Belgium o' Belgium: Are you a lion or are you a chicken?

Or are you a licken? Well, that's not possible because the lion in you speaks Dutch and the chicken speaks French. Plus, the language a licken would speak would probably be called Duench and that probably wouldn't sound too nice. So, decide Belgium, a lion or a chicken?

I've read a couple of cycling blogs lately that ask the reader to pick between flags of Flanders. You know the flags that are flying at every cyclocross event around the world. Bright yellow beacons adorned front and center with a pouncing black lion. Both of these blogs said the same thing, that if you get caught flying one flag over the other you would be in for a heated political debate. Well, that may be the case if you were flying the Lion in the Wallonie region of Belgium which is the home of the chicken flag or if you were waving a chicken flag in Flanders. I honestly think they said this for the dramatic effect on the reader.

A bit of history on Belgium...........they've rarely seen eye to eye and in the north(Flanders) they speak Dutch and in the south(Wallonie) they speak French. So, basically, they rarely communicate with each other and are so politically polarized they make the former Czechoslovakia seem like a candy store. Then you have Brussels in the middle. As the constitutional capital of Belgium, the seat of both French and Flemish communities of Belgium and bi-lingual, they, more so than the country of Belgium, never see eye to eye. This is where the separatist come in. Their desire for separation has less to do with removing itself from the Belgian government than it does with removing itself with French speaking Wallonie. Flanders is tired of holding Wallonie's hand and some feel that a separate Flemish state would be best. Enter the confusion as presented by the other blogs regarding the lion of Flanders flag.

Here is the official Lion of Flanders.

Here is the Lion of Flanders that is most typically seen among the Flemish separatists. Contrary to belief this flag is not the all encompassing flag of the right-wing extremist. It is a flag symbolic of separation regardless of right or left. In fact one of the most active groups in support of a separate Flanders is a left wing group that is advocating for a Socialist Flanders. This flag is sometimes used in conjunction with the red highlighted flag shown above and has been in use before becoming a symbol of separation. This flag won't get you beaten up at a cyclocross race in Flanders, however, if you are an American waving this thing around like a madman or woman you may find yourself questioned as to whether or not you know what it means, but in all honesty Belgium is so polarized that most people spectating a 'cross race in Flanders probably wouldn't give a care. Again, this flag is representative of the desire to separate Flanders from Wallonie and have an independent Flanders and that would include separation from Belgian government.

That being said it wouldn't be recommended to fly that black Lion flag in the Wallonie region. Instead you should choose one of these flags........the Wallonie rooster.

You may be wanting to know more about why there are even separatists in Flanders anyway. At least I hope you are. Basically the Flanders region is tired of assuming all of the Wallonie debt and supporting the massive Wallonie unemployment, which has been published as being between 15-20%. At least that is a small part of the recent debate. I say recent debate because in all honesty Belgium, again, has rarely ever seen eye to eye. How could they possibly? Neither part can understand each other. Since 2007 Belgium hasn't had a government that has been able to agree on anything and some say they haven't had a government at all.

There is so much more to the discussion regarding Belgium. Because this isn't a class in European History or a Political Science experiment, I'll leave you the responsibility of doing your own research regarding the polarization, differences and complication that is Belgium.

So now that you have a little bit of background on the flags of both Flanders and Wallonie, all I can say is this........pick your flag, fly it proudly. Just remember what region of Belgium you're in and choose wisely between a lion or the chicken and wave it happily.........and watch more cyclocross....

Spread your legs and touch your head to the ground

I cannot place enough emphasis on being safe while riding.

The importance of this video is to show proper stretching technique, crashing technique and maintenance advice. All you need is WD-40 and an air hose......or a car wash.

Remember, just hop and land on your feet, "touch your head to the ground and spread your legs."

In all seriousness, I hope you can find the humor in this video.

GarageTV - Tatyana Storm - De cross gaat door (02:41)

One of the greatest sports of all time. Rooted deeply in cycling history and lore, cyclocross is no doubt a hardman sport.

Do you think 'cross in the States would have a better following if Shania Twain sang a song?

"from September to Valentines, the 'cross goes forward"

What a weekend in Cycling!

De Ketele blijft op miraculeuze wijze recht na klapband

Uitgebreid verslag van de wereldbekerwedstrijd in Koksijde

http://superprestige.vt4.be

6 Days of Gent

World Cup Cross in Koksijde Belgium

and

Super Prestige Cross in Gieten Netherlands

Chilly

First freezing night last night and a sure sign the winter is fast approaching. This picture is of the seat of my Omafiets this morning.

Some of our family and friends have told us to hope for a cold winter and nice freeze on all the canals and ponds......so we can go ice skating! Although I haven't been ice skating in at least 20 years, never knew how to stop then and probably won't figure it out this winter, the thought of ice skating on one or more of the many canals and ponds here has gotten me pretty excited. How much more Dutch of a sport can you get? Apparently, the International Skating Union was founded here in 1890.

If the canals freeze enough and the weather stays cold enough we can hope for the Elfstedentocht to take place. It is a 200km skating race/tour on the canals of Friesland in Northern Holland. I doubt I will be interested in 124 miles of ice skating but if it gets cold enough for the event to happen it will be cold enough here in Scheveningen for me to get the skates on and go. I hope it gets cold, real cold!

Check out the video of the 1997 finish. 1997 was that last time the event was officially held. Before you accuse global warming take a look at the official website to see that there have been many years it wasn't held. The two main reasons for it not being held have been war and ice that hasn't been thick enough. If the ice isn't at least 15cm thick the event won't take place.

http://www.elfstedentocht.nl/nl/de_vereniging/historie

Let's hope for some cold and some thick ice!

The Real Deal: The Stroopwafel

How can I possibly criticize the American fascination with Europe? Fast cars, beautiful women, fancy bicycles, romance, fancy handbags, chic sunglasses and most recently the Stroopwafel. Honey Stinger recently released their version of the Dutch Stroopwafel but it isn't anywhere near the same. It is a good attempt at emulating this little wafer of goodness but will most assuredly fall short. First of all it isn't Dutch and secondly it is filled with honey and not caramel. However, I guess with a name like Honey Stinger they couldn't really put caramel in the thing. I suppose I should cut them a bit of slack. As far as the Stroopwafel being used for a nutritional boost mid ride, mid ski, mid whatever I can't think of anything that tastes this good and packs as many carbs. I recommend that when you are ready to eat the Stroopwafel, do so at the appropriate time and place. Don't just pull it out of your jersey pocket or hydration pack and eat it, stop, get a cup of coffee, sit with your friends and enjoy the little treat as it should be.

The Stroopwafel originates in the town of Gouda (pronounced how-duh not goo-duh) which is known for its cheese but now you know that they should also be known for the Stroopwafel. They were first made in the late 1700's and were popular for everyone and mostly the poor. Loads of butter, brown sugar and flower were mixed and placed into a waffle iron and while they were still warm were cut in half and a syrup combined with brown sugar was placed in between the two halves and then put back together. They've essentially been done the same way since then. Obviously now there are factories that make them but I can't imagine the process being much different, just automated. In Gouda there are still several family bakeries that make them the old way and they each have their own recipe.

In my picture I show the intended way to eat a Stroopwafel with a cup of coffee. Of course you can eat them any way you like....but....I highly recommend the way that is shown. A hot cup of coffee with a Stroopwafel on top allows the sugars and caramel syrup to warm up and begin a slow melt and on cold days helps to keep the coffee warm, so, therefore you need at least 2 Stroopwafel. That slight melting of the caramel and the warmth of the wafel shell is astounding and you will surely become addicted.

For those that want the real deal Stroopwafel and not some honey filled substitute I've got some links for you.

For my San Diego friends this is where I got my Stroopwafel

http://www.tiptopmeats.com/default.aspx

For my Denver friends. It is a cool little store and deli. The owner is Dutch and she has some selection of nice Dutch treats.

http://www.dubbeldutchdenver.com/

For anybody else who doesn't have or know of a source, Dubbel Dutch in Denver also sell online.

http://www.orangepackage.com/

Happy Eating

Winter is Coming; What to Wear

Naturally for this time of year it is popular with all websites, that have anything to do with cycling, to have write ups about what winter clothing to use while riding. So, here is my contribution....with one exception I bought 90% of the clothing I am writing about.

I am no stranger to riding in cold weather as a man who grew up and began racing bicycles in Wyoming I can assure you I have had my time in the cold. However, for the last 15 years I have made my home between Hawaii, Guam and San Diego. Now making my home in the Netherlands I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the fast approaching Dutch winter. My thick Wyoming skin may be a bit on the softer side now.

When I set out to purchase my winter gear I had a budget and I had some expectations. Of course I could have spent a few hundred dollars on a pastel colored, trendy, wool jersey with some kind of fancy script on the front but I wanted to spend that and get a bit more than 1 jersey. So I set out on my search.

I kept finding myself on the Pearl Izumi website, it is a brand that I am familiar with and a brand that has kept me warm in the past. With my expectation of finding something warm, wind proof, thermal, water resistant and a reasonable price I settled on the Elite thermal riding jacket and the Elite thermal long sleeve jersey. I chose the Elite series for the price and the fit. Because I knew I would probably want to layer a few items underneath the jacket and jersey, the slightly more relaxed fit was my choice.

Now that I had addressed the upper body warmth I looked to my legs and my feet. Already having some thermal tights and neoprene booties I had to only get a pair of leg warmers and some shoe covers. So, some Pearl thermal leg warmers and a pair of Barrier lite shoe covers were the easy choice. Leg warmers are always good to have and the shoe covers are a good first defense against the cold and when paired with some thermal socks they offer just enough protection. For the really cold days the thin structure of the shoe cover will allow me to layer them under my neoprene booties.

That was it for my purchases and when combined with the apparel I already have, 5mm neoprene dive gloves for the cold wet rides, GORE paclite shell, various base layers and jerseys, plenty of bib shorts, and thermal bib tights I think winter will be kept at bay this year. Which is cool, because for the first time in a long time I am truly loving being back on the bike.

All that mumbo jumbo above is fine and great, but how does all of it perform? Good question, because today I found out.

I set out for my ride and the roads were wet from an earlier rain and the clouds weren't very menacing looking but the weather report said more rain was to be expected and anytime you ride near a big cold body of water like the North Sea things can change quickly. Because of that big cold body of water and its effect on the weather pattern combined with a forecast for rain, my rain jacket was rolled up tightly and ready to rock. For the rest of my clothing I chose the Pearl thermal jacket, standard baselayer, bibshorts, my thermal leg warmers, and my barrier shoe covers. With a temperature at only 38 degrees, a slight wind and a threat of rain I figured this would be enough clothing to keep me warm for the duration of my ride. I like to start cool and end warm. This turned out to be the right choice for the temp and within 30 minutes of leaving my house, the right choice for the freezing rain.

Everything that I chose to wear was worked very well and I can't express my satisfaction enough. The thermal jacket performed flawlessly. As advertised the water resistance of the thermal jacket excelled and because the rain wasn't going to stop I wanted a bit more protection from the rain jacket so after 40 minutes without it, I pulled the jacket on and I was set for the remainder of my ride. In the comfort of warmth and dry I plugged my way through the falling rain. Naturally my SCUBA gloves worked well. Sure, my fingers were a little raisiny at the end of the ride but they were warm as could be and the 5mm neoprene also kept the wind off my hands. The leg warmers got a little chill on the knees, but they were soaking wet and I was riding into a 15mph headwind on a, balmy 36 degree, windy and rainy day.

For anybody who is in need of winter riding clothes I recommend you look for great clothing at a good price as well as a great value. Your main concern should be the protection, fit, and style. I recommend my expectations and wants in these three qualities for any garment you choose.

1) Thermal

2) Wind Proof

3) Water Resistant

-and-

always have a good rain jacket just in case.

Here's to happy warm and dry winter riding.

www.pearlizumi.com

www.gorebikewear.com

http://www.joediveramerica.com/page/JDA/CTGY/glv

CRUD

After my previous blog post highlighting the filth of my bike I decided to write about how I am planning on minimizing any further moments of disgust like that one.

I knew I had to purchase a fender and each of the guys I ride with have a little fender that attaches to the seatpost and extends about 15 inches out and "kind of" over the rear wheel. I have seen these before and never found them to be too effective. Not only is it almost impossible for them to stay aligned over the wheel they don't really provide much protection for the people behind you. Perhaps the people who use these type of fender don't care about the people behind them but, when riding through piles of horse excrement that is a common theme for the bike paths here, I would prefer more coverage.

I started to look around and I saw a couple of brands of fenders that would work on a race bike without eyelets and they were all very nice, but I wanted more coverage. I wanted the splatter of road grime to be unable to get to my front derailleur. Most products that work on a racing bike failed here. Further searching lead me to an English company, Crud Products. I figure that England, being a rainy country itself, would have my solution. I found it in the name of the Road Racer MK2, the 2nd generation of this design. For the price of front and rear fenders shipped to the Netherlands was just 10Euro more expensive than one of the seatpost mounted fins. So, easy decision. I ordered a set and in 4 days they were here.

I promptly installed them in about 20 minutes. The only reason it didn't take me 15 minutes is because I had to change tires. My bike didn't have enough clearance to allow the full rear fender along with my 700x25 tires. So, I switched to some narrower and slightly lower 23c tires and the fenders mounted very quickly and easily. Full coverage on the rear wheel and more than enough on the front. My one major requirement was front derailleur protection and these fenders provide that in the form of an extended edge of the fender that covers a bit more of the wheel that spins closest to the derailleur, there is a picture below.

Another unique thing about the Road Racer fenders is the way they "float" above the wheel. there are two mounting bars, one on each side, that attach to the fender, seat stay and fork blades. These bars are semi-rigid polypropylene and allow enough movement to absorb road shock and return the fender to its place. Helping to re-center the fender are a Crud Products exclusive set of tiny brushes that attach inside the fender at rim height. These little brushes not only help the fender stay off of the rim, but when the fender does bounce around the brushes softly tap the rim and actually brush away road grime each time. Nice touch.

Now, naturally after I installed them the rain stopped. It had been a month of rain and as soon as I got the fenders on the rain stopped. However, with all of the moisture in the air it is hard not to ride through wet patches and to be expected the MK2 fenders performed flawlessly. I can't wait for the rain to come again so I can put them through some real work.

Here are 3 photos of the fenders mounted.

Here you can see the extended piece of fender that gives more coverage to protect the front derailleur. This feature, more so than the full coverage, was the main selling point for me

**the grime you see on the derailleur was there before the fenders went on........I was too lazy to clean the bike before putting the fenders on.**

My impression of the fenders is positive. If the possibility of having to change tires is too much for you to handle maybe these aren't for you. They look clean and don't clutter your bike and mount easily. Multiple thumbs up and I can't recommend them enough. www.crudproducts.com

I'm Back.....

So, after moving to the Netherlands in August I am finally back to blogging. I am sure my blog posts will be minimal but feel free to follow along as I document my time here in the windy country.

My first picture is the back of my bike after 4 hours in the rain. Lovely!