Margriet Kloppenburg

Last Thursday I came back from the first Belgium tripof this season. A good one.

I started the trip with a good CX session with Herman Snoeijink, who is ex dutch national cx coach. Very usefull with good tips about techniek and different possibilities for training. After that I went to a surprice party for my uncle in Amsterdam, it was his fiftiest birthday. A great party which he had not seen coming at all! Really nice to be there for this special occasion. So a great start of the trip.

Picture; Me with my uncle, Jeroen (in the middle) and2 of his friends.

After that I drove to Oudenaarde, where I will have my base this winter. I really like the town – start and finish town of The Tour Of Flanders next year – and have a lot of friends that stay there as well. So always people to train and spend time with.

My first race was the Fidea GP Neerpelt the 24th of september. I had a bad start of the race, as there was a crash in the front, I managed to stop but the girl behind me rode into my derailleur and I could not shift gears, so I had to get into the pit straight away to get my other bike. So behind from the start, but great to be started again! I have to admit I was still a bit rusty,but the season is young and there are coming a lot of races. Place 18.

Neerpelt - Pic by Luc van der Meiren

The next race was a smaller race, the 25th, nearby in De Pinte together with the Junior boys. I started all at the bag of the pack so a good practice for the bigger races. I did an alright start, but did not catch up with all the girls, 2 of them were lined up at the front. So I chased all the race. But a nice second race and already less rusty then the first one.

The third race of my trip was De Vlaamse Industrie Prijs Bosduin in Kalmthout, a race I was looking forward to as I did good there last year. The race was a bit different from last year.Then snow and ice, now sun and almost 30 degrees! So it was very different from last year, but still a course I liked. My start wasn't great, I got boxed in and came into the field in the back of the group. I was fighting to get to the front of the group when it splitted and I was catched behind a girl who could not keep the wheel. When I passed the other girls had rode of and I was left to chase. I had good speed and catched up with some of the girls during the race and had the same lap times as the group in front of me. So even though I messed up in the start I am sattisfied with my race and really something I can build on for the rest of the season. I ended on place 19.

Kalmthout - pic by Luc van der Meiren

Sunny and dusty - pic by Kurt Cauwenbergh

I ended my trip with a visit to my family in Groningen, so a good combi of racing and family visits

So now I am back home did a local race her in the area together with the guys. A new experience, but really nice to get pushed to race even harder and 20 minutes longer then usual. I had a great start in the race and did really good until I got into a fight with a branch – which the branch won, it broke of my rear derailleur. Of course just when I had passed the pit and had to walk about a K to get to the next pit again. So the race was over. This week is a easier week for me trainingwise and on friday we will leave with the national team to Checz for the 2 first world cups there. I am really looking forward to see how things go in Checz and I'll try to keep you posted about my trip.

Racing together with the guys! pic by Christian Reimers

Race done... Pic by Christian Reimers.

Margriet