Race Program

Just got this today. As far as I can tell none of these are UCI ranked international races, except for the Ras.

April 1 - Rund um Huttener Berge, Budelsdorf
April 2 - Berlin-Bad Freienwald-Berlin
April 9 - Bielefeld
April 16 - Rund um Duren
April 22 - Grosser Preis von Barmstedt
April 23 - Scan Hans Marlow radkriteriom
April 30 - Cottbus-Gorlitz-Cottbus
May 11 - Lubeck City Rennen
May 13 - 56. Harzrundfahrt
May 21-28 - FBD Insurance Ras (Tour of Ireland)

That's as much as I know for now...

GReain

Hometown Hamburg

Got back into Hamburg late on Sunday night after a lovely 12 days in Majorca. I didn't really want to leave, especially after doing 150km in the best possible weather in the morning before we left. The weather reports coming out of Hamburg were pretty crappy too - like below zero and snowy, so it wasn't looking like it would be a good time back here. Today is awesome, but I'm on two days of rest before training again, so guaranteed that tomorrow the weather will be crap again.

The new bike, by the way, is killer. Aside from giving me a bit of tendinitis due to new frame, new pedals etc., it rides really well. Light, stiff, the whole deal. Can't wait to race it. Our early season race program kicks off on April 1st and 2nd, with back to back road races. Point to point, fast, windy and wet, these should be a good way to wake myself up for a another year of racing. So I'm busy scrambling around right now getting new tires glued up, tracking down racing cassettes and generally making sure that everything is good to go. It's hard to believe, but cyclocross season only ended for me about 6 weeks ago, and now I'm right back into the road season. Somehow we'll have to figure out how to integrate lots of distance training with all the racing. I think basically I'll just be really tired a lot of the time. The team isn't too concerned about getting results in the early season; we are mainly looking for building a really solid fitness base for 'cross season, so don't expect to see me up the road a whole lot this spring. Hiding out in the group is OK by me, but hey, if the opportunity presents itself I will take a crack for sure.

Stay warm,
GReain

Club Med

It's good to be back...Everything went OK with the trip - got through immigration OK, not too tired and all my bags made it in one piece. Didn't have to stress about travelling with a bike this time though, cause my new Vuelta SL was brought from Hamburg by the team. The bike, by the way, is totally dope; you can check it out at www.stevensbike.de. It arrived perfectly sized for me, right down to the proper seat height, saddle and bar positions (benefits of pro team support). Did I mention it is fully euro-ed out in a sparkly gold paint job? Like I said - dope.

I'm digging on the Majorca scene too. It's been like 20 C here the last couple days, but the wind is a little chilly so I haven't been able to ditch the legwarmers and long sleeve jersey yet. The place is fully rammed with cyclists, mostly German, and they all seem pretty excited to see a bunch of pros rolling around. The big names are all gone by now - they're all off racing Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico. But soon we get to join the action as our race program kicks off two weeks after training camp, which ends on 19 March. I´ve got the motivation to start racing again, which is great since it means that I will be suitably motivated to train again. Train, and eat a whole lot less. Like I predicted before I left, I'm getting hammered about my weight so it's time to step up and be careful about what I'm eating.

I hope everyone back home is dealing OK - cheer up, there's not much winter left! I've got to get out of here, because at the going rate of 2€ per half hour, this internet is not cheap...

hasta luego,
GReain

Cleared for Takeoff

Took the bus to YUL. Got checked in no probs. Drinking a very nice Heineken beer right now. That's about all to report. Looks like I'm flying out after all! Next stop - immigration in Amsterdam. If I clear that I'm Majorca bound.

Just got the word from my agents (revolutioncouncil.com) - looks like the race program is shaping up nicely for this season, but more on that when it's all confirmed. Sorry for the suspense build, but that's all I can say for now.

GReain

Got Brains?

Um, yeah. Apparently the Ottawa Greyhound station has wireless internet, which I am only finding out because I screwed up my departure from Ottawa to Montreal. So I am now sitting here for the second time in two days, which is the most I've seen of the inside of this place in like 8 years. Long and complicated story, made even more long and complicated by my own inattention to my itinerary. At least my flight from Montreal to Amsterdam is delayed by three hours, giving me a chance to catch up with it there. Apparently the KLM staff in Montreal know I'm coming, but I'm stil bracing for the worst.

I'll let you know if I ever get to Majorca.
GReain

So what's up?

The plane ticket is booked, hotels are arranged and I am getting out of here in 24 hrs. for the sunny shores of Majorca. The Stevens Racing Team training camp officially started today (5th March), but due to some confusion I am showing up a couple days later. No probs; a couple extra days to chill with my friends here in Ottawa is never a bad thing. I'll be flying KLM, which my travel agent assures me is dope, so I'll update you on the status of my first non-Star Alliance transatlantic experience when I get there. Pending, of course, internet access. I'm thinking that Majorca is maybe a little more wired than Tielt-Winge, but you never know.

Everyone is like "must be nice, Spain, get to lie on the beach...". Dude. I'm going there to work, so it'll be like 4 to 6 hrs on the bike every day rain or shine, and I'm going to be so worked that the beach is gonna look like a lot of effort. Besides, it's not SA hot there right now, only like 15 degrees C or something. Great for training, bad for tanning.

Had a great night out with the crew at 56 last night, which is pretty much my last port of call every time before I head back to my office in Europe. We kept shit pretty under control, and I don't think that I pissed anyone off too badly. If you're ever in Ottawa looking for a great place to chill/party/whatever, you're pretty much set at 56 (56 Byward Mkt.), and Saturday nights always gets you a killer set by Jim Reilly, who is hands down Ottawa's best DJ.

Good times,
GReain