Belgium Update!!

Since my last post on racing in Belgium, I had taken part in 2 kermesse races (small races 100-120km usually 20 laps of a circuit) and 1 Interclub race 16 laps of a 10km loop. In the Kermesse's my results were slowly improving with me managing to get 21st in 1 event, I was still sticking to my game plan of ignoring the initial breaks and as the miles ticked by and the oppositions legs weakened I would then make my move in an attempt to get a result.

Next on the cards was the Interclub, these races are the largest and toughest events that our team takes part in, with the exemption of a few Professional races that we attain wild cars to. The Interclub took place in Geluwe a small town 70km from were I live in Lierde, that morning my soigneur collected from the house and brought me to meet up with the rest of the team in Oudennarde and from there we travelled in our bus to the start of the event. Upon arriving the team had already set up camp and had our bikes prept, numbers on and ready to roll, we sat in our sun loungers under the camper van's canopy, pinned on our race numbers, filled our pockets with race food, put on our kit, got our pre race rub and chatted tactics among ourselves in preparation for the race ahead.

After my warm up I got to start line and lodged myself in near the front, at the drop of the flag the race was off, riders immediately rushed up by me and forced me to drop back, my bike handling is not yet up to the level of the Belgians making it hard for me to fight for position. each of the coming laps would be highly challenging as they were composed of a fast technical section through the town from were we rode out into the exposed countryside (Belgium unlike Ireland has dyke's not ditch's diving fields and at road sides providing little if no protection from swirling crosswinds) where cross winds hammered the peleton till it was stretched out into 1 long single file line, it was from here we made our way to what would be the deciding section of the race as each lap we were faced with a 1km cobbled climb.

As with all Belgian races the break escaped almost immediately, one of our team Dan Patten worked hard to make his way into it but unfortunately came a cropper on a sharp bend ending his race as he plummeted into the tarmac deeply wounding his arm. I held strong in the bunch saving energy at every opportunity, when we hit the cobbled climb I chose an easy gear got a high cadence going and dug in deep to keep up. with each passing lap, more and more people were getting drooped and left behind as the frantic pace in an attempt to close down the break was taking its toll, with 6 laps to go the bunch split and a large group of 20 riders rode off the front, unfortunately i was unable to make the split and was left behind. 1 of my team mates Chris Jory made it across and in doing so battled hard to achieve an excellent 3rd place.

For the remaining 6 laps I decided to try and escape the clutches of the bunch, upon hitting the climb i pressed on taking 10 riders with me we worked hard for the remaining laps and as we hit the 1km to go sign the sprint was on, with 35 riders already having finished ahead the pace was far from relaxed as we sprinted up the finishing straight were I took 39th overall.

After the Race I was Packed up and shipped off to the Train were I had to embark on my trip home to Ireland for my National Champs. Of which I will write about in my next blog.

Thanks for reading!!

Molloys Nutritional Products.

Before departing to Belgium I had been spending a lot of time working with James Geraghty from Molloy's Pharmacies. We had been looking at a number of areas in my athletic make up such as Nutrition and Lifestyle. It was during this phase that James kindly enquired would I be interested in being sponsored by Molloy's Pharmacy. Such opportunities as this rarely show face, so I accepted knowing only good things could come from the arrangement. James has supplied me with a number of up and coming nutritional products from the stock which is available in Molloys Pharmacy. Since I will be racing and training full time in Belgium my body will be stressed to its maximum and consistently fatigued. This should provide a perfect testing ground for the products to see do they provide my body with necessary nutritional benefits that are needed to rest, recover, and progress in my athletic field. At the current time the product that I am using are listed below. I will give a quick review of how I feel these products have affected me to date, and if you keep an eye on my posts from here on out you will see how I am using them before, during and after sporting events.




Products:





1. Body Glide Anti-Chafe: Very similar to Vaseline except it possesses anti-bacterial properties, rubbed on under areas it provides a friction free non chafe layer which prevents saddle sores and promotes cycling comfort



















2. Kinetica 100% Recovery, Post-Training Recovery Supplement: Most beneficial product I have used vital part of my weight management programme, quick and easy after race and hard training gives body the vital nutrients it needs to recover fast without the bother of preparing large meals and the fear of overeating.










3. Kinetica Whey Protein: This product is a high quality protein which I generally use to keep my protein levels topped up when recovering from tough events like hard training or races, A scoop of this product into either water or milk (I actually find it tastes quite nice in water and also keeps calorie intake down) and it will provide your body with a sufficient blend of essential amino acids, proteins and fluid from the milk or water. It is here that I usually add a tablespoon of Udo's Oil in order to make it easier to take and also the addition of the oil has been proven to keep the body focused on the metabolism of fat after exercise.

4. Udo's Essential Oil: I was introduced to this product by Molloys Pharmacy recently and since using it I feel my immune system has picked up ridding me of all those annoying colds and coughs that I always was faced with. it also provides my body with the essential fatty acid's, and omega's that I would usually deprive it of when focusing on maintaining a strict diet.











5. Molloys Sports Gel, Joint & Muscle Care: Great for just after sports events helps relax stressed muscles and promotes recovery of all connective tissue. Having had problems in my calf regions in the past I feel this product is a vital part of keeping my joints, muscles and tendons in working order.















6. Molloys Joint & Muscle Rub: Really relieves aches and pains especially in lower back, neck and around feet and knees, Rubbed in generously on these areas and if you can handle the faint Deep-Heat smell you will find that the results are what you seek.














7. ZYM Electrolyte Drink Tablets, Caffeine & Non Caffeine: Great for both training and racing, provides body with the electrolytes and salts it needs to keep hydrated, and if you chose the caffeine product you can that extra kick of the 100mg of caff in each tablet.
















8. Molloys Energy+ Multivitamin, Mineral & Herbs Capsules: With it being a powdered capsule instead of a tablet means nutrient uptake will be higher. After taking 1 every morning I have felt more energised and with a reduction of that run down feeling, mouth ulcer, colds, coughs and tiredness I can honestly say that they are having a positive effect on me.







Over the coming weeks I will be constantly speaking of how I am using these items in my sporting lifestyle so hopefully now you will know what I am on about.

Heading back to Ireland this Tuesday for the national championships on the 27th so hoping for a nice result, it is taking place in Sligo town so if your around on that date make your way there.

Settling into the routine!!

It is now Thursday the 17th of June, I have been in Belgium for over a week and can honestly say I am enjoying the experience. Myself and my house mate Daniel have really gotten to know each other, he has shown me many training routes, local bike shops and many other things that will make my duration here pass with ease. To date i have ridden 3 races, Grangliese, Bavaghem and Zwyndrecht, non of which have been easy. My first race in Grangliese was a Baptism of fire, the course was mainly flat with just 1 drag of about half a km, it also had 1 quite sever cross wind section lasting about 2km. I travelled to the race with other Asfra racing team members, all of whom were providing me with the advice that would hopefully aid me in doing well. I got my warm up completed, stretched and lined up for what was going to my first race in Belgium in 2010, the whistle was blown and away we went, from word go we were lined out at 40+kph cross winds beating of the cosmics (The cosmics are the brand of wheel i own) making the bike hard to control. Feeling confident I moved up on the outside and made my way to the front, once there I began going with groups that were attempting to get away, was i being to eager?? the answer came pretty fast. At about lap 10 of 14 My legs were screaming and my lungs burning, I was totally juiced, no way could i continue, I dug in but came to a total halt on the Drag with 3 laps to go, it was my first race and i had been totally defeated. 3 of my team mates put in impressive rides, achieving 30th, 15th, and 2nd.

The following day i was set to race in Bavaghem, 30km from my house in Lierde. I woke that morning with a new wave of confidence, i was going to be more reserved in my racing today, hold back at the start and allow people to waste energy, and then the Cobra would strike and that i did. The trip to the race went fast, i managed to get signed on and pinned my number to my jersey, the route today went over two small inclines and had a number of sharp bends of which I would be expected to sprint out of if i was to hold in there. Once again the whistle was blown and out the road we went brakes screeching, people swerving, bikes clashing off each other, the echo of People roaring cuss words as they all jostle for position as we head into sharp turns and down narrow avenues. Racing in Belgium is far from normal, races generally consist of about 10 or more laps of a highly technical course exposing riders to Cobble stoned sections, Hills, Cross winds, surfaces coated in gravel and oil, and sharp bends, it is only through keeping alert and racing intelligently can you survive and if you manage to do that and posses mass fitness it is then that you can contemplate winning. I rode central in the bunch making sure I did not get caught out in any unfortunate scenarios such as crashes or splits in the bunch, by the half way point 2 groups had broken of the front and both had in excess of a minute on the peleton, I saw 4 riders attempting to escape the clutches of the main field and decided to take a chance and try and join them, i rose from the saddle hammered hard on the pedals and swiftly accelerated towards them making sure not to drag people with me, the moment I made contact I drove past them ushering them to follow me of which they did, we took turns pushing hard into the wind and steadily opening up a gap on the bunch. Our steady work continued lap after lap as we fought to keep the pace up, with 2 laps to go we were joined by a large group from behind consisting of nearly 15 riders, with there aid we closed in on the 2 escape groups that were still ahead, with riders from the U23 Kazakhstan national squad pushing hard in our group the first of these escape groups was soon hauled in. With half a lap to go people became dubious of working and attacks from riders present in the bunch began coming swift and fast, i struggled to hang in bit took the bit between my teeth and clung to the wheel in front of me. we went into the final bend riders were slamming into me and i was having to fight for every inch i could gain that would allow me to get a better place, we cam out of the bend and into the home straight, i kicked hard and managed to get 15th out of my bunch and 32nd overall.

On Wednesday the 16th of June I raced in Zwyndrecht, it was far from were I am staying so i decided to take the train to the location, with such transport being very cheap in Belgium and with the station being 100m up the road from were I am staying it made perfect sense. I rose at 8am that morning, devoured some muesli and bread, followed by sum natural yogurt, I then took my daily dose of supplements beginning with my Molloy's Pharmacy Energy+ Vit, Min and Herb tablet, I then downed a table spoon of Udo's Seed Oil, all of these are to provide me with the essential nutrients that my body needs in order to function and recover during such an intensive lifestyle. After breakfast I collected my gear bag which i had packed the night before and my bike of which had been washed serviced and prep for the event ahead. I boarded the train at Lierde and began my journey, after switching at Gent, I travelled to Zwyndrecht, Belgian trains are far more pleasant and easy flowing that the old Ballina to Manulla junction train that i am so used to. when I arrived I swiftly found sign on and there i got changed and prep myself for the race, I then proceeded with my racing license and signed on for the event. The race began at 2.30pm and it kicked off with a bang, the pace was frantic and i had to fight hard to hold my position in the savage cross winds that battered us each lap, it was on the first lap that the break escaped, it was to stay away all day leaving the rest of us scrambling in an attempt to make up the time that we were consistently losing to them each lap. As in the last race I adopted the tactic of holding strong and allowing others to tire themselves out and then i would attack, with 4 laps remaining the bunch split and i dug in deep to make it across, from that point on the pace was high insuring that the groups behind did not once again make contact. As we came onto the final lap the speed and the explosive sprinting out of each corner in order to hold the wheel in front of me was taking its toll, I suffered like a dog and as we hit the finishing straight I struggled in finishing at the back of what easily was a 40 man group.

So far I can only say the racing here is far more intensive than what i was facing in Ireland but with my first Inter-Club event taking place on Tuesday coming in at 160km, it will be nice to see do the Belgians posses there wicked speed in longer more enduring conditions....... most likely they will and most likely i will once again suffer till the end, but what doesn't kill me can only make me stronger!! (Below is a short video clip of my accomidation)

Belgium.....

The above Monument in Brakel is dedicated to Cyclists of the Flanders region.... made of 3000 bicycles it truly is a sight to behold.




Travelling to Belgium wasn't easy, the early wake up, the cramped flight and the masses of trains and changes that were needed to get to my destination was very tiring. When i finally arrived in oudenaarde Belgium, I was breathed a sigh of relief to see the teams car sitting outside waiting for me. The manager of the Team Luc Azzez Greeted me, we drove across town to his bicycle shop from which the team is run out of. There i assemble my bike and went in search of some food as at this stage i hadn't eaten since the bagel i got at 6am that morning. as the evening went by we attended a bike race were some of the team i was soon to join were racing, when the race finished we made our way back to oudenaarde were i had dinner with Luc's family after which i was dropped out to my accommodation.
The house that i am staying at is specifically designed for cyclists, It can hold a maximum of 6 riders but at the moment all that is based here are myself and a checkoslavakian guy Daniel who has been based here since Feburary, he is a sound man. The following day after arriving I went for my first spin, i rode from brakel were i am staying into oudenaarde to the shop were the team is located. Luc my manager provided with my race information for the coming weekend, on Saturday i take part in a 170km inter-club race it should be very tough but at the end of the day that is what i am here for, on Sunday i also race of yet the full details i am not sure of. with today being Friday the 11th of June, tomorrow is when the racing begins, after a big plate of pasta and plenty of fluids i am now all set for what tomorrow may bring.... also I am going to dedicate an up and coming blog to the nutritional aspects of my cycling, i will pay extra attention to the new products that my main Sponser Molloys Pharmacy have provided me and i will go through the pros and cons of each product in detail. after the weekends racing i will also update the blog with how the races went and will have some good racing footage of the events and pictures also, so until next time........ stay classy cyclists.