Last month in Belgium

I am now in my final month here in Belgium and slowly starting to throw things in my suitcase. After being pretty flat for a while (most of the season) I decided to have a week off last week to freshen up. It's the first real break I have had all season apart from sickness so it was well over due. Not too sure on the race program coming up as it is being emailed through later this week but looking forward to the next race on Thursday in Geetbets which is 140km and has a lot of prize money so keen to get in the mix.

Just threw in a few random photos. Will try and find more and put them up..

Cheers

Fraser

Pro Kermesse in West Flanders mixing it up

Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant time trial

Top Competition Teams time trial champs

Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant last stage

TTT champs with team car following

Tour of Vlaams Brabant

Last week I finished the Vlaams Brabant tour which was based close to where I am staying and was 5 stages over 5 days. The stages were around 130-140km with a 9.4km time trial on the 3rd day. Going into the tour I was feeling pretty tired the week out but after backing off the training to a few recovery days the week before the race started the legs and body freshened up.

The first stage was pretty flat apart from a few short sharp bergs so it came down to a mass sprint for the stage honors. The team formed a lead out train for our sprinter Jelle who ended up 6th. The next day was quite heavy with constant rolling climbs and 30 degree temperatures. After I missed the split that happened at 50km to go I hit it across the 30s gap with another guy and managed to successfully make it to the front group. From there I kept following the attacks and splits and hovered round the front of the group of 50 or so. I ended up a minute down after a hard day out but luckily I made it across to the front group as the bunch I was in lost 5mins+.

The next day was the time trial. After a spin down the canal where we were staying in Leuven I was happy with how the legs were, and looking forward to the TT that afternoon. The course was pretty technical with lots of corners and a hair pin turn to negotiate. And after riding a lap when we arrived I was confident I had the legs to go good. I went off just before the rain came but with that the wind had picked up. So I went out fast and held my speed steady for the 6km or so then with 3km to go I was on the last 2 straights before the finish and had a dirty block head wind which made me creep home! I lost a lot of time in the last 3 km and ended up out of the top 20.. which was a terrible result. 20mins earlier would've been ideal as it was sunny and no wind! Belgium weather..(excuses, excuses)

The next day was another flat circuit with the same climbs we went up on the first day. I was feeling pretty good and when we reached the finishing circuits I headed to the front the stay out of trouble and It actually makes it a lot easier. The final lap came round and I was holding it in a top ten position. With the pace being so high and the bunch stretched out it was good to be at the front for the corners and especially as it was wet. The last corner came round and everyone threw themselves at it as it was 250m to the line from there. I'm not the fastest sprinter so came in 24th.

The last day of the tour came around and the temperature had dropped slightly to 25 degrees. I was feeling ok but as it was dead flat i knew it was going to be a bunch kick of a sneaky late move that would win it. The last lap came round and I was sitting in the top 30 or so guy looking to move up the outside with 3km to go. I saw a gap and hit it through but as soon as I did that I got chopped off into the grass at 50km/h and just held it up after hitting the curb. I rolled to the line in the bunch and saw that my front carbon wheel had cracked after my little off-road experience. Damn...

I ended the tour 25th on general classification and 9th in (u23) young rider classification. It was ok but under performed.

Now I am just doing a 2 or 3 kermesses a week and as we don't have a car at the house i am at now we have to ride to them. I ended up doing 200km last Saturday then 150km on the Sunday. Getting 36th then 14th. Legs have come up good after this tour so looking to build on that form and get a win in the last 2 months that I am here in Belgium.

Thanks for reading. I will put some photos up soon.

Fraser

Racing

Hi just a wee update on what I've been up to..

I had a top competition UCI 1.2 yesterday the IWT Otengin which went up some of the famous climbs of the tour of Flanders and also along some of the course. Was a hard day out with high temperatures, wind, and lots of cobbles. Made it too the finishing circuits then ran out of steam with 30km to go. Felt good but probably should've eaten and drank a bit more as it was caught up to me in the heat. The week before that I had another 1.2 Fleche ardenaais. Really full on race with over 3000 vertical meters of climbing over the famous Liege Bastogne Liege climbs. Didn't really suite me but it was a good experience. Also pretty cool how Fellow kiwi and friend Jeremy Yates was a past winner. Tough guy! After Fleche Ardenaais I had an Interclub in Belsele. This is just with the Amateur teams. I was feeling strong all day and after not covering the only break I didn't go with I finished 18th. Lesson learnt but that is racing. It was a miserable day out with thunder storms and constant rain. The performance was a lot better then the result however it would've been nice to break at least a top 10.

On Saturday I have another UCI 1.2 the Omloop het neiwsblad. 180km with 18 'difficulties', being cobbles or climbs. Looking forward to it..

Have been training pretty hard so not hitting these races too fresh but still getting amongst it.

Time Trial bike from NZ arrived! which I am very happy about! Took it out for a spin today and already feel good on it. So will be campaigning to get a worlds TT spot over the coming few months.

Have a pretty tough and busy race calender coming up with the Omloop het neiwsblad on Saturday followed by an interclub on Monday then the Tour of Liege early July followed by the Tour of Vlaams Brabant that also has a time trial as one of the stages so I will be targeting that..

These UCI 1.2 races are pretty full gas and it's good to race the top amateur riders in Belgium along with some of the Pro teams. Learning a lot and becoming a better and smarter bike rider after everyone.

So now I am just training and racing and recovering. Standard lifestyle for a cyclist. Hanging out for summer in Belg and catching up with kiwi friends who are over here in there Olympic build up. Still haven't cracked mentally after being here for almost 5 and a half months :-)

Have become pretty domesticated around the house also, laundry, dishes cooking and fending for myself. Also managing to keep the room tidy, tough life.. ha ha

will put some pictures up sometime soon
Cheers
Fraser

Belgian Blues

Hi It's been a while since my last update and since then I have had a few ups and downs. I had a top competion 1.2 one day race which was 180km then the next week a 3 day tour down in the Ardennes called tryptique ardennais. I had terrible legs for the 1.2 so just battled in the bunch. The next weekend was a tough stage race down in the Ardennes with hard fast climbs and brutal stages. I went into this tour with the hopes just to finish as I had been pretty flat leading up to it. However I started to feel better as it went on so I was happy. Even tho I was still chewing my handlebars at the back of the bunch!
It was also good to be racing with lots of other kiwis down there. 10 of us in total with 6 being part of the national team including my cousin Wes, which made the race more enjoyable seeing all those guys again. It was also won by a kiwi Tom David which was awesome!

After the tour I rode easy for a few days then got hit with the flu again! I think it was from the first stage of tryptique where it was raining and cold. Guttered... I tried to heal myself but it just lingered for a week so I went off to the doctors for some meds. Had about 10 days off but it was a good chance to freshen up and recover before the second part of the season.

So I got back into racing last weekend with a kermesse about 20km away in Ramsel. It was a bit of a mission and 5 mins before the start I saw my tyre had lost some air so I had a slow leak and 2 bottles to get me through 120km on a 32 degree day.. Recipe for disaster and it was. Was feeling fit until I started getting a headache from no water. Pro's and con's.. haha. Oh well this week is a new week and with some carbon race wheels finally on there way to Belgium I'm gunning for some results in the next few months so will be going full gas..

Madness

Another roller coaster, cool set thing

Haven't been up to much else. Had 2 days away at Euro Disney in Paris with the host family which was fun.  I have never been a roller coaster guy until now.. hooked.

(Just to prove I'm alive)Poker face before aerosmith roller coaster.. Not even nervous..

Cheers for reading
Fraser

Racing- Spain, France, Holland

So it has been a busy few weeks with a couple of u23 Nations cups with the national team and a 3 day tour in Spain with my Belgian team Rock Werchter. First up was the Cote de Picardie in the North west corner of France. It was an awesome race with cross winds and rain which made for a dirty and cold day out. It was going good and I was hanging near the front making the splits and staying out of trouble then when we hit the finishing circuit I ran out of legs which was race over. The next Nations cup was the ZLM tour in Holland. It was a one day 190km race which was once again windy and this time completely flat. I got the late call up the night before so I wasn't really prepared as well as I could've been but learnt a hard lesson in bunch positioning as I got tailed off in the cross wind when someone dropped the wheel and had to fight hard to rejoin the bunch only 100km's in. Then again with 30km to go, tough day out! All great experiences and I learnt a lot more about bike racing coming up against some of the best u23's in the world. Was a good motivation booster..

Hotel in Benicassim Spain

Next up I was off to Spain With My Belgian team Rock Werchter. The 17hr drive to Spain from Belgium was ample character building time and I managed to remain sane for the whole journey which was lucky.. Couldn't wait for the return journey just 5 days later! As Heney would say-''Mental strength''

Spanish Coast

We stayed In Benicassim on the same street as we were based for the team training camp back in February. This time however the weather was 25 degrees! Which was a very nice changed from the same old overcast Belgium. The Volta Castello was a 3 day tour with stages between 130-150km with lots of hills. It was handy that we rode the majority of the roads during the training camp so we all knew what to expect. My team mate Yannick got into the early move on the first stage and managed to get the leading u23 jersey. With the rest of the guys some minutes down we focussed on protecting Yannick for the u23 leader. We worked really well as a team and managed to secure it for him. It wasn't the ideal tour for me with all the cat 1 climbs and super fast Spanish climbers in the mix which made it very hard to hold on going up these hills!

nice views over Benicassim

Pre-Volta Castellon spin

It was a good few days away with some hard racing and good weather. Finally feeling comfortable on the bike and my legs came out better then when the tour began so I'm happy and now motivated to finally get things going. Just returned from Pepinster where I had 3 days in the hills and got some good miles in.. took a few pics..

The highest point in belgium, 694m

Cote de Stockeu/Stele Eddy Merckx

Next up is a Top Competition UCI 1.2 race on Tuesday. Looking forward to it!


Fraser

Salt and Pepinster...

(Catchy title from the lyrical genius himself R. McLeod)

Well these last few days I have been down in wee Pepinster in the French speaking part of Belgium. I'm down here catching up and training with fellow kiwi Ruaraidh McLeod (Pronounced Rory), Really funny guy who lives in a loft up a three story building 20m from the train tracks I arrived on. So Serene but the earplugs are a must at night.. Have done a few good days on the bike with a fair bit of climbing as where I normally live in Belgium i'd be lucky too climb 50m in a ride, today we did 5hrs and 2500m of climbing. So this is going to be my new fortnightly trip to get some good training in as the flat isn't great all the time..

So antics galore down here with loitering in the local GB Super mache and wild times spinning stories in the loft. We are both very excited for when the Harlem Globetrotters come to Pepinster for a one off performance in April. So I will be back to pep's for that!

Just a few average photos I took when I was riding along. Didn't get the most scenic pics as I was either riding up a hill or riding down one. But you get the picture.

Fraser

Aaaah the Serenity

Serene Bridge

Renowned free sample sampler- Ruaraidh McLeod

Hills in Belgium

Token

Serene

Spa Serenity

Buildings Spa

Riding through Spa

Sickness

After racing a Kermesse in the rain last Sunday I got the flu quite bad with temperatures and sleepless nights. It forced me off the bike for a week which was quite annoying as I was slowly started to find my feet and get into shape. But I believe everything happens for a reason so I wasn't over stressed. During the week I went and got a bike fit and turned out my saddle has been a little bit low... So that's why I have been feeling terrible on the bike! So things are looking up from here, I have started training again just taking it easy until I fully recover...

Haven't really been up to much other then that as I have been bedridden all week. At least it is starting to feel like summer here in Belgium with blue skies (today) and the temperature is suppose to reach 19 degrees!

Will update when I am back racing

FG

Just a quick wee update..

First race last Sunday wasn't pretty as I had been experimenting with my position on the bike and it didn't work at all that day.. just rolled home in the main bunch.

http://www.devlaamsepijl.be/content/welkom/welkom.php This is the race this Saturday. Pretty big one that goes up some of the famous climbs of races like tour of Flanders and E3 Harelbeke. Going to be a tough day in the saddle but looking forward to it. Feeling a lot better on the bike this week then I did last week so that's a good start.

Have been shown a great coffee shop La Bas in Diest which is about 30km away.. so it is ideal for a mid ride fuel up with a coffee and a slice of one their amazing cakes.

La Bas.. So Good

That's about all I have been up to lately have done some solid training these last couple of days and the form is on the rise. I have a new game where I ride in a direction for 2hrs then when I am in the middle of nowhere I turn my phone gps on and find home! yea... I need some friends.

Will update after Saturday

Fraser

Team training camp Benicassim

 So I have been busy these last couple of weeks with settling in to my new home in Olen Belgium and training down in Benicassim Spain with my team on training camp. The team is really good, a great group of guys and staff that like a bit of fun. The training in Spain was so good, fast roads and long climbs. We did about 900km for the week and rode some sweet roads up in to the mountains. I was rooming with the closest look a like to Ben Stiller aka Derek Zoolander I have ever come across, Stijn Bruyndonckx. Very nice lad who speaks great English so we joked all week long. I also turned 19 when in Spain and was treated to a nice 200km ride in the sunshine and mountains as a present.. Had a good day :)

looking out my window in Olen

The top of climb we did

 It was also good to get away from the cold weather for a few days as it has been -6 to -10 some days here in Belgium and it was a tropical 15 degrees in Spain.

So serene....

My first race is on the 26th of February, Brussels-Opwijk. Should be good as I am feeling fit at the moment and hanging out to race! But before then I have another team training ride next Sunday followed by the team presentation on the Monday.

Rock Werchter team with team bike

It's good having my team mate Jeff living 5km away in Herentals, I will be able to train and hang out with him so I don't get completely crazy and lost..

Jeff yeah boooy

Will update after my first race, hopefully some good news..

Peace 

Fraser

2012

So I thought I should update on what my plans are for the coming season... After doing a good block of hard training for the elite nationals U23 time trial it was a great relief to take home the bronze medal as I had worked  hard for it in training with countless hours on the TT bike doing efforts-Thanks a lot to the Hub Cycle Center for Helping me out with a super fast Specialized Shiv. Pretty stoaked to open the year with a result and to step up to the U23 age group with a podium finish.

Nationals Finish

Pain.

After the Nationals in Christchurch I traveled back home for the local Hub Tour Based in Hawke's Bay. Four stages over three hot days meant for some fast and exciting racing. I managed to take the prolouge out on Friday night by 5s over Jeremy Vennell and Roman van Uden. The next day I went on the attack with about 5 others then we were joined to form more of a breakaway with about 12 riders with 1 lap to go. I covered all the attacks leading into the finish to retain the jersey for another stage. That afternoon was a long and fast Criterium which was a good hit out, coming down to a small break taken out by a fellow tall fellow Louis Crosby!

 Criterium fun

The final stage was going to be a toughy and with a slim 3s lead over Roman and 5s back to Jeremy It was always going to be hard to hold the jersey. So when the break got established early into the stage I managed to bridge across and start lapping with some of the local legends Blair 'Hindsight' Heney and Brendon 'Guns' Vesty which was fun. We got caught before the last hill and then Vennell and Roman attacked. I groveled over the climb and then started chasing back to the leaders. A slow leak in my front tyre added to the struggle but managed to pull the small group back to about 20s by the finish but it was too little too late.

Jeremy took out the tour and I finished up 4th, It was a good weekend even if my do or die move didn't pull off I still got some hard racing in over some challenging courses.

NEWS FLASH
On the 26th of January I will depart for Belgium where I have hooked up with the Rock Werchter Cycling Team for the 2012 season. Really looking forward to this experience and can't wait to get into the racing. The team travels to Benicassim in Spain for a team training camp for about a week and a half so it will be good to avoid the Belgium winter as much as possible and meet my new team mates and directors.

I have found a place to stay with a friend in Olen so that should make life a little easier and the best part is he has a dog! (1 more friend)


Rock Werchter is the main sponsor of the team and is one of the biggest festivals in Europe. http://www.rockwerchter.be/en/  so might have to go check it out!

Will update a lot more on here in the future as I'm sure I will have plenty of time on my hands.

Fraser