Getting ready for the big show.

    Well it's been a decent little two weeks. I got in some good racing and training, but the real deal is soon to come. This winter has been all about one thing, preparing for the assault on the very fibers of my body known as European racing.

    The racing back home in Texas was good; in fact, the quality of the racing has been increased significantly from what I remember. The field sizes were in the 85+ range and some riders from pro teams were always showing up. I had some good days and I had some bad days with the racing, but in the end I was happy with how things were progressing. The legs were getting better and better with each week.

    My best improvement has been with my sprint. It's been a long while since I really trained to improve my short-term power, but it's been worth it. The last two years have been focused almost 100% on getting my endurance up to par with the road after my years of track racing, but with the focus on my endurance my sprint has withered to the way-side. Twice now I have been able to use my sprint in the race and each time I pushed it hard and faster than I have in a long time. I plan to propagate this sprint into some results this season.

    My last bit of racing before my journey across the pond was a bout of track racing for the AVC World Cup Qualifier in Houston Texas. It was two years since I did some serious national level track racing and the results were sort of mixed. I felt good, but didn't do nearly as well as I had planned in my mind. The time away from the track has seen my cadence levels drop by a good 15 rpm's and for the first track race, a 15k Scratch Race, I was way under geared and couldn't keep the cadence for the race. But I do have to say it was by far the fastest race I had ever done in Houston.

    The next big race for me was the points race on Saturday night. The race started off fast and hard, but this time I was geared just right. Just after the first sprint I was feeling comfortable and ready to be for the next attack when the heavy moister in the air accumulated and it started to rain. After a couple of more rain delays the race was pushed back to the next day. I opted out of the race in order to tie up all my loose ends and finish my packing before my trip over to Belgium. The weekend wasn't a total loss as I did get to see many of my old friends from the track racing world and I learned I am truly a roadie now. Man does my track bike seem so foreign to me…

    It's now off to the other side of the pond to the wonderful cycling mad world of Belgium. Endless winding roads and a plethora of beers, can't really ask for more.

    Tot Ziens

    -Gregg Germer-