and emotion…hahahha… well it was probably the craziest race I have ever done. I have never been surrounded by so many people that wanted to race there bikes. Along with the huge amount of fans that were pumped to cheer for anyone in spandex.

I was warming up on my trainer while Neil was helping me get ready for my first World Cup Cyclocross event and people would just stop and watch you. I would look to my left and to my right, up and down the parking lot and people would surround you asking for trading cards. It’s like I was a hockey player back in Canada. Every athlete was getting this treatment so it was pretty cool!

The race on the other hand didn’t go the way I wanted, but under the circumstances I battled for every inch I could get. It was interesting racing another person’s bike, spandex and helmet. I had an amazing call up, a great start but I collapsed after that. I just couldn’t hold the world cup pace. It was fast, hard and crazy intense. I got lapped on lap five out of 7…not bad for my first experience but I want a lot better, and know I can do better. There is no time to be negative; I pulled a lot out of the race, which I will use on Jan 27th, World Championships.

On a another good note my luggage arrived today so I have all my clothes and bikes,
That’s a good thing because now I can train and be clean! I guess Christmas came a day late for me. Better now then never!
me making out with my bags...it was a good day!!!

this is what the airline has done to me!!!

2006-12-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

this is what i have been reduced to....my toga towel!

pics

2006-12-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

from top to bottom

me and a cell phone, I wanted to call 911..after that day, the bathroom it has a fake fireplace, my bedroom un petit bed, the kitchen Neil's so hot right now, the living room whos that model, the front door and the castle de douglas or techno...(look closely)

day 2

2006-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

2 days two 2 reports…

Well London wasn’t the best of experiences; I would have to say the mother land did not treat me well! I ended up leaving the airport at 7:45pm…so I spent a total of 12hrs in the airport, which is not bad considering after I left the TV was saying some people would be spending up to 3 days there due to cancelled flights! All though that is good news, there is some bad, my bike and luggage did not show! So I stood in a line for an hr to find out that it could be a week before I get my bike and clothes…yeah that pissed me off seeming I have a race on 2 days…great eh! I didn’t get out of the airport till 12 and it was an hr drive to my house, wicked long day with all the time changes. I now get to go buy new clothes at some cool euro stores…the bad news is everything’s closed at 4pm today, everyone goes on holidays! Sweet the days keep on getting better…Europe is treating me well! hahahhahahahha

first day of traveling

2006-12-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

Landed…sorta…

Well I arrived in London at 2am Canada time and 7am London time…and lets just say peaaaaaaa soup….you cant see 10ft in front of you…I don’t know how the pilot landed!!!.. Neil and I were hoping to get on our transfer flight but that was a no go…we have been booked to 3 different flights…all being canceled! Pretty much since we landed we have been trying to sleep and eat…because they said it wont be till around 7pm London time that a flight might go out…wicked eh…and let me weigh the importance of the EH!...EH! Other then that it’s good to know we made it across…shitty first day of travels but it has to get better from here on!

well overdue!!!

2006-12-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

Wow it has been a while since I did a post. I have been crazy busy getting ready for my trip to Europe. I am pretty excited; it will be my first time across the ocean. I will be racing 8 races while I am there, they include 3 World Cups, 4 UCI C2 races and last but not least World Championships.

I did not get a chance to post any pictures from the last 3 weeks, so here are some pictures of what has been going on!

The jersey....

The lil trooper!!!

RUN forest RUNNNN!!!!

NATS

2006-11-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

You know when you wake up in the morning, role over and just have a good feeling. That’s how I felt when I woke up on November 11th 2006. It will be a day that will be edged in my head for the rest of my life. That’s the day I became the Under 23 Cyclocross National Champion. I will now tell you what happened in the day to lead me to this magical ending!

7:56am- I woke up, gave the morning stretch and jumped out of bed. Not to many people know this but a lot of cyclists have little tests they do just to see how there legs feel morning of a race (some do some dont). Mine is the stair test, all you have to do is run up the stairs…and hope your legs feel good!

8:13am- breakfast #1- fruit cocktail mixture with nuts, granola and cottage cheese, followed by a glass of juice. I ate my breakfast watching TSN…god bless sport highlights!

8:37am- Mike G and I have morning talk…thanks buddy!

9:00am- breakfast 2…oatmeal…with lost of extra perks in it!!!

9:45am- relax and chill

10:00am- pack van

10:50am- arrive and venue… that’s when I put my game face on!!!

11:00am- Tara and I rode around talking to different people…you know trying to shake the pre race jitters!!! We jumped on the course and checked out lines…figured out tire selection!

11:45am- I finished my warm up and went and ate a nice peanut butter sandwich… the 30-39 age group was starting at 12pm so I rolled over and checked out the start to see where the good starting position was!

12:10pm- warm up #2, I hit the road for this stage of the day… did a few efforts…with a 10min tempo…legs felt amazing. The best part was that my head was right where I wanted it…on my neck…hahaha jkjk…bad joke but my mental game was 100%.

12:45pm- call up time…lucky for me I got called up second so I had prime line up position!!!

12:59:30pm- 30seconds to start…wow nervous but ready to rock-it…like Micky says off ROCKY- your going to eat lighting and crap thunder!!!...yeah that doesn’t really matter but I just wanted to add it.

1:00pm- GO, GO, GO, for the next 45mins and 2 seconds…all that crossed my mind was pedal, pedal, pedal…harder, harder, harder…except when Mikey G told me to smile because I was going to be National Champion.

1:45pm- National freakin Champion!!!!! Wow……….!!!!!!!

Pretty much wow……wow…

My day pretty much couldn’t get better!!! I had won…I really wanted to talk to Neil my coach, and just say thank you. My Dad was right there by my side giving me the big old bear hugs!...it was a good feeling…

The rest of my day was filled with cheering on Mikey G, Tara, and Greg….they all had rockin rides!!! Now prep for Worldsssss!!!

pedal pedal pedal

2006-11-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

A lil post from my buddy Ian

View from the Pits.
Well this weekend I gave the opportunity for Kyle to just relax and only worry about his race, as I was his pit man and mechanic for the race. This race was important for Kyle due to some UCI points on the line which would enable him to get a good starting position for Nationals in Nanaimo. Quick cleaning and pre-race check of his bikes, making sure they were in perfect condition and he was set to rock! He ended up with a poor starting position and knew he would have to battle hard to get up to the front. The race started fast single file, but then quickly bunched up as everyone was battling for position for the long sand pit section. Kyle quickly made his way from almost near the back of the pack to the top 10 with in a matter of minutes. After the 1st lap the two leaders were gone and never to be caught again. Kyle was sitting well and looking smooth on the bike, constantly moving up and closer to the top of the field. He then powered up to a group of 3 of Ontario’s best cross riders who were battling for 4th position. Knowing he looked strong and having no bike problems I yell to him from the pits to ride on through them. The group went around and out of site from our view and then reappeared to see the group was splintered and Kyle following a couple seconds back and managed to loose some more time till the next pit. The reason for this was as Kyle was going through the group one of the guys came over on him and took him out causing him to crash and broke his shoe! He yelled to me the problem and I quickly ran to the other pit to grab some tape so he could salvage the race hoping due to the fine fitness he had. After a quick but probably seemed forever for him stop, his shoe was full covered in tape in any way possible! Back in action as quick as possible, although he had lost precious time and in cross time is the only factor. With still half the race remaining Kyle had to push hard to make up time and get those valuable UCI points. He unfortunately dropped back to 12 and you could quickly remember top 10 was UCI points only. So he started to dig deep again and quickly moved into 11th with 10th in his sites. With not much time remaining he caught the 10th placed man but was starting to feel the effects. Losing touch with 10th in the long dragging slightly uphill head wind section he would have to fight back in the technical sections where he excelled. Catching 10th again and finally passing him gave Kyle hope, but Derek St John would have none of that. He is a powerful rider, knowing this having raced against him myself on the road, he once again managed to gap Kyle in the long dragging head wind section. With only 2 laps remaining it was crunch time and the point to leave everything out there! Mr. Douglas fought hard as he could but was unable to close the gap but the gap never grew either. Coming into final lap, everyone was screaming and yelling in support of Kyle, but still unfortunately able to catch those UCI points in front of him. Crossing the finish line you could see the disappointment in Kyle’s eyes, but I quick thought that the power and fitness was by far one of the best at the race, just luck was not on his side today.

With Nationals on the horizon, those valuable UCI points are out of reach now, but the fitness and strength is more then he could ask for. But he will be lacking one supporter/pit crew/mechanic named Ian Manning.

Good luck at Nationals Douglas! It’s yours for the taking!

I think rocky found his true test

2006-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

In the blue corner, in the red white and blue...weighing in at 115lbs, standing a towering 5 ft 2....... Kristalyn "uppercut" Uddenberg. In the red corner, in the classy grey...weighing in at 207lbs...the...Italian Stallion ...Rocky Balboa!!!.... I think rocky might hurt after this one!!!

arrrghhhhh memattteee

2006-10-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

So a dear friend of mine says she is attending school...but clearly she is sailing the high seas...arghhhhhhh

they call themselves:

the pirates of ukraine!....arghhhh

think about it

2006-10-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

With defeat comes pain...overcome the pain and you will defeat!

rocky...click and enjoy

2006-10-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

A weekend of rocky!

I would have to say it has been about 2 weeks since I wrote in this great, amazing and wickedly cool page, its well over due! This weekend a big group of us made our way down deep in to the States the home de motor…or for you uneducated people…motor home! The group was made up of these sexy people….
Cris Douglas “Captain Kirk”
Kyle Douglas “Rocky Balboa”
Neil Ross “Invader from the North”
Tara Ross “Terminator”
Kevin Hazzard “People know him”
Amanda Sin “Kyle's joke laugher”

The trip began with my Dad and me waking up at 4:45am to drive to Hamilton to pick up Neil, Tara, Kevin and Amanda! The official time of departure from Hamilton was around 7:03ish. The drive down was like any other drive good clean fun. Our first destination was in a place called …umm …um…um where was it…oh right we were in DELAWAREeeeeeeeeeeee?...inside joke but…you would understand if you were cool enough to join me on my adventures! Anyways….the first place we parked the motor home was theeeeeeeee funniest place… Now I quote Neil “wow…the motor home has probably doubled the value of this property with it parked here.” I hope that paints you a good picture. We settled in for the night anxiously waiting for the next day!

Race #1
Neil’s race- he raced strong, consistent and moved up the whole race.
Kevin’s race- started at the back fought hard till then end!
Tara’s race- I would be scared racing against her, her starts are viciously hard!!!
Amanda’s race- raced a smart race with good placement!
My race- ripped up the technical features!!!
Cris’s day- running around making sure we all were ready to go… Thanks a bunch Dad!!!

Race #2
This was a new day and a new race…. So we were all hungry for some American blood!!!
I thought I would get the motor home rocking in the morning by putting one of the best all time movies in the DVD player to get everyone pumped…yeah you guess right ROCKY.
Neil’s race- well he won…and was named the “Invader From the NORTH”… from the race announcer so you mix that up with ROCKY movies and you get some pumped racers!!! Way to get us going Neil!
Kevin’s race- well he put pain into everyone he raced against…anytime he caught someone he would just ride right threw them…way to go buddy!
Tara’s race- She had a huge mechanical that put her off her bike, making her run half the race course to get a new bike… I witnessed first hand frustration and pain…but she overcame it and slowly worked her way back into the race!
Amanda’s race- wow race number 4 for her and she’s already gets top ten, now that’s skill...lucky!
My race- well with Rocky 3 and 4 fresh in my mind I knew I had to push deep! And I quote “I can’t be beat and I won’t be beat” ….. I had flow and power…and every time the pain started to take over I said no not today!
Cris’s day- wow he brought his A game…wicked cheers super motivating…great support!

With another great weekend in the books we packed up and started the journey home!!!

If I was to some up the weekend in a few words, “you’re going to eat lightening and crap thunder”

fotos

2006-10-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here you go folks, for your viewing pleasure....

On the road again...

Only in America, i wonder what mileage they get?

Thats a fine bridge.

Mike, pre race..

Thats a fine ocean back there... oh yah and rider too

Course compleat with beach.

Startline, guy in the the middle in black looks fast...

Thats cool!

Ummmm, so who is driving, Mike looks like he is sleeping,
oh well at least they have their seat belts on.

fastness

2006-10-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

yeah so I made it on to cycling news....zoomzooom

2006-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

This week I took my adventures to Boston… I am going to keep this one short. I got sick on the drive down…so my weekend was not crazy good for racing; in fact I only raced the one day. The second day I watched and snapped a few photos. The drive down and home was a ton of fun. Mike G and I had a fun time getting lost…woops…and trying to stay awake at 4am on the way home.
The best part of the whole trip was Sunday; I took a nice 2 hour ride beside the ocean…crazy view…nice features for riding!!!!

race numero 2

2006-10-05T19:25:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the HAAAAAAAmptons (in old man English sounding voice). This past weekend my adventure took me to a place called New York, well just outside New York. The area was the Hampton’s. I will give you a break down of this place….BMW, Hummer, Cadies…etc. Pretty much not a poor bone in any ones body. I had a good time in the Log cabin I was staying in. The homeowners were not even home they were away doing an adventure race. These people owned probably 15 mountain and road bikes, 3 dirt bikes and 2 off-road jeeps. Yeah they only had a bit of cash….hahaha. Oh I forgot 3 dogs and 5 cats, which loved to make noise. Other then that that’s a break down of the situation I was in for a few days.
Racing was the hard part. I had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong. Saturday morning I woke up had a good breakfast, worked on my bike, and got things rolling for the day. The bad day started when I arrived at the race and realized my wallet took a walk. I had miss placed my wallet and realized I would have difficulty registering for the race. I talked to the head official and he let it slide for the first day as long as I brought my license the next day. That meant I would have to found my wallet, but I had faith I would find it! I was getting ready for my race and as I shut the car I realized that I had locked the keys in the car. One more thing to worry about before my race started. Luckily I talked to the right guy; he was a mechanic and could get in and get my keys… I went and warmed up and within 20mins he had my keys. The word for the day was fewf! Well other then my problems before the race I got in a good warm up and looked good! I will explain this race like it was a bad essay. I got the introduction, body and conclusion mixed up. I jammed early, blew up and then came back at the end…even though I was filled with disappointment I conquered a mountain of failure. Not being pleased with my race just fueled the engine to do a training ride after the race…soooo I rode home which was around 30km. I had a life and death experience when I rode home, some young punks thought it would be cool to shoot off cap guns and yelled die, die, die…Now that’s class…only in the USA…I was scared and pissed...
Day 2, now focus was at an all time high. I had my clothes laid out on my bed, meals planned and bikes tuned and ready. I was ready to step it up. I did a lengthy warm up compared to what I am used to but it felt good. I didn’t forget my wallet or lock my keys in the car…so right there…Karma had my back! I am going to cut this short…but pretty much had my best cyclocross race….etc, etc, etc…. and I drove home the end!

Ask yourself this, “how full is your bucket”?????

2006-09-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

It’s round one of the cyclocross races. I would have to say all in all I was pretty happy to be back in the swing of things…having a nice schedule…work, ride, sleep…repeat. I started my new job working at a bike shopping wrenching bikes. So my life right now pretty much consists of bicycles. Anyways back to the racing. I started the trip off with my drive to Hamilton; I ended up staying the night in Hamilton on Thursday. A few of us went out for some sushi that night at “Joya Sushi,” it was damn tasty!!! Friday we officially kicked off road trip #1… I call it the Neil, Tara and Kyle show, pretty much the next few months I will be with them. We had a nice easy drive to Davisburg, Michigan, where we would be racing and sleeping. The three of us would be staying in host housing, if you’re not to sure what that is, pretty much people let u stay in there house for free (in a nut shell). The family we were staying with was amazing; they had a two and half year old son named Trevor who was absolutely hilarious. The little guy could speak both Spanish and English fluently and on the side he was learning French. He will be getting mad ladies when he grows up!!!

So Saturday was my first UCI race, let the fun begin…I had a long wait for the actual start of my race because I arrived at the venue around 9 am to watch and help out for Tara and Neil’s race. My race did not start till 3pm…lots of sitting! Tara had a sweet race…easily and I mean easily walking away from the field to capture the gold medal. Neil’s race was a little more interesting. We kind of switched roles, Coach was racing, and racer was yelling…only encouraging things…Neil had a cool race fighting off 3rd, 4th and 5th to take 2nd place. He was clearly a better bike handler then most of the racers. Then my race came…I was nervous…did not know what to expect. All I knew is I needed to ride hard…so that’s what I did, they blew the whistle, I put my head down and drove the pedals around. For my first race I was happy to cross the line in 15th place overall, while doing that I captured 3rd in the Under 23 category…not to shabby. No complaints here!

Day 2, once again Tara won, Neil battle it out and got second. Both were fun races to watch. It’s always fun to see people push the envelope…you can pin point when they push there limits. My race was going to be harder for me in my mind only because now I had goals and one of them was to beat this kid named tucker. He beat me by 5seconds the day before; I was out for some blood! When they said go I didn’t look back I danced all over the pedals fighting for every position… I ended up getting in to a sweet 5 man train… we hauled around the course. As the last lap approached I ran out of steam my stomach began to cramp, I was done. I crossed the line in 17th, not bad! Soon after the race finished I realized I had won the under 23, yeah I couldn’t believe it but it did happen.

The weekend came to an end with Tara getting the double win, Neil getting double silver and with me capturing a 3rd and 1st. lets just say it was a good drive home!!!

Life’s a Garden DIG it!

ups and downs

2006-09-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well the weekend has come and gone. I would say it was a successful one but it had its far share of disappointment.

I will start with Saturday, it started off a little ruff around the edges, had a horrible sleep, lets just say I woke up and I boarded the bitter bus. Things seem to turn my way once I arrived at the race course. I had a great talk with my coach, well overdue! I rolled out on the course for a few laps. The course had a sweet single track climb off the start, flattened out for the middle portion and at the end had a grueling climb up the ski hill face. It for sure was going to be a fun day at the office. Other then that the day continued on as usual: Clean bike, pick tires to race on, relax and eat. Let’s just say pesto chicken pasta rocks!

Sunday, let the fun begin. As the sun crested the trees and the fog slowly lifted off the dew covered ground I awoke…hahahha whom am I kidding the sun was well in the sky when I got up. It was race day, it was time to rock. I had a killer breakfast a big old bowl of fruit and a stack of pancakes, it was yummmmyyyy!!!! Pretty much this race was supposed to be my introduction back to racing, I couldn’t’ just think of it as my first race back, it was the Ontario Championships. I had to giver, even if my best finish was last place; I just wanted to empty the tank and giver 110%. I had perfect morning, good sleep, a good pre race meal and an amazing warm up. It was time to start! I lined up, joking and laughing with some of my friends that were in the pit. I told Ian .M. a road racer out for some fun in the sun at a MTN bike race, that if he could lead the race to the top of the first climb I would give him a 6 pack of beer. Let’s just say he lost, he went down swinging! I had an all right start, sitting top 10 going in to the first climb. As I reached the top I found myself sitting around 8th about 45seconds off a group of 3. No knee problems, good power, I felt like a million bucks. I started my second lap with Mark hot on my wheel, which is nice he’s super fast and pushes nice pace. We started talking; he told me he was suffering from some bad stomach cramps. I was disappointed because last year we found ourselves in the same position, and had some good results. We pushed and pushed on the second lap but as we started up the ski hill climb I noticed mark started to fall off me wheel, and I knew he was a stronger rider, so something was defiantly going on! I just danced on the pedals for the rest of the lap, I had good sensations. That’s when things turned to the worst. I took my second last bottle, turned down away from the feed zone and whammy Mr. Wasp hit me with his best shot. The wasp got behind my glasses and had a field day with my eye brow and eye lid. My race was done faster then you could say wasp. I was super pissed, not a single nice thing came out of my mouth. I was angry but it could have been a blessing in disguise, who knows. Then my day turned from bad to good, I had a visit from Breya a friend who I haven’t seen for pretty much a year. We caught up and carried on with our day. As the day came to an end I was just happy to be back on my bike!

Today’s Blog is brought to you by the letter K….for KARMA!!!

Let the journey BEGIN

2006-09-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, I started this blog due to the reason of pure boredom, naw I’m just kidding. Over the next few months I will be traveling around North America racing my bike! Hopefully I will bring you stories of victory, but with that comes stories of defeat (I am hoping for a lack of that). Whatever the future holds it shall be an exciting adventure.
Over the past few months I have been injured and unable to race my bike. It has been the longest few months of my life. At first I was cursing everything, I think it was due to the fact I could never get a clean crisp answer from any of my doctors about what was wrong with my knee. Then Came Alvin Brown, A man that knows more about the body then I know about bikes. Let’s just say he worked his magic and got me back to 100%... not only physically but mentally! I jump up on the pony for my first race this coming weekend (September 17, 2006). It will give me a good idea on the time and energy I will have to put in to get me where I want to be.
Other then that good morning, good afternoon and good night!!!