Thor Takes Het Volk

Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) takes the sprint over some heavy hitters proving his win in California was no fluke. The 199km cobbled Belgian Classic is always a predictor of who is on form and who still needs to sharpen their legs. Sebastian Langveld (Rabobank) who was in a two man break most of the day hit the deck with about 300 meters to go, disrupting the sprinters trains from Milram and Quick Step. Look for Boonen and company to redeem themselves at Milan San Remo with a possible first win for the storied Belgian sprinter who's best finish was 3rd in 2007.


Photo: Graham Watson

2007 Omloop Het Volk

Look for Belgian hardman Phillipe Gilbert to repeat his amazing performance from last year again this weekend. Last year Gilbert (FDJ) launched a vicious attack on the 1,000 meter long pave covered Eikenberg. He was never seen by the race favourites again, proving to everyone that all attacks off the front should not be taken lightly.

Mess With The Bull and You Get The Horns

I realize that it is suddenly cool to not like Lance and all, but this series of photos is hilarious!

A Creed

As this team coalesces and becomes an even more cohesive group of individuals I have been thinking a lot about about what it means to share my life with these men, my brothers as it were. Even just a year ago, many of us were just becoming familiar with one another, still feeling each other out, trying to see what makes all of us tick. And yet a year later, this team has become more than that, it has become a greater than its individual members, it has taken on a life of its own far bigger and greater than any of us could have imagined.

Upon reflecting of the events of last season and of late, I have been thinking about what makes us so strong, about what has developed between our members that has helped us to become what we have become. Time and again I have witnessed devotion amongst the team, a devotion to something greater, something that we are seeking but don't necessarily speak aloud. We all seek to become better athletes, better teammates, better men. We do this not only for ourselves but also for each other whether we realize it or not. We push ourselves in our training as well as our racing so that we bring not only ourselves the recognition that we so desire, but also recognition for the team, a recognition that all of our hard work as individuals pays off for everyone involved in the organization. A strong showing at a race, or a well run event that the team is organizing shows the community that we work hard together and shoulder the burden as a team. Without this all for one spirit we are nothing more than an assembly of individuals with no real direction. But with the mindset such as ours we have shown that great things can be accomplished as long as our hearts and minds focus on the one true goal, teamwork.

Una fraternità nasce da un desiderio di riuscire-a brotherhood born from a desire to succeed

Motivation

noun- [moh-tuh-vey-shuhn]the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior;

What motivates individuals to do what they do? What motivates us as cyclists to rise early in the dark and cold of the morning, to rise before our families do, spend solitary moments dedicated to our sport, push our bodies to the breaking point, to the point of mental and physical exhaustion? The impetus behind all of us is probably as diverse as the readership of these words. Some of us are motivated by winning, some by pushing past their previous limits and striving for new goals, some are motivated by the brotherhood that is the team. Whatever your motivation may be, make sure it is yours singulary. Do what you will because you want to do it, not because you feel compelled to by others. Let the greatest motivating force be generated from within and not from without, because you must be able to set aside all other distractions to focus on the goals that you have set for yourself. Your motivation whatever it may be, gives a purpose to all of the hardwork that you put in to cycling, it leads you to make the right decisions at the right time, it forces you to evaluate what must be done and how it should be accomplished. Perhaps your motivation is still unknown to you, but deep inside there is a burning desire, a yearning to be on the bike that can't quite be understood yet it is a motivation nonetheless. A will stronger than your own that consumes your thoughts and wishes and desires, an unspoken need to be on the bike, with your face in the wind and the sun on your skin, blood pumping through your veins to fuel your muscles that push the pedals and propel you forward, the wheels spinning beneath you. Whatever your motivation is do not ignore it, infact nurture it, in time this motivation will reward you with all of the hard work and effort that you have given it, the reward may not be tangible, but the results will be just as great.

One Last Taste