by Maghalie Rochette
Koksijde World Cup!
Have you ever run in soft, deep, sand? With bike shoes? And a bike on your shoulder? With 60 other people hitting you behind the head with their bikes?
Welcome to the Koksijde World Cup!
How fun.
___________
This week, on Wednesday, David and I went to Koksijde with a friend from Belgium. We wanted to get a feel for the track before going to the World Cup. After a lap, we had to take a short pause... WTF? It made me feel better that our friend from Belgium told us it was particularly difficult that day, because the sand was drier and looser than normal. I'm so glad we went, because that course is a different beast... it allowed me to figure it out a little bit more. If what you see on TV looks difficult and ridiculous, it doesn't even come close to what it actually is.
However, when I pre-rode again on the eve of the race, I felt like I was finally figuring it out. I was riding well and felt fast. That gave me confidence and I was excited to race.
My parents came all the way from North America to see us and watch the race. As cruel as I made this place sound earlier, Koksijde is actually a very cute beach town in Belgium. There is a nice street with plenty of cute shops and restaurants close to the beach. We went for dinner with my parents and it was really nice to see them and get a quick visit of Koksijde together.
As for the race... I don't have much to say about it. Some days you got it, and some days, you just don't. Today, I was off. I never figured out how to ride fast or efficiently. It's been a great season so far, and I hadn't had an off day yet, but today, I need to admit that I kind of sucked... I'm not TOO disappointed though (just a little bit!), I know it happens. I'll just make sure it doesn't happen too often!
Looking ahead
David and I came back home and packed our bags because tomorrow we are leaving to Malaga, Spain, for a few days of solid training. It is a very last minute decision (we decided this morning and booked an hour ago), but I think it will be a good decision. The past month as been pretty hectic and I really want to get some good training in... and that is always easier to do when it's nice outside!
One day I'll have to come back to conquer this beast of a course, but for now, I'll happily stay away from it, or from any kind of sand riding, for a few days. Even if there is a beach in Malaga, I promise I'm only going on it with a towel and a swim suit. At least for a day or two... maybe after that I'll be at peace with and start practicing again! :)
Looking forward to many hours in the saddle and the sun!
Cheers everyone ;)
MECHANIC'S TIP
Embrocation or "How the hell do they race without leg warmers when it's so cold?!"
I hate when my legs get cold during a race. When they are cold, it's like they shut down and I can't get going as fast as I want. For that reason, you'll often see me wearing legwarmers during a cold race. But sometimes, especially when it's raining or when there is a lot of running involved, legwarmers are not ideal. They get heavy with the rain, and they may be a bit too hot for when there is a lot of running... like this weekend in Koksijde.
So in those situation, I use embrocation. It's a warming cream made with different oils and some capsium (pepper). When you put it on your legs, the warmth of the pepper gives you a pleasant "burning" sensation of the skin. But, watch out, when you have it on your hands after applying to your legs, everything you touch will burn.
Here are a few tips when applying embrocation:
. Put your eye contact BEFORE putting the embrocation
. As soon as you are done applying the cream, wash your hands with Isopropyl Alcohol...NOT WATER. Water will actually make the burning a bit more intense.
It's a really awesome product. Makes a huge difference in comfort in the cold weather and it even smells pretty nice :)
IDEA WORTH SHARING
"The Defiant Ones" - A Netflix documentary on Music, with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine is a music producer and business man. He is in part responsible for the early success of Bruce Springsteen, U2, Tom Petty, and many more. Dr. Dre, well, we all know who Dr. Dre is... NWA, Snoop Dog, Eminem, and the Beats by Dre headphones. Both of these mens are moguls of the music industry.
Through a series of 4 episodes with vintage videos and interviews with multiple artists, you can follow their careers and learn how they made it from their very humble beginnings to being billionaires and successful music business mens.
We usually don't really watch TV at all... but now that we are in Blegium, we have more time! This week, we watched this documentary and it was as entertaining as it was inspiring. Both of these mens (and the artists they worked with) are incredibly creative people and teach you the importance of letting go of your ego, and following your instinct even if everyone else tells you otherwise.
I hope you will like it as much as we did :)
WHAT'S NEXT?
Next weekend, I will take part in two Belgian races that are not world cups.
. Dec 1st: GP Soudal Hasselt, Blegium (UCI C2)
. Dec. 2nd, Zilvermeercross, Mol, Belgium (UCI C2)
The coverage for GP Soudal in Hasselt, on Dec. 1st will be available on Flobikes.com
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