A Cyclocross Siesta
After the Kerstperiode the Pas Normal Studios Destination Everywhere van was loaded up and Chris McGovern departed south to head to Calpe, Spain. Raylyn, Curtis, and Lizzy loaded up on a train from Sittard to Einhoven to take a flight to Alicante. It was time for the team to recharge under the Spanish sun.
Read a bit of what our athletes were up to during their 3 weeks in Spain for World Cup Benidorm and their final World Cup of the season in Besançon, France:
CURTIS WHITE:
After an intense racing block, it's time to recharge. You can never let the pendulum swing too far in one direction, and athletes constantly strive to find balance in their programs. After taking the startline seven times in two weeks, the team made plans to head to Spain for a two week training camp leading into the final three races of the season.
When we left cold and damp northern Europe for warm and sunny Spain, the knee-jerk reaction would be to get as many miles in as we could to take advantage of the weather! But coming into the World Championships, that's not what this camp was about. Yes, we incorporated some endurance work into the program, but that wasn't the main objective. Our training sessions had to be very focussed and deliberate to make sure we get the quality that we need, and to make sure we still show up sharp and rested for the next race.
After two weeks of exploring the roads of beautiful Calpe and focussing on my process, I was very happy with the work I put in. I felt recharged, sharp, and ready to go. But there will always be unexpected challenges that are thrown at you that you can't control.
The morning of the World Cup in Benidorm, I woke up with food poisoning. I still took the start line to give what I could, but it was clear that my body wasn't responding how I wanted it to. I was crushed, but this was out of my control. I had to shift from disappointment to recovery quickly, and try to bring my best to the World Cup in Besançon, and to the biggest goal of the season; the World Championships.
Focussing on any setback can be both a physical and mental challenge. One can directly impact the other. Through my recovery and preparation for the final World Cup round, I was grateful for positive team environment that I found myself in. It's something that's difficult to quantify, but a positive environment absolutely moves the needle in the right direction. Athletics is all about rolling with the highs and lows, and finding a way to keep pressing forward. When your team is committed, supportive, and positive, it's easy to find the motivation to come back stronger.
Thanks for reading. Next up, the World Championships.
Raylyn Nuss:
Image by Dominique Powers
Ah Spain. Spain delivered exactly what I was looking for. I had heard that Calpe was a place that most World Tour cyclists would migrate to for team camps building up to the start of the road season. When I saw on the calendar that there would be a World Cup in Benidorm this season… I was thrilled. After Nationals going into the Kerstperiode my body started to feel flat and lose a bit of snap on the bike. I knew I needed a few weeks of volume in my legs to get some of my “zest” on the bike back.
Calpe just brought the vibes. I would wake up happy because right out of my bedroom was a balcony where you could see the ocean and the famous Calpe rock, “Peñon de Ifach.” In just a few minute walk you would arrive at a cove nestled so perfectly alongside the Mediterranean Sea. At night, I would go to bed happy as I walked up to my balcony and you could see the stars and Mars so clearly. It was peaceful. I was not only able to recharge on the bike, but mentally as well.
Sunshine. Unbelievably gorgeous roads that would twist and turn through the mountains. Stunning views. Our first week in town I was able to really build a good week on the bike getting in a lot of quality, “soul miles.”
World Cup Benidorm was wild! More like urban cross. The race took place in downtown Benidorm in a park amongst the buildings. The course was FAST. I had arguably one of the worst starts to a race I had all season, but was able to work my way back up to finishing 23rd. A bit disappointed knowing that if I could have stuck in on the start I could have been closer to that Top 10 poisoning, but I was really pleased with how good my legs felt getting some strength back.
After the World Cup we drove North about 5 hours to Girona. Calpe was amazing, but Girona… astounding. It was nice to migrate north a bit for a few days that were a little colder than the days in Calpe. We had three full days in Girona. On Tuesday, I knew that was my day for a big ride out to the Costa Brava. One of the squiggliest roads I’ve ridden. Once you arrived on the coast you would twist and turn on a road that hugged the cliffs just alongside the Sea. A dream road. The kind of road that makes you fall in love with riding your bike all over again. The training in Girona was great. Curtis and I even go a nice stair prep day running on castle stairs followed by the best French toast I ever had in my life at a cafe called LaComuna.
On Friday morning our time in Spain officially came to a close as the team loaded up to head North on an 8 hour drive to Besançon, France. This was my first time visiting France. Although our trip to Besançon was much more for business as we had the final World Cup of the season on our hands.
Dry grounds would host a fast race. I was pretty pleased with this to keep the legs feeling sharp and snappy going into the World Championships week. I had a heavy week of training in my legs so was ready to push my body and put up a good fight to finish my final World Cup strong. I finished the day in 26th.
Overall, I’m happy with how this final push of the season went. Traveling to Spain and France was grounding. I’m fortunate to be on this journey. It’s pretty remarkable the opportunities cycling has given me. I’m continuing to soak in every moment of this, and take nothing for granted. I left Spain and France fully recharged and energized for the World Championships this weekend!
World Cup Besançon images by the lovely, Dominique Powers.
Lizzy Gunsalus
While getting ready to head over to Hoogerheide for the final event of the season, it's been so nice to be able to reminisce a little bit on the whirlwind of the last month.
This was the first time that I have been able to stay through from the Christmas period to Worlds and it has been such a blast. The evening that we arrived in Calpe was full of anticipation for me. Driving through the rolling hills and mountains on our way to the coast from Alicante made me even more excited to see it all in the daylight and man it did not disappoint. The next morning had me itching to get out on the bike. The riding there was unlike anything I had ever been able to experience and the sunshine was MUCH NEEDED.
Unfortunately, after about four days, I came down with a bit of sickness that lingered for about a week. Although this left me missing out on the longer rides with my teammies, I made the most of this time reading, eating soup, resting, and keeping up with my first two weeks of classes. (Oh and of course binging the latest season of Emily in Paris) When the weekend of Benidorm came, I made the executive decision to skip out on the race and prioritize my health in preparation for Worlds in just two weeks' time.
Once I was healthy again, we began our drive and stayed in Girona for about 3 days. Although a bit chilly, the riding was just as beautiful and a great way to explore a bit more of the Spanish culture. Here I was able to meet up with a few friends and get out on some stunning rides as well as hit some killer cafes in Old Town Girona.
From here our quick adventure to France and the final World Cup began. At the venue, we met up with the rest of the national team and head out on a fun group pre-ride Saturday afternoon. It was so nice to see some more friendly and familiar faces after our big training block in January. Although the race did not go perfectly, the heavy legs from the training load ensured me that I will be sharp come time for the World Championships. After a beautiful morning spin on Monday, STFR reunited in the Sittard USAC house to get prepared and build the team atmosphere for the final race of the season. I'm so excited to be able to represent my country only 2 hours from our home base in the Netherlands and to pin up that red white and blue. :)
