Sorry guys for not posting any race reports or just a little note on how things went. The true is that the WC in Koksijde didn't go as I had hopped. I don't know what really happen, and I might not never know. The week up til Koksijde I was sick, not laying in bed sick, just got hit by a really nasty cold with a sore throat, even though I felt better and better during the week, my body was just drained of strength! So ended 31, not the best but nothing I can do about it.

My roommate and good friend Vicki, (you can follow her here http://ottawa.cx/) had a very bad crash on the pre-ride friday at the course, where she fractured a vertebra, which kind of put things into perspective. I just hope for a good and quick recovery for her.

By the way, went to Gieten (nord of the Netherland) sunday aswell, where I rode a comfortable 15th. place home. The weather was bad - rain and stormy conditions just made this race so hard, and I was so tired, sometimes I barely could hang on the group, but I kept on fighting, and it was first on the last lap, that our group got split up.

I just want to say thanks to Ignace & Vicki for the great company and the help this weekend.

Monday afternoon Vicki & I decided to go to Aarschot for a walk-around the city and a cafe stop. It was a great afternoon and times just flew by. You know sometimes pictures says more then a 1000 words!

This weekend I don't have any racing - which is nice! Want to be complete fresh again before the big block of racing starts again.

See you out there.

NB: started a small knitting project.... Never done that before! I will let you know, how things are progressing.

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wandering mind...

Today was the day, which I have look forward to since I woke up Tuesday with a cold. Snot has just flowed in the rushing tide since that day. You know sometimes history just repeats itself - maybe it's just my fate to be sick up til Koksijde... I don't know!

This no-training days are always a bite weird, you look so much forward to them, and when you finally don't have to do anything, except for getting your gear ready, you end up with far too much time, which in my case always cause my mind to wander...

It's not healthy with too much time! As a bike racer I'm used to having to kill time in front of the computer or TV in order to rest properly before a race... but today the off-day causes my mind to wander. Thinking on everything from how my body will perform on Saturday to the worldcup in Koksijde, to what will happen when I get back to Denmark! Do you still have a job, will I pass my bachelor degree? How long should I, would I, could I keep on doing this biker bum life??? I have been racing since I was 8 years old, started when I was 6 with begging my dad to sign me up for a bicycle so that I could start racing. The winter of 1995 I started training, and 1996 I got my license and started racing - 16 years on the bike so far!!! That is a lot time not just spend on the bike, but as a bike racer you are never off the bike! Everything that you do off or on the bike, concerns your performs on the bike both physical and mentally - so a no training day as today sometimes is just as hard as a 5 hours hard training ride.

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Recovery day

After last weekend race in Hamme-Zogge, where I finished 11^th which was my best Belgium cross race results ever, I felt confident on my current shape/form. Because of next weekend world cup in Koksijde, I had some hard training last week towards the race in Asper-Gavere, but with a day off Friday, and a good ride Saturday, I felt ready for the next section of the Superprestige race series.

The race in Asper-Gavere was for a couple of years ago, my first meeting with the Belgium cyclocross scene, so already before the start I had a special relation with the course.

Last time I rode this race, I was forced to leave after only a few laps, because of a broken derailleur hanger, and some bad crashing on a very muddy course. So it was with feelings that I stood at the start line. The course is because of its placement always wet, and despite the very dry conditions we have had in

After a super start where I in the first couple of laps where at the 7^th position, I felt a bit back in the peloton because I didn’t has the same power on the steep climb, as the other girls on the climb, so I’ll need to work on getting more power in the legs for further races. I felt really good on the descents, where I felt that I was able to keep good speed. So after a good solid ride I could cross the finish line as nr. 10 – which is my best cross results ever at a C1 race.Belgium the last 2 months, al lot of the corners where wet and slippery.

Today my longest ride was to the grocery shop. I took out the city-bike and drove the 3km to the Lidl and Delhaize, where I filled my backpack with food and other products. Today has been a rest day, where most of my time has been in front of the computer or TV, but tomorrow is it back to proper training again.

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A busy week!

Let’s see, last time I left you guys, I had just almost finished my bachelor assignment, I can now proudly say that it’s handed over and out of my control. Now all I can do is to wait for my grades to arrive, I think I should know how it went within a month. This a really long blog post, so I highly recommend that you will take 1-2 coffee breaks!

Jacob came down here last weekend, on a surprise weekend trip, which was awesome. So for the super prestige race in Hamme-Zogge I had not only my boyfriend to help me out, but also an amazing mechanic Carsten, who drove all the way from Denmark, so help me in the pits. I really appreciate it, and maybe all this lovely help paid off, because I had a really good ride where I felt really strong. The start can always go better, and I know that I have to work on being more aggressive, but when this is said, I’m very satisfied with that race. I just enjoyed every aspect, loved the course. It was so classic Belgium cyclo cross, which just took you up and down on stair and steep slopes, and round and round J

So thank you Carsten and Jacob for all your help that weekend!

After the race Vicki and I drove home, and made it just in time to see the elite men start. And this time we were determined not to miss one single second of the race, like we did Friday at the race Niel. I still don’t know how Sven Nys made it to the front and swapped position with Sven VANTHOURENHOUT. I am pretty sure, that I looked at the screen all the time, and didn’t talk that much. It must have happen in a split of a second, maybe when I glanced! The night after the race in Hamme-Zogge I had trouble sleeping because my body couldn’t find any rest. Normally a good sign of hard racing, but if I had just knew that Monday would be so busy, then I would have tried even harder to fall asleep.

Because Monday turned out to be a busy Monday. After sleeping in until the sun kisses my bu**, Vicki and I decided to take the cross bikes and go for a spin off in the woods. This was one of our best descions so fare! The forest was so quite, and the trails just twisted ahead of us, which made so much fun riding. After a quick shower and lunch, it was time to turn on the car, and pick up Emil (a U-23 rider from DK) who lives in Heist-Op-Den-Berg, and then off to VanEyck – THE bike store here in Belgium. If Vaneyck doesn’t have it, then you are gonna have a hard time finding it. Because of all the road-work around Geel it took us, 1½ hour, normal procedure 30min. We ended up parking the car, and then took the rest of the adventure on foot. But in the end we found it, and everybody got what the needed. Then back to Heist op den Berg, where we were invited at thee and pancakes. The time was starting to run out for me, because I had to be back at the house around 17:30 because I had a concert with Björn, that I wouldn’t miss. But before we could go home, Victor took us to the masseur, so that we in the further know, where to go!

And then it defiantly was time to go home – I had my first “night” out in Antwerp, and didn’t want to be late for that. Back home in the House I only managed to make some oatmeal with apple, before it was time to leave and drive to Antwerp – essentially the Lotto arena! The concert was great, I had so much fun, and I ended home in Blauberg around midnight! VOLBEAT – the band we heard played a 2 hour concert and next morning I still felt like flying and I could do again and again.

After this very busy Monday, the days again began looking “normal” with training, eating and relaxing. This afternoon my parents are coming to visit me. The Super prestige in Asper-Gavere, will be my mum’s first Belgium cyclo cross race, just as it was for me, so many years ago.

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Finish, finito y terminado

The last couple of days have mentally been a rollercoaster. After a good ride at the Koppenberg-cross, where I finished 13, just 30 sec from a top 10 result.

I kind of suffered from a reality check, where everything just in someway just collapsed, and I was very closed to just driving back to Denmark, but I didn't. Now when I look back I'm really happy that I stayed here in Belgium. I think my mood change came after many weeks with lot of racing, travelling, getting new friends and just exploring everything new. For the first time since late august I did have to do anything, no races, not so much training because of my pressed ribs caused by a crash in a race Nacht Van Woerden. So all of a sudden I was forced to be complete alone, that was how I felt it. I just felt like the last man on earth. This feeling had I for 1 day, and I decided to go for a long ride on the bike, in order to "cry out" and clear my mind. This always helps me, nothing like riding our bike, and getting the thought right again.

The last week because of the no race schedule I have put all my focus on the bachelor assignment, and I can now say that I'm almost finish. Only need the little adjustments but I have decided no more writing, no more editing otherwise you can just continue for ever. Tonight I will be doing the last work on it, and then send it so that it can be handed over in time. Looking forward to getting this burden of my shoulders.

So with this after ride picture, I'm gonna end this blog post, and getting back to my assignment.

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