After La Grande boucle feminine, I am struggling a lot with my knees. I’ve been riding easy and even took some days completely off. But it just doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

I only got an appointment for a proper bike setup on Friday, last week. And with my knee’s not feeling 100% I decided not to do the Belgium national criterium on Sunday. Also because my next big Races for July are:

Tour de Bretagne feminine – 16.07.2008- 20.07.2008

Tour feminine en Limousin – 24.07.2008-27.07.2008

And I want to be 100% going into them. This week I will be taking it easy again, seeing someone to do my cleats properly on Thursday as well. Then everything will hopefully be going better from there.

One thing that I truly enjoyed last week was my GARMIN 705. Before I came over Jason Theunissen, Owner of Team Garmin, gave me European maps for it. I am staying at the moment in Tielt-Winge, Belgium, and actually stayed here for 6 month’s in 2006 also. And with my Garmin I was able to train on roads I’ve never even seen before. It is incredible. I would just ride in a direction, get completely lost then just press- Navigate to Start- and it would take me straight home where I started. It even tells me the distance so I can decide if I want to carry on where ever I am heading or if its time to head home.

I love training in Europe now, it’s a whole new experience. If I see a road that goes through a lovely forest or something I can just go on it and enjoy my ride without stressing about getting lost because there isn’t any road sign’s around the follow.

If you are planning to come to Europe get one! It’s a wonderful experience going anywhere you want.

La Grande boucle Fèminine

Internationale 2008

Tuesday, June 17th

1^st STAGE, 82km

(Gent →Wattrelos (Belgium))

It’s been a great experience starting this tour. Before the race we had quite a few supporters bundling up around our team stand. My European team is the best team in Belgium, and with the tour starting in Belgium we had a lot of supporters there to support the team. Must admit it’s a wonderful feeling being a cyclist in Europe where the people truly love the sport. I only got my bike yesterday. I thought the setup on it was okay. Only had time for a quick 30 min ride between all the travelling and team presentation Monday evening. It wasn’t enough to find my correct position on the bike. I felt uncomfortable during the whole race. Afterwards when they measured me again, they saw that my saddle was 2cm too high. I felt powerless throughout the stage, but thought it was because of the travelling.

The race started with a good tempo, then head onto a cobble section the men also did in the well known Paris Roubaix. Going over the cobbles ripped the bunch to peaces; I also couldn’t manage to stay on and finished in the second group.

Wednesday, June 18th

2^nd STAGE, 61km

(Wallers →La louvière (Belgium))

The race started with a neutralised cobble section because racing over it would cause many crashed and punchers which the organisers didn’t want from the start. It makes the race then more difficult to control. It’s that part of the men’s Paris Roubaix where the guys mostly rode on the small gravel side paths. I am glad we didn’t race over it; just riding over it neutralised was difficult enough. The bunch formed a long line on the side paths and I could only see dust in front of me. It was quite an experience.

Today the tour really only started, yesterday everyone was still holding back a bit. Trying to find their place in the pelaton. I can feel my experience is lacking, I struggle to keep myself in front. And made an unnecessary mistake, I was in the front bunch and 10km to go we went down a long downhill and I was sitting around the back and when we reach the bottom of the downhill there where a few splits and it was to late to chase back. Still can’t believe the bunch actually split on a downhill. The downhill had a lot of turns going through small towns. And it just shows you again how important it is to race in front!!

3^rd STAGE, 91km

La louvière → Fourmies (france))

Two stages in one day, makes a day really long. I forgot how hard cycling in Europe is. The stage turned into a disaster for me. Not even 20km into the race we went over cobbles, going over my seat post snap, I luckily didn’t crash but had to stop and get the team’s spare bike. It was too small but ok to continue while they fixed mine. It didn’t even take them 5km and I got it back. The whole incident caused me to stop a few times and chasing back cost me unnecessary energy. I could feel it towards the end. But manage to finish 35^th, still in the main group

Something that drawn my attention today was the way my team mates rode Everyone in the team rides unselfishly wanting to help each other when ever they can. In European team’s you don’t really have a team leader; everyone is equal if you finish first or last. A few times Lieselot de Croix from our team who is chosen for Olympics came to me and said lets go to the front. Then I just sit behind her and get a free ride to the front. That’s when you start respecting your team mates and don’t mind working for them J

Thursday, June 19^th

4^th STAGE, 109km

(Montdidier → Drancy (France))

Standing up in the morning, looking out of your window with rain falling down is a beautiful sight but a horrible feeling when you’re a cyclist. That’s how I felt today.

The rain was coming down hard as we started the stage, and played an important role on the day. A few girls came down hard. Racing in the rain is always difficult, and the girls made the pace hard and fast from start to finish

Everyday I’m getting more and more comfortable on my bike and today I felt really good, finished 18^th.

Friday, June 20^th

5^th STAGE, 40km Individual TT

My first thought about the stage was “how do I pace myself for so long.” But warming up for the TT I just felt more confident, I realized that I’ve been doing a few MTB races before I came over where I had to pace myself 3-4h. I didn’t know whether I am good enough to compete against the others but I know my body and what I can do. Training with power taught me a lot about myself.

When I started I went up to my threshold power and tried to keep it there till the end. I felt good and in control doing the TT. Going into the last 5km I felt my tire losing pressure but kept on riding. The last 2km it was completely flat, luckily it was my front tire and I could continue till the finish.

I finished 39^th, I am happy. It was my first 40km TT and I learned a lot about myself. I actually prefer longer TT.

(Domaine du lac de Chalain →Clairvaux - les- Lacs (France))

Saturday, June 21^st

6^th STAGE, 105km

(Lac d’Aiguebelette → Villard-de-Lans (France))

I woke up knowing I am not going to have a good day. I just couldn’t get into racing mode and felt like falling asleep. I don’t know why I felt so tired. The race started with a slight uphill and I didn’t have the power to go hard. I’m ashamed to say it but I was the first to drop from the bunch. I just kept on riding because I wanted to finish the stage, and as I continued I started feeling better and rode myself back into a little group.

My only highlight of the day was seeing the finish

Sunday, June 22^nd

7^th STAGE, 85km

(Guillestre → Sestrière (Italie))

I felt nervous starting the stage, especially after yesterday. But a message I received earlier the morning saying ‘it’s the last day, so give everything’, kept repeating itself in my head. A girl attacked and 3 followed her, I saw them getting a small gap and just felt I had to go so I jumped across. Two came with me and we formed a break of 7 and opened a gap up to 2minutes going onto the first 30km clime of the day.

The time gap helped me a lot because the front girls only caught us half way up. I tried staying on as long as possible but they were simply too strong and ended 18^th.

I am pleased with my result, especially if I think back at the whole experience, how I had to adapt to a new bike, shoes and the travelling in a short time.

Starting in Belgium and doing some real difficult cobble sections, then into France, riding up the Alps and then finishing the tour in Italy. Made it an awesome tour, it had something of everything and the scenery, especially in the Alps was breathtaking. I gained a lot of experience and think it was a good start to my European season.

Induna Classic

Over the weekend I travelled down to Hazyview for Induna classic (Mazda Series #3).

It was my last MTB race before I leave for Europe.

The Laeveld must be the most beautiful place for cycling, especially mountain biking. And I realized this again over the weekend. The scenery was absolutely breath taking.

It was a challenging route that traverses scenic plantations on forestry roads and incorporates some single-track and river crossings.

My most memorable moment of the race is the hanging bridge we had to go over, I almost did bridge jumping or rather diving for the first time, without a rope J

The first 40km was the technical part with the single track’s and river crossings. I went quite slow struggling with my head, I kept on telling myself that I’m not good on technical parts and ended up losing 7min on the leading girls. I will have to work on myself.

Think the fact that I’m also starting the Le grand boucle feminine on Tuesday played a big role. I didn’t want to crash and miss out on the tour.

The second half of the race I road much better and made up some of the lost time but it wasn’t enough to catch up with leading girls. And finished 3^rd overall

1^st Tanya Raats

2^nd Carla Rawley

3^rd Yolandi du Toit

Today, 15^th of June, I am leaving for Europe to join my European based team (Lotto-bellisol). My first race as I mentioned is the Le Grande Boucle Feminine (17/06-22/06)

Starting in Gent and finishing in France. Will keep you up to date with my racing abroad

The 2008 Winter Challenge

This weekend I had no team obligations, which gave me the opportunity to do my training as I wanted.

And because I’m almost leaving for Europe, with my first race on the 17^th of June (Grande boucle feminine International), I had to set my mind at ease and do a road race before I go over to see how my legs are responding and what type of training I need to do in my last week for final preparation.

The venue was at Stonehaven on Vaal,Vanderbijlpark. With most of the rider’s being local, it brought back a lot of memories; I use loved doing these races when I was younger. And must admit I still do J

Everyone that was doing the 80km started together. Pieter seyffert and Shaun Davel read the race perfectly and broke away 5km into the race. We never saw them again.

We formed a chasing group of 30 riders. And most of us stayed together till the end. I was lucky to be the only girl in the front group with no competition which favored me a lot because I could help working whenever I felt I had to power to do so. Not worrying whether I am spending too much. I wanted to use this race as hard training for Europe.

I finished 1st lady and 6^th overall.

ROOIBERG ECO CHALLENGE

Rooiberg Eco Challenge

Not only was the main sponsor Garmin-DCM, but also was the race held in Rooiberg, which lies in a bowl surrounded by the foothills of the Waterberg, Limpopo Province.

It was a beautiful event and well organized. I think I speak for my whole team if I say that it’s a warming feeling arriving at a race, seeing your teams name everywhere (it also turns up the pressure an extra knotJ)

It was 2 days of racing with Day 1 - 70km and Day 2 - 80km

I road mixed category with Nick mallandain and the rolling plains with rocky hills where going the make it truly challenging.

Nick and I road really well as a team, I learned a lot from him in every stage. His technical skills are amazing and whenever there were technical parts he would talk me through it and teach me along the way. Having a guy beside you setting the pace makes you go just that extra bit faster. He was truly a gentleman waiting for me on the technical parts or picking me up literally from the ground.

The first day we crossed the line first with a lead more than 30 min in front of the next mixed team. It made the next day a bit easier for us but being competitive cyclist you always find some competition along the way. And we ended up playing cat and mouse with Tanya Raats and her team mate. But luckily got a gap on the sandy sections and moved out of sight.

We won both days, and I am looking forward racing with Nick again. I think racing in a mixed team is really something special and different. There is a different kind of respect between you and your partner.