It is the end of the year, typically a time when people make lists of things that have been and things to come. My list usually consists of a race and training planner and nowadays there is also a business calendar to follow. On the more lighthearted side, I usually like making a list of days that are important to me to be on the bike. Call it sentimental or a top ten of good excuses to do what we love, but here it is, in no particular order.
21 March: First day of spring
Although the weather is usually not so good in my part of the world (Belgium), this day is a turning point. You just know that the good times are around the corner. This thought alone should give you enough motivation to plan some monster blocks for the day.
3 April: The Tour of Flanders
This is one of the big spring classics for roadies. In my region of Belgium, the toughest man in the peloton is referred to as ‘Flandrien’. The type of guy who is not affected by rain, wind or snow, who laughs in the face of cobble stone stretches and 20% inclines. Be the local Flandrien for a day. Regardless of the weather, plan a 200km road ride and hit every hill in the region to build your character. A hard day like this will make your midsummer rain during a marathon feel like a drizzle.
If you are lucky enough to be around Belgium in this weekend, on the Saturday you can storm the official course together with 18,000 riders. A snow forecast might bring this number down to 16,500.
30 April/4 July/26 January, etc: (Your) National Holiday
Being a Dutch national, this would be Queen’s Day for me. The biggest party of the year next to new year’s eve. You will probably have a few snacks and drinks during the day and stay up later than planned. A morning ride on Queen’s day will set the calorie balance straight and is also a good reason to not hit the bars the night before.
First day of a stage race
This seems quite obvious, but no matter if you sign up for Cape Epic, Trans Alp or Crocodile Trophy, the first day is the one you have been training so hard for. All the long hours, sucking up the rain and cold during winter training, it all reaches a climax when the gun fires. It is payback time my friends! Show the other people in the starting box how hard you have been working for this event.
Your birthday
This day should be all about you, right? I would usually plan a long ride to work in the morning to celebrate and prove that age does not matter.
2 July: Passage du Gois – Tour de France, 7 May: Turin – Giro d’Italia, 20 August: Benidorm – Vuelta a España, Prologue day
Last year the prologue of Tour de France came to Rotterdam. My parents live very nearby, so I decided to go check out the course in the early morning. It required throwing my road bike over a fence to enter the closed off track. I had the greatest time riding and knowing who would be following me later in the day. At 7am, I enjoyed supporters on the track jumping up from their portable chairs because they thought the next TDF hero was approaching.
If you are near any of these three towns at the right time, I highly recommend you go and feel like a pro for a day.
After a big snow
A pack of fresh snow could easily damage your motivation since the single tracks will be slippery and cold. I find these days great for technique training. Think low speed and high fun. All the slipping and sliding you do today will make you a better rider in the wet. I prefer to ride my summer semislicks in anything but pudding-like mud. Getting comfortable with your bike losing traction is easily done on the pretty white stuff.
31 October: Halloween
This is one of my favourites. Night rides are as good as snow rides. They make the easiest single track into a challenge. My love for night rides was ignited a few years ago in the Flemish town of Zele. The local MTB club organized a Halloween tour. Roughly 1,000 riders showed up to do 40km starting between 8 and 10pm.
The club went all out on the entertainment: light effects on the track, someone dressed up as the grim reaper in a dark corner and a mannequin thrown face forward into a ditch together with a bicycle to look like a drowning cyclist.
The biggest highlight was the after party: a DJ, sponsorship by two local breweries and a stripper for the ones that stayed out long enough. A life lasting impression and I will sign up again for this ride if the local authorities cancel their ban for next year.
25 December: Christmas morning
Since you are a cyclist, there is a good chance you found some winter gloves or a track pump under the Christmas tree. Just tell the family you are really excited about these new gadgets and want to test them out sooner rather than later. Promise you will be back by lunch time to avoid weird discussions at dinner or Aunts giving you the stink eye.
Waffle day
This is your wild card. Go on a tour in Belgium and the food station will supply you with sugary waffles without exception. Waffle day is the day where we celebrate all its calorie-rich goodness. Or at least that is the story you tell your boss or family member that is trying to stop you from going for a ride on a particular day. “It is waffle day, I have to go out… really, I have to….”. Adapt the meaning or name of this flexible holiday to suit your needs.
So that is my list. Yours might look totally different but similar. I wish you all the best for the next year, hope you find the single track of your dreams in 2011. See you at a marathon in Europe, or come visit me at the shop for a chat and espresso if you happen to be around Antwerp.