A BALANCE OF WORK AND PLAY

Stormy weather, perfect lets go fat biking

Wow long and behold I'm back, after a long hiatus it's time to get this blog up to speed. Truly a year of ups and downs but really what year isn't. After my last blog post, my season has been on rocky ground, From what was coming to be a great season with  the legs finding fine form, a spanner was soon thrown in the works and saw all that building come crumbling down. A heavy crash whilst racing left me unable to walk almost 3 weeks and off the bike for 6. I am only now finally getting back into racing almost 3 months down the track. It wasn't just a physical battle but really a huge mental battle. Why do i do this? do I want to be left in a wheelchair or better yet worse in the sky? over and over in my head reasons to just stop. So finding the motivation to get back on the bike was hard, making things worse was the timing, right in the main part of my season...

THE CRASH:

Placing me smack down on the cold tarmac. Krommeie crit just above Amsterdam. A fast and technical course only 1k in total with stones + speed bumps ( in the corners) this was going to be spicy. "Let's do this" off the front hard charging. Countered by a break of 6. Damn missed it!! Ok lets bridge the gap, another rider and I, jump from the pack. Coming hot into the corner. BANG my tyre explodes,  Ah shit there comes that speed bump at 45k a hour. Ah shit there comes the ground......

Yep that's me doped up on Morphine after getting flipped from my bike and landing straight on my head and hip. From the initial pain and look of my watermelon sized hip, it was initially thought that I had a broken hip. Though after further scans and 2 days at the hospital. I was cleared YYEWWW no broken bones just carted out on a wheel chair and told I had some  weeks of bed time to deal with. 

THE DOWNTIME:

Following the crash, I made my way back to Germany as I needed full-time care and that just wasn't available here in Holland. I am most grateful to have my girlfriend who put up with all the complaining and moaning, bloody bed sheets and stinky wounds, gee what a handful I was.Though sure enough over time I got better, 3 weeks in I was walking again and almost 2 months later I was back in the saddle. In this time I still tried to move as much as possible even be that a  10-minute walk around the block or some extremely slow tentative yoga. Coming from exercising every day to being bed ridden, any bit of movement was like a gift from the gods.  Anke and I did a road trip to Switzerland as an excuse to get me out of the house. That was bliss, huge mountains and just  fresh air, a shame I still couldn't ride though.

But I needed that time to just stop, get my state of mind right and take a look at where I was and what I was doing, to be grateful for the opportunity.  I mean really I live in Europe in my new home Den Haag such a beautiful, happening city. I race my bike all around Europe and over the past months have been working as a Barista at Lola bikes and coffee and Totzo Den Haag which has been a great side note to my cycling.

There has been a lot of new friends made, beer drunken, Concerts raved at and just all round good times.

Some sneaky alley cat racing:

THE COMEBACK

Once I was back on the bandwagon I returned to Holland to try sort out some things. Upon returning I resumed work at the cafe and made small steps back into training. As all eager cyclists do I returned to racing much too fast, lining up for a  UCI 180k road race, sure enough, I was blown out the back quick smart. Really I had lost all speed and lacked base work. It was time to go back to basics. After a few more small criteriums I took a 2-week trip going through Belgium to do a few Kermesse's and touch base with the coach along with some stealthy wild camping. The weather was just too good to pass up the chance to camp and in Europe you never know when your next sun dose will be.

Monster crit, keeping active up front

Beverwijk crit

Deinze Belgium

Da Fest Germany (Milky Chance)

Afterwards, it was straight on to Ludwigsburg, Germany. Being back in Ludwigsburg was a perfect setting to get those base k's in the legs, finding no struggle to hit the road for 3-4hrs. It was unfortunately too Anke and I last week before handing the keys over from our apartment, our lease was up. 2 years done and dusted phew that went fasssstt.. it will surely be missed. Nonetheless, we soaked in as much as possible, visiting our favourite eateries,bars,parks, exploring and catching up with friends,it was a nice farewell. A quick race in Belgium and I was back on the road to Holland.

Lommel Belgium

Here is a picture of me at my last race in Belgium Lommel, I was stuck between the break and the peloton. The late break of 4 went 80k in,  I hesitated but eventually jumped after another rider though we were about 50m apart and 2k or so off the break.  Edging closer after chasing for 10k I was red lining, time trialling is definitely not one of my traits, with just 20m to the group, the rider in front of me made it and then the 5 picked up the pace and left me flying solo, I just couldn't go up a gear anymore. 30k still till the finish I had a good gap on the peloton so I tried my luck at taking it to the end but eventually got caught with 10k to go, my lights were out. Rolled in for 33rd in the bunch and the other guy who made the gap went on to win..... cruel sport. Although upsetting, it was a good tester of form and I'm happy that the legs are finally getting some fire back in them.

Just as I was putting the final touches on this post. I had a day off from the cafe yesterday and it was beautiful weather so I drove to Belgium again after 2 weeks to race in Temse Velle. Found myself in a 100k breakaway, with BMC and Cibel boys. Of the original 15 man break we reduced it to 10 after several attacks, it was awfully exhausting as nobody wanted to work together. Coming down to the last 10k I was drawing my last cards keeping up with all the counter attacks till I just couldn't hold anymore. I lost contact coupled with another rider and rode in for 8th. So was a little redemption after my last race in Belgium but at the same time frustrating.

Temse Belgium, leading the break

Now with only 2 months left of the season, I am just trying to recoup my season which was lost and cram as much racing in as I can hoping to finish with some nice results. Summer is fast disappearing, its already cooling down and starting to rain more often, was a shame there was no real Summer this year :( but as I said its Europe so you never know..

As for what's on the cards next that is totally up in the air at the moment. Tag along and just enjoy the ride ;) Thanks to all of you for your support and reading. It can get lonesome out on the road and I do miss knowing what is happening with all my friends and followers so leave me a message or comment, so I can do some reading too :)