Hey everyone.

A long season is finally finished.  I just got back from Australia about a week ago.  I was there for my last race as a Navigator, in the Sun Tour.  For those who have not yet heard, after eight years on the Navigators, I’ve finally switched teams.  Next year I’ll be riding for Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery.  Now that the season is over I’m made the temporary switch from full time rider, to full time contractor as I build my house.

The Sun Tour was my first time to Australia and the only dissappointment was that I didn’t see any Kangaroos, besides the dead one on the side of the road.  The race went well.  Phil was 4th overall, and Hilton won the sprinters jersey as well as a stage.  I was 7th on a stage and otherwise had a decent tour, despite getting a cold the night before I left.  I had a day to explore Melbourne before I left.  I spent much of the day, taking in the sights of the city with Phil, who I haven’t seen since Redlands.  Melbourne was cool.  They’ve redefined the back alley, from a horror flick scene to a great place to hang out and have coffee.  The buildings were an interesting mix of modern and old.  Normally I hate modern design, but in Melbourne they’ve managed to blend it with classic design in a way that fits.  I thought the city was really beautiful.

The big news is my team change for 2007.  After a good long run at Navigators, I decided I needed a fresh environment.  So far, the Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery Team has really good to me and I’m really looking forward to riding for them.  The change has left me feeling really excited and motivated for next year.  I can’t wait.  I’d like like to thank all the staff, management and especially the sponsors of the Navigators Insurance Pro Cycling Team for all the support you have given me over the last eight years.
The end of the season means that I can work full time on my house for awhile.  After the problems we had with the other contractor (Steven Florinski is his name. Don’t hire him), we have finally started again.  The new contractor has been great.  Progress has been slower than we’d like, but that’s due to the weather.  He has been out there on week-ends and in the rain, so that we can get the roof up before it starts freezing.  Richard McPhee is his name…hire him.  I’ve been going crazy with the chainsaw, clearing an area for my wind turbine.  In the last couple of days, I’ve cleared about a half acre of forest.  I hate having to cut the trees down, but more trees will be saved by not using electricity that pollutes.  For those who are thinking of installing a wind turbine and would like to see the one I picked, the website is: www.bergey.com.  In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be painting and installing my turbine tower, making a foundation and tower for the solar panels and installing my well pump.  If anyone would like to help, you’re welcome to stop by.  If you’re serious, I’ll pay you.  I need an extra hand out there.

I’ve been on the otherside of the pond, in Belgium, for the about a week now, but the weather isn’t living up to it’s  reputation.   We had some cloudy skies during the first few days, but the last few days have been warm and sunny.  We took advantage the weather and the BBQ, enjoying steaks, pork tenderloin and veggies outside, washed down by some tasty Belgian beer.

Oh yah, we raced too.  On Sunday we raced in Leuven, near Brussels, in the rain, with jet lag.  Sergei had a great day, finishing third, but rest of us had a hard time and pulled out.  Today we raced Memorial Rik van Steenberger.  About 100km into the race there was a split of about 40 guys that quickly went out to 2:30 and I was the only Navigator there, so the other guys had to chase.  Not only did they bring it back… they destroyed the field in the process and only about 30 riders were able to hang on.  After my group was caught another group of thirty went away with Hilton and I, the initial split being caused by Nick Nuyens pulling at 60km/h for a full kilometer.  I rode aggressively in the hopes of getting away with a few riders, but it came down to a bunch sprint, so I led Hilton out.  He finished sixth saying that he had the perfect lead out but didn’t have the legs.  I wish I could finish sixth in a sprint against guys like Hondo and McEwen and say I had bad legs.  In the end I finished 28th about 10 seconds behind the group.  I the last kilometer, I held over 50km/h the whole time but had no chance of getting onto the back of the group.  Those dudes have some power!

I’m not a fan of writing complaints on my website.  I’ll naturally avoid writing blogs when I have nothing positive to write.  The last time I wrote I getting in gear for Philly.  Lancaster and Reading both went pretty well for me, placing 11th and 10th respectively, but Philly didn’t go my way, although it was good for the team.  Beauce started off good and ended great with Valeriy winning overall and my 3rd place in the crit, however the last two days overshadowed the other success.  On the penultimate day, I was hit by a car and the final day I clipped my pedal in a corner crashed myself out of the race.  Nationals didn’t go well, then I took a break.  During this time our contractor decided not go out to the site and actually do work.  With the help of another contractor we went to check what little work had been done and it was completely inaccurate, so now we have to sue him.  Those are my complaints in a nutshell and I won’t go into it further except to warn everyone to not hire Steven Florinski from Cobourg, Ontario, if you need a contractor.  As you can see I’ve had a lot on my mind.
Since then, I’ve done a few races and my form getting better and better all the time.  I went down to the Owasco Stage Race in NY state and won a time trail for the first time since ‘95 or ‘96.  I was 2nd in Stage 2, 3rd in Stage 3 and finished 3rd overall.  I won the Hamilton Stage Race and was 2nd in the Peterborough ITT.  Working with Mirek Mazur has drastically improved my time trial riding.  I recently did a PB in the local club TT with and average speed of 47.5 km/h.  Not as fast as the best but definately pretty fast.  The Bank of America invitational, in Charlotte, went better than expected.  Team mates Sean Milne and Hilton Clarke were 1st and 4th.  I was fifth.  What a crazy race that was!  We finished in a thunderstorm, which made the last 7 laps all about staying upright.  Sean was in a break, leaving Health Net and Toyota with the responsibility to chase.  When the rain came the whole chase fell apart after a crash.  Gord Fraser, Ivan Domingez and Tony Cruz all put in huge efforts to try to save the day for thier teams, while I sat on thier wheels with team mates in tow wondering why no one was coming around us.  There was an attack on the last lap but we brought it back right away.  Siro pulled me through the last corner and from there I just went as hard as I could for Hilton.  Hilton and JJ Heado came around me and to my surprise, that was it.  Hilton won in Elk Grove, so I guess my team mates are still flying.  I felt great today during a motor pacing session, so hopefully all this spells success in Chicago.

Hey everybody.  The big races are coming up and the legs are finally working.  I’ve been at home for the last few weeks since coming back for Europe.  Although I wasn’t as strong in Europe as I would have liked, I gained a lot from the racing over there.  After a few days rest, I got on the bike again and felt way better than I have all year.  As I said before, I’m working with coach Mirek Mazur again.  He’s been having me do lots of tempo intervals, in big gears, that range from 10 to 30 minutes.  The first day I tried them, it felt like I was ripping my legs off, but after a week, I was much more comfortable.  They seem to be working.  Last Sunday I did the Niagara Classic and won.  Yesterday I did the Hills of Somerset Road Race, in New Jersey and was second to David Frattini.  Unfortunately, the finish line was not marked clearly and David and I were not sure if we were looking at the finish line or not.  He figured it out before me and jumped.  I was coming around him, but I needed another 20-30 meters to pass.  Oh well, at least I know I have good legs!  Tomorrow is Tour of Somerville, followed by Captech Classic, on Thursday and Lancaster on Sunday.  I’m really excited for these races.  I’m lighter than I’ve been since the last time I Philly and I feel better than have since then.  Mirek is doing great job.  He really knows how to push riders to their limits and it feels just like old times, to be working with him again.  I’ve always said that he is one of the best coaches around and now I’m reminded of that fact.  I recommend him to anyone who likes to work hard.  Check out his webpage:  www.mazurcoaching.com .

Hey everybody,

I’m finally home and rested.  The racing in Germany didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but I still raced aggressively and I feel stronger now.  I took a few day to rest and now I back to training again.  After a break for a couple of years, I decided to start working with my old coach, Mirek Mazur, once again.  The last time I was working with him, I won Philly - so hopefully he’ll beat that kind of form into my legs again.

Construction on the house is officially under way.  The excavation is done and after the compaction test results come back, work on the foundation can begin.  I’ve been out there, during the last few days, to bury the well pipe and to cut up some felled trees for firewood.  It’s awesome finally see some progress.

For the folks at home in Peterborough, check out the Green EXPO on April 29 in the Evinrude Center. The website is www.greenexpo.ca .

Today was a nice day over here in Belgium, so I took advantage and went for a long ride.  Yes, yesterday was a race… Yes I’m crazy.  Not as crazy as the psychos who designed the Tour of Flanders course.  I rode part of the course today, from Kluisberg, where the hills start, to the town of Oodenarde.  I think that’s a little over a quarter of the hilly portion of the race.  Most of the climbs I did were on cobbles, were really steep and they come one right after another.  One of the less famous climbs, the Paterberg, has a narrow, winding downhill leading up to it.  Then, you slam on the brakes, make a sharp right turn and you’re on the hill.  There’s also a sharp turn at the bottom of the Koppenberg, another super steep cobbled climb.  If you look at the race photos, the Koppenberg is the one where riders are walking.  For those who are wondering, the Koppenberg is not so bad that the riders can’t ride up it.  They’re walking because of the congestion on the climb.  All the riders are trying to be as close to the front as possible, for the crosswind section after the top.  All it takes its one rider to crack.  He slows down, then other riders bang into him, then people are stopped and on foot.  In case you’re also wondering…I rode up it.

To say that the Tour of Flanders is hard doesn’t quite sound right.  Cruel and unusual punishment - that sounds more accurate.  Whoever designed that course is probably not a bike racer.  I’m tired after my 200 km in 6 hours 30 minutes, just training.  Try 250 km in 7 hours, racing over four times as many hills and cobbles.  Come to think of it…that’s my kind of race!

Yesterday was Tour of Cologne, in Germany.  200km on a rolling course - perfect for me.  I don’t think that the German’s really understand the whole concept of a “neutral zone”.  50-55 km/h in the “neutral zone” doesn’t seem too “neutral” to me.  So then the race starts… A break got away in the first 10 or 15 km but there were a few of the strongest teams, including Milram, looking ready to bring it back - It never came back.  So I, along with Zabel, Pettachi, O’Grady all missed the boat.  To add to a wonderful day, it was raining all day and I nearly froze my ass off, getting so cold, I had troubles keeping my bike going in a straight line, but it doesn’t end there.  After the main bunch gave up chasing and started riding easy, after we were told that our group was going to pulled from the race, I discovered that something was broken on my bike and I needed to change bikes.  When I stopped for the bike change, the last vehicle in the caravan went pass me.  As I was riding back up to the group there was a motor cycle, that I sat behind for about 50 meters - just playing around.  Who cares right?  We’re going to pulled from the race any way.  As I was riding through the caravan, back up to the bunch, the commisaire comes up to me and tells me that I’m out of the race.  I was behind the last caravan vehicle, so I’m out - plus I was behind that motor bike, so no discussion, I’m out and I’m not allowed to go back to the bunch.  What kind of idiot disqualifies a rider that is going to be pulled from the race any way?  Apparently, one that has a grudge against our director.  Wow!

Sorry for the lack of updates for awhile. It’s that time of year again. Taxes! Fortunately I have a personal accountant (my wife Robyn), but I still have lots of work to do, to figure out my expenses. Well, that’s done now (at least for me), so I can focus on things that don’t suck.

I’m settled in, over in Belgium. On Saturday, we went up to Holland for Ronde van Drenthe, a 190km flat race with lots of cobbles. Before the start, the rain was falling at a 45 degree angle and I froze my ass off 5 seconds after getting out of the car. Despite being in Europe for only two days, I felt pretty good. The race wittled down to a front group of about thirty riders. With 30 km to go I attacked with one other guy and bridged across to the two others who were about thirty seconds up the road. We were caught by the group after aproximately 10 km. Once I was back in the group, the jet lag started kicking in and I couldn’t recover from the breakaway. I got dropped in the crosswind section and was pulled from the race, since the broom wagon was behind the front group. About 30 riders finished the race. Despite not finishing, I rode stronger than I expected, so I was pretty happy with the race.

Two days ago we did Scheldeprijs. The weather was fine, but there were strong crosswinds. Quick Step, who were probably eager to make up for a somewhat disappointing Paris-Roubaix, went to front and drilled it early in the race, splitting the field in to bits. In the end 22 riders finished. The group I was in (2nd group), was pulled from the race. At first I was pretty disappointed in my ride, but after seeing that there were only 22 riders up the road I felt better.

Next up is Rund um Koln on Monday. Today I’m planning six hours on the bike, yesterday I did five, the next two days before Koln will be easy.

If there was any doubt that the sport of cycling is dangerous, that was set to rest this week.  Two friends sent to the hospital with serious injuries within a few days is a powerful wake-up call.

In Tour of Flanders Michael Barry broke 3 vertebrea.  Fortunately the injuries were not too serious, he was released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and is recovering in the loving company of his wife and son.  I wish him a speedy recovery and I’m just glad he’s OK
Yesterday, Saul Raisin crashed in Circuit de la Sarthe and sustained serious head injuries.  His condition is stable, but he’s in a coma and his future is uncertain.  The brain is a mysterious organ and it’s possible that he will wake and be totally fine.  I hope that happens.  Saul is a great guy and doesn’t deserve this trauma.

Having just arrived in Belgium this morning, all this reminds of the dangers of cycling and it makes me a bit nervous.  We know the risks and we accept them; however we all have families at home that also feel the pain of such injuries.  My wife is now frightened of me racing over here, so I try to do my best to reassure her that I’ll be OK.

Good luck guys.  Get well soon.