A true story

A guy drove up to my driveway and said:
"Shall I clean your bike?"
A dream came true


Iedereen kent ondertussen wel mijn slechte kant op de fiets - mijn slechte kanten ernaast, daar hebben we het maar liever niet over. - Ik HAAT het om mijn fiets te kuisen.
Ik schreef er ooit een stukje over in het blad O2Bikers. 

tekening door www.assielab.be

 (Slechte) Fietsmoeder!Ik hou van mijn fietsjes, mijn kleurrijke, hippe Trekkie en mijn ranke, vinnige Epic. Bikes, jullie zijn geweldig, ik zou jullie voor geen geld willen missen. De avonturen die we samen beleven, zijn niet meer op 2 handen te tellen. Jullie zijn een deel van mijn leven en stel dat er ooit een dag komt dat ik zou moeten kiezen tussen jullie en mijn teerbeminde man, dan zou ik voor een hartverscheurende keuze staan. Maar soms, liefste fietsjes, zijn jullie een doorn in mijn oog, een nagel aan mijn doodskist, twee PITA’s: pains in the ass! Soms dan wenste ik dat ik jullie nooit in mijn leven had toegelaten, dat ik nog steeds met mijn zware MTB-geval van bakker tot bakker reed en dat ik nooit van een technische beklimming, rotsige afdaling, singletrail of drops en hops had gehoord. Dat meen ik uit de grond van mijn fietshart en krijg ik nu de stempel van slechte fietsmoeder, dan draag ik die gelaten. Het gaat mij niet om de momenten dat jullie koppig zijn waardoor ik over het stuur duikel en jullie bont en blauw weer bestijg of het feit dat de wekker in het weekend op een onmenselijk uur afloopt omdat jullie zo graag weer een of andere mooie tocht ver weg willen rijden, dit vergaat in het niets bij de echte frustratie. Ik spreek niet over de dagen dat jullie ziek zijn of iets gebroken hebben, er is altijd wel een goeie fietsdokter in de buurt. Jullie bokkesprongen in een afdaling en schijnbewegingen op gladde wortels zijn mij vertrouwd en dierbaar. Dus neen, die momenten zijn het niet. Wat me zo aan jullie ergert lieve, lieve kleine fietsjes, is jullie constante drang naar vuil! Jullie zijn magneten voor slijk, modder en nat zand ( of is dat allemaal hetzelfde? ). Waar een plas is, een poel of een drassige plek, jullie moeten en zullen erdoor tot jullie vies, besmeurd en onherkenbaar zijn. Wanneer jullie daarna heel zelfvoldaan naar mij staan te grijnzen, dan weet ik hoe laat het is en voel ik de frustratie van een overspannen moeder. Ik heb vaak de tactiek van het negeren toegepast: Negatief gedrag negeer je, positief gedrag wordt beloont. Maar als ik daarna met mijn smerige bloedjes op stap ging, voelde ik de veroordelende blikken en het gefluister in mijn nek. “Kijk, daar fietst een ontaarde moeder: Ze wou fietsjes, maar ze kan er niet voor zorgen. Dat moesten ze verbieden. Er zou een examen voor het aanschaffen van een mountainbike moeten bestaan.” Ik troost mij dan met de gedachte dat ik er altijd voor zorg dat ze technisch in orde zijn en dat ze veel aandacht krijgen: Een goede gezondheid en quality time, is dit niet waar alle kinderen van dromen en velen tekort in komen? Wat maakt dan een vuile neus of een zwarte broek? Op een ochtend werd er echter aangebeld en moest ik aftekenen voor een grote doos met daarin, een set ecologische verzorgingsproducten en de boodschap of ik deze wilde proberen?! Als eerste reactie checkte ik of er ergens een verborgen camera stond, toen bleek van niet zag ik het als een straf van het universum. Ik stond pat.
Wat kon ik anders dan ermee aan de slag te gaan?  Het kostte me nog enkele dagen om aan het idee te wennen, maar algauw brak het moment van de waarheid aan: Een verzorgend badje door hun fietsmoeder. Al bij de eerste aanraking bloeiden mijn fietsjes open, ze lieten zich gedwee inzepen, schrobben en insmeren. Ze leken van dit intieme moment te houden en nadien stonden we alle 3 te blinken, ik van trots.  Misschien moest ik dit maar eens vaker doen, het zou ons alle 3 ten goede komen en met de juiste producten is het een makkie en genieten alle betrokkenen. Ik hoor mezelf graag deze belofte maken en ik zal me er wel aan houden. Maar als er zich morgen een vrijwilliger aanbiedt die na elke rit een intiem badmoment met mijn fietsjes wil beleven, dan neem ik dat voorstel met beide handen aan: Ik geef je mijn bloedjes uit vrije wil in handen, ik zorg voor de perfecte schoonheidsproducten en ik beloof je plechtig dat ik je nooit of nooit zal aanklagen voor “pedofietsie”.

Ondertussen was ik weer van het goede pad afgeweken tot Nicolas Verjans van  Bike7  een maand geleden mijn oprit op reed en vriendelijk aanbood om mijn fiets te kuisen. 
Sindsdien droom ik elke dag dat het weer gebeurt, maar jammer genoeg herhaalt deze geschiedenis zich niet. 
Uiteindelijk nam ik zelf de borstel ter hand en besefte ik weer dat poetsen kinderspel is met de juiste producten. Ik ben weer een tijdje op het goede pad, maar blijf ondertussen verder dromen van de poetser op het witte stalen ros.  

Nicolas @ work

Oog voor details

Schrobben maar

Finishing touch

En nu is het aan mij

Absa Cape Epic 2014

No way we will miss this party!

Some of you know our story about last years Epic. If you don't, I invite you to read it: Absa Cape Epic 2013.

Today we are happy to announce that there is a sequel. 
In 2014, we will be riding the Epic again. 
But slightly different this time. Laura and I will still be the same, but around us it will change .... not only a little bit....
Our story started three weeks ago when I spoke over Skype with Christine Gegeckas. I interviewed her for the mountainbike magazine MTBplus. (You can read the result in the september edition.) After the interview the roles changed and she asked me some questions: "Will I be seeing you in the Epic next year?" was one of them.
I answered honestly:"We'd love to go back and we cannot even imagine not to go, but there is no budget and like everything, on this part, dreams come abruptly to an end."
"There might be a chance I can help you.", she said, I'll sent you the address of somebody, just sent him an e- mail to announce yourself and tell him you have his details through me."

No sooner said than done!
Two phone calls, a few e-mails and three weeks later, Laura and I find ourselves at the Dusseldorf national airport where we take our flight to Zürich to join Mister Herman Coertze and his team for an introduction meeting and our first training camp. We are part of Team Meerendal a team of seventeen couples riding the Epic. Riders as Christoph Sauser, Esther Süss, Lukas Buchli, Hansueli Wüthrich,Barti Bücher,  many just human riders and now us will be defending the colors of the Meerendal Wine estate in South Africa owned and managed by Mister Herman Coertze. 

I'll  make a long story short so you can pass to our pics, the really nice ones, you will find by time on the Team Meerendal Facebook page.
We will tell you more in some other posts, keep you posted. 

A colorful plane

We are very welcome

Working on some skills

Catching up with the pro's

Just a nice little place on earth

Bike women camp

Woke up too early this morning. It was actually still night. 
At 4 am I got in my fathers car and exactly 9h, some other cars, planes, queues and traffic jams later I opened my eyes again and found myself back in the sunny Kaltern am See Süd Tirol, Italy!. Somewhere in that 9hours this happened to me. 

Aï

For three days I will assist to the Bike women ladies camp. Three days for women by women with bikes, bike clothes, bike stuff, bike stories, massage, wine tasting, yoga, BBQ... and...other things about women and bikes. This first day was a direct hit! Can't wait to experience more tomorrow. 

With this shirt I am officially one of them

A magical place at the lake

mountains & bikes = heaven

bike-hike-bike-photo

my colorful new girlfriends

A complete review about this trip you will read in the Dutch magazine Mountainbike Plus.

Eurobike The expo Wednesday 29th – Friday 30th August 13

Ten halls, two outdoor patios and a separate e-hall XX square meter stuffed with bikes, accessories, spare parts, clothes… are there waiting for us to be discovered. In the mean while seminars, presentations, fashion shows and outdoor cycle activities take place. It is a good advice to well prepare your visit since a lot of nice things happen without being advertised in big letters. It is all written in the booklets that are distributed at the entrance or you can find a detailed program on the website. It would be a shame to find out on your way home, there was that nice Rapha ride on Pinarello Dogma’s followed by an even nicer BBQ, wouldn‘t it? 

On the road with Rapha

`

No Pinarello for me, me too small

I walked around, had a few appointments. Met people with whom I shared some nice moments on the bike, ex colleagues… You can plan a visit at Eurobike but always be prepared for the unexpected: people from all over the world come together. If you share the same passion with someone, there is a chance you run into that person at Eurobike. There’s hanging a nice bubbling atmosphere.  

I share some interesting or just nice things I saw during my visit.

Nice base line

A decaf for me, please!

Nice quote

Facts

Official website: http://www.eurobike-show.com

Place: Friedrichshafen

Visitors:

Exhibitors:

Distance from Brussels:  800km

The airport Friedrichshafen is next to the exhibitor’s halls, but there is no flight from Brussels. 

Since there are only a few hotels in the city itself and the others are at minimum 30k, the best option is to come with a camper and to stay at the well accommodated camping area which is only 500m from the entrance. It avoids traffic jams and queuing for a parking spot in the morning. The best option by far is even though to stay in a hotel and to ride your bike to the expo. A lot of exhibitors, like the guys from Rapha, and visitors do so. It offers you the opportunity to enjoy the nice surroundings of the show halls and to start your busy day with a fresh feeling.

You can also jump in the shuttles that bring you back and forward to your hotel, these are well organized and ride regularly.  
   

A visit to Eurobike 2013 : Demoday

When I came to visit Eurobike for the first time in 2010, I immediately had a crush on this bike show at the Bodensee in Friedrichshafen. They say it’s the biggest in the world, I believe them, but cannot compare. Other big bike shows are Interbike in Las Vegas and Taipe Cycle in Taipei, Taiwan. Maybe one day I’ll go there and find out myself.  In the mean time I get myself satisfied with what there is at hand here in Germany and believe me, that is a lot. It is not only about the fair, it’s the nice region and the proximaty of the Bodensee, what makes it worth to visit Eurobike. You could come over for the fair and spent the weekend making a tour around the lake.

The expo takes place every year during the last week of August and starts on Wednesday. On Tuesday there is a demoday in Argenbuehl.

A day to ride as many bikes as you like: roadbikes, MTB, e-bikes, all brands, all sizes all prize categories… There are different test loops, a few kilometers each, adapted to all level of riders and bikes: technical, hilly, downhill, enduro…
I rode a Specialized Rumor, the new ladies all mountain bike. The next one was an Open: an ultralight carbon hardtail and a Colnago road bike with hydraulic disk brakes and electronic shifting.

Spread the Rumor

The Rumor pleased me as I expected and if I would buy a bike just for fun, I’d take the Rumor in mind.

Although I would never buy such a high-end road bike it was a thrill to ride it. 

Colnago

The Open is without any doubt a race machine, which is on top of my wish list. 

Open

To end the day in beauty I made my first ride on a tandem ( Stevens ) together with my husband. We succeeded in our mission to finish the loop without struggling or fighting, but I am happy we both shared the same opinion at the end: we will never ever ride a tandem again. I was in the back and I managed not to yell or scream but being on a bike and not being in control is far from my natural behavior.

Tandem Stevens

The weather was nice until four in the afternoon, so when it started to rain at that time, we decided to call it a day and ride the fifty kilometers to Friedrichshaffen. We found a good spot on the camper area at five hundred meters from the entrance and got installed for a two days visit in bike wonderland.

More news in the following post! 

Epic Matters Stage 4 & 5

I realize that we owe you two days of stories, let's make it quick since time is running short. It seems that the closer we go to the end ( or can we say the top? :-), the more sleep we need. Or is it just nature that takes over our bodies and says: STOP at the right moment? Yesterday there was just no energy left for talking to you folks, so sorry! Laura made it up with a little movie about our podium ceremony on Facebook. Check it out! 

About yesterday we got second and how did we do it? With great teamwork!
What a stage: I had super legs and Laura's were bad, how cool is that? 
It all went smooth apart from a branch in my wheel on a single downhill track, but I allow nobody to stab a stick in my wheels, not even nature. ( I don't even know if this is an English expression but our Dutch speaking fans will get it. :-)
I remember I having tears in my eyes when the asphalt after the long climb turned into a downhill than in a gravel road and than suddenly in a wonderful single trail. That one I didn't expect and the emotion took it over. My God, we are lucky bastards!
We lost each other in the start climb but Laura waited patiently for me and after that we were a tandem as ever. Not when there was pee time, than I went on climbing and the curly panther came after me. So cool, so relaxed everything. There was time to fix the tire pressure at the water point. I took the bottles for the both of us and Laura concentrated on the bike, more air. It took us only 30 seconds and off we went, that's what I mean: TEAMWORK!

When we crossed the line we were surprised being second again, we thought we were in third position but we caught the other ladies team at the very start. 


As for today, we can say we get to know each other. Laura can read my body language and I can stand here motherly advice: take it easy, shift before the corner, line your chain in the downhill,... Where did I hear this before? :-)

One little tasty detail: for a kilometer or 15 we were .... LEADING!
Again how cool is that. Trying to follow them when they overtook us again was not a good plan, but the feeling was great for the time being. 

About the track: endless single trails! where did Dr Evil hide them the previous years? 
A mountainbikers dream, orgasm, or whatever word is best to describe this play yard. They called the sections: the  "Roller coaster" and "Rodeo", it says it all! 

We came second over the line at only 10min of the leaders. We are stronger in third overall, yesterday only 3min, today the difference is more, but we don't know exactly how much!  
Anyhow, we are in the game and now .... we really need to go and take our place on stage, it's time for the ceremony! 

Epic Matters Stage 2 & 3 : 19th 20th March

Okay guys, taking a rest was what we needed, I speak about "we" cause in the Epic you are never alone. In the Epic you are two people at the same time. You are yourself and your partner, like a tandem or better, siamese twins.
We will probably be missing each other after this intense week, but we get our life partners back in stead. Hope they will keep up the standard. :-)

You know that yesterday was bad, I threw up in the night and right after breakfast.Biking without fuel...
It was a long stage of 147k with a big 20k climb at the start and than a 100k mostly flat followed by a loooooooong technical downhill. A good plan was to ride up the hill as fast as possible, to catch a strong group of man and let ourself be taken with them. But it turned up otherwise. We were so slow in the uphill that we could see the back of the group and the cars behind. I mean Laura saw it, I had sweat in my eyes and ate my handlebar. We ended up with slow guys how were tired and didn't wanna take over on the flat. Laura was leading the whole group and the man were grateful to her inside but rude on the outside. In the downhill we had to break so much because of the strugglling of the once in front that we couldn 't enjoy a minute. We passed the finish line disapointed and tired. 8h10. Laura admitted it broke her personal record on the bike. Congrats Partner, you are so strong!

It was all hectic yesterday that we decide not to assist to the podium ceremony and get to bed early and apparently it payed off. 

However at the first 5k of todays stage I was thinking about how I could tell Laura that I wanted to quite, at least not quitting the Epic, but leaving the competition. I felt so bad, breakfast came back in my ... ( I think you don't wanna know ).I thought I will never make it at this speed and I have already the impression to stand still. I must tell here to go at her own speed and leave me behind struggling. 
Laura from her side was thinking: "Does Sara still likes to ride with me? There is no sound, not a word!" 
In the writing I could go putting words endless but on the bike there is race modus. 
And now it is time for the massage.

Ohh and just a little detail, when we crossed the finish line we heard by sms from the home front that tod!y we finished second! 
What?
Really!

I said Laura in spetember 2012:, "I bring you to the Epic and you bring me on stage.", and that happend today!
I said also:"I will cry on stage.", but I hope I don't It would look a bit awkward, no?

I didn't cry

A special thanks goes to Rado Declerck who gave me two of his super gels on the bad day yesterday. After de first I flew on wings for a while.

Today I thank Eddy Feliers for the support in the back! 

There is a lot more to tell, little and big details that we take for granted but one day you might here it life! 
We don't know what tomorrow will bring but we will keep u posted

It's oh so quite and beautiful

nice to here

Epic Matters Stage I 18th March

A hard first stage we were warned but none expected this ...

If you find this hard, wait for tomorrow : tweet van Kevin Evans
"This is not Cape Easy" to quote a farmer

Leon Evans ‏@Drevilepic

Ok, think I've done enough damage today. Time to make myself scarce. ( DrEvil is Leon Evans, father off Kevin and trail builder of the Absa Cape Epic )
Marco Fontana compares todays stage with Dakar: 
Luckilly I had a few proper holidays and I knew how to play in the sand. managed w my bro to finish in 7th. #AbsaCapeEpic #Dakar
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SQeuT7ekOhE … very sorry for Robert Mennen, he broke his collerbone after a n antilope put him down! Get well soon tweet van Karl Platt
...
Wanna here our thoughts?
One thing we must say: at the Absa Cape Epic, they keep there promises. They promised us sand, they gave us sand, they promised us a lot of walking, we walked a lot, they spoke about technical descents, there were technical rocky descents... And even more than they promised. Only the temperatures were quite ok. But Laura doesn't agree with this, she was hot hotter hotst! 
The stage took us 6h24' for 96k of these 6h24' we walked 4h and biked 2h24', really without a joke. There is not much power left to tell you guys every single details but a few facts can go through:

• Max stage time extended with 1h: 10h in stead off 9h
• Still 23 teams fell out the game
• A lot of material damage and human damage: collar bones, elbows, ...
• Our arms hurt after the first descent 
• Laura complained at the last 20k:"Is this the Cape Epic?Will it be like this for another 6days? I had to say no, really this I have never seen in the Epic.
• BUT: the good news is: we are still 5th in the ranking with 1,5' from the 4th team.

And a few pics to close off! 

A quick start

A lot of climbing at least rideble here  

Happy to see the pros walk to

They really do!

If you watch it from far we admit it's beautiful

yes it is

Pushing or carrying, it all means walking not riding

And the winner is...

Epic matters: The Prologue

A view from the top of the stairway to hell euhh heaven, our first climb of the day

Ok we did it, we rode the prologue and we ended up 5th. The gap with the leaders Esther Süss and Jane Nuessli is only 7,5 minutes. I am happy and Laura is too, she enjoyed it and didn't have to slow down to much. At least she is so kind to let me believe this. At the start we were much more excited about finding out how we would ride together then about the race itself. As a person it is sure there is a click but would there be a click as a rider? We discovered there is, so we are two happy people here. 

About the prologue's track: 

If I would try to put it in words it wouldn't even touch the heels of the poetic description the copywriters of the Cape Epic gave it. Therefore we invite you to read this. We can confirm they didn't exaggerate one millimeters. 

Description of today's track

About the race: last years winners Esther Süss and Sally Bigham are no longer a team this year. Sally rides with her Toppeak Ergon team partner Milena Landtwing and Esther had to look for another lady. Since Jane lives in Suisse, the choice was easy. 

The good thing about this mix up is that there will be a lot more competition going on and we are anxious to follow this ranking from close. 

Check the complete race results at : http://www.cape-epic.com/live/

Our competitors on the track

About our tactic: We will take it day by day, no plans just riding and having a good time. How does that sound?

Days are so relaxed and hectic at the Epic. From day one we are taken into a roller coaster, we don't sit still and we don 't do anything else than ride and think about riding. There is the bike to check, the food to take care of, the tent to install and so on... But we don 't complain, while we are doing all this we catch up with Fontana again ( on stage today in third position ) and we enjoy the sun, bless God there is sun here ... even to much, tomorrow they expect 28°C in the shade and .... THERE IS NO SHADE ON THE 96KM TRACK!

our recovery food, proteins & salty carbs

Pre Epic matters Day II & III

Ok let's catch up where we ended yesterday. 

Apart from to the riding, sleeping and eating we are here to get you some stories. So yesterday we mixed up with the pro's at the press conference. It took us some time to realise that numbers 1,2 and 3 from the Olympics are here at the start of the 10th Absa Cape Epic, just a little detail! 

We give you some hot lines of the pros, hope you like them as much as we did!

We heard Christopher Sausser talking about his partner, no one less than Olympic champion Yaruslav Kulhavy. He spoke these brilliant words as always with a serious look in his eyes: "I think we can manage together, you know, my partner he's not pastry he's a man of steel!"

the top three man teams 

Karl Platt entering the Cape for the 10th time. ( Yes he rode all the editions!!!! )  "For a training with Urs you have to prepare like for a race, he only has one speed!" 

Karl Platt & Urs Huber

Fontana and Turpijn 

Fontana and Fumic: "We go for a good overall ranking only we haven't decide what place yet!"

Fontana is here because Jose said to him: "If you are a pro rider you have to ride the Epic!"

Their tactic: "We will ride hard in the prologue and than take it easy!"

Lakata and Man

Lakata and his partner told us everything about their preparations: Cross country skiing and 2 trainingcamps in the sun was Lakata's winter program. 

We spotted Jose Hermida doing his last shopping in the outdoor shop at the V&A Waterfront. Considering what he bought we think he might sleep in a tent with us, the amateurs! 

Jose Hermida

And our top of the bill chat is most definitely the one with Tom Ritchey!

"It's good to mix up with the pro riders on the field to see how our products work and how we can improve."

We talked with him for like 15 minutes and he blew us away with his wise words and his calm attitude. He describes his company biggest small company in the world, we agree.  

Tom our hero

Today we rode the prologue track we catched up with Nino Shurter after his partner Florian flatted in the uphill. To strong those guys!  

I'll remember his words: " You look strong ladies". In the mean time we were wondering how he will keep his kit shinny white? :-)

Two Champs

Our audiance today

Tomorrow is D-day, finally