What’s all this talk about cycling?

Like every kid I was so excited to learn how to ride a bike. It was my first means to speed and ultimately freedom; I could commute to a friend’s place or soccer practice in minimal time. I didn’t regard it as a form of exercise or a means to prevent obesity. Back when I was a kid our society wasn’t in this race to get overweight. I did it because it was fun and I could escape and hang out with my friends on any given day. I was a country boy in northwestern Ontario and walking to my friends place would take way too long. Then the day came that I turned 16 – I forgot about my bike in no time at all. It’s easy to explain the reasoning for this: my chevy blazer could get to soccer practice or my friend’s house even faster and was a ton of fun to drive. Also, if I so desired to take a pretty lady out on a date I didn’t have to put her on the handle bars and double and get so embarrassingly sweaty. I did actually have one of my worst bicycle accidents doing this. I did do some occasional mountain biking through my teens, but it started to get pricey replacing helmets and bike components after each crash. Also, I was fortunate to have parents that were keeping gas in the blazer.

It was in my late 20’s while living in Park City, Utah and training with the US Ski Team that I rediscovered my love for two wheels. 2006 US Olympian Carl VanLoan and 2010 gold medallist Billy Demong, introduced me to road cycling and so the story began. I rode to improve my physical performance, as well as my tactical performance, for cross-country skiing. Surprisingly it was the tactics from bike racing that made the greatest difference in my skiing career. When I had major shoulder surgery in 2004 and knee surgery in 2005, cycling proved to be the best way to maintain my physique.

Skip forward a few years and I’m now in my 30’s. Life experiences and travelling around the world over 30 times have taught me to appreciate certain things. I’m not a person that follows any major sports leagues or events outside of the Olympics. I’m more of the guy that likes to get in there and get dirty and play. Although, I watch a little of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia each year, I usually only watch the last 30 minutes as I’d personally prefer to be out playing myself. The same goes for any sport really. After retiring from Nordic Combined at the completion of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics cycling become the one thing that I could do and not suffer too much. A couple of major surgeries and many smaller injuries had left me quite physically beaten. However, when I hopped on my bike I felt so much better (physically and emotionally). Eventually I started to see my selfishness and was sick of greasing the pockets of oil companies, and too cheap to pay for parking at school so I started commuting by bike. This turned out to be a very rewarding path. All of a sudden I had so much more time in my day and felt so much more alert and happy throughout. In reality cycling to school (10km +) took only a few more minutes than it did by car. Actually, when traffic was bad it was faster. I study the relationship between obesity and exercise at the University of Calgary so I am very passionate about contributing to solving the obesity epidemic that is choking our health care system. I never had the desire to commute to work by bike, but when I did it for the first time it felt like a breakthrough and I wanted to share this success with everybody. Here lies the challenge!

Cyclists have been enlightened. Cyclists are usually also drivers, but not every driver is a cyclist. So when this war of rights of cyclists grows in Calgary cyclists have the upper hand because they have open minds and can see both sides of the argument. I would urge anybody that is confident enough to weigh in on the war against cyclist to have the courage and open mind to try cycling a couple of times so that they can give an educated statement. Cyclists often break rules like rolling through a stop sign, but I assure you it’s a calculated risk. People that get angry because cyclists are not following road rules have little right to accuse. We are drivers and we see how many people do things like roll through stop signs, talk on a cell phone, throw cigarette butts out the window, or speed. I still see many people texting everyday while behind the wheel so how can drivers get angry at a cyclist that is rolling through a stop? I can’t recall the last time I saw a car come to a complete stop at an empty intersection (stop sign) unless they had a sign on the top with AMA driving school.

There tends to be a lot of fuss about cyclists riding on roads and impeding cars, and now there is an uproar in Calgary about the city spending money on snow removal for bike lanes. First of all, the safest place for bikes is actually on the road, preferably in a bike lane. Next, if you believe that this is a cost to the city you are very shortsighted.It is an investment. People biking to work is saving millions in health care costs – that is as long as drivers respect them and give them their entitled space. Extensive research shows that physical activity improves function in the workplace, prevents chronic disease and makes for happy people (aka reduces depression). Since cycling to work is such an efficient use of time in this crazy fast world it may be some peoples best opportunity to workout. Really though, how difficult is it to avoid a cyclist on the road? It’s as simple as turning on your indicator and moving left a meter and a half. Sure, there will be accidents with cyclists on the road just as there is with cars in busy areas. I have a huge concern when these incidents happen on Calgary rural roads/highways. The fact is we live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which is far more prairie like that mountainous. A driver can see a cyclist from miles away. Remember, I know because I am a driver too. Now, if I saw a snowplow ahead, a moose, or a cowboy/girl riding a horse, a person walking there dog etc. . . I wouldn’t lay on my horn and try to scare the s*#t out of them as some people do to cyclists. After all, what are they doing to hurt me? Right, they are saving my healthcare system millions of dollars. They are actually supporting me and my family for generations to come. Whether they are hugging the side, in the middle of the lane or riding multiple abreast it’s a matter of saying to yourself “good on ya buddy, keep going”. I’m gonna respect that cyclist for what they are doing for themselves and essentially everybody by taking care to pass. Everywhere in the world has different recommendations for where and how cyclists should ride in the lane. Ideally they want to be as visible as possible without significantly impeding traffic. When I pass cyclists I’ll even give them a thumbs up or wave of encouragement to show them they are respected and appreciated. Europe has far narrower roads than North Americans and many many more cyclists. They don’t have shoulders on the side of most roads, yet they manage just fine for the most part.

Here is a quote from my friend and fellow cyclist Masa: “I think that the only way to change the perspectives of the very vocal anti-cycling population of Calgary is to hold a “DON’T RIDE YOUR BIKE TO WORK DAY”. If those who often commute by cycling got in a single occupant vehicle (the larger the better, so rent a F150 if you don’t have a truck or SUV) and sat in traffic like the rest for a day, it would become painfully obvious how much worse traffic could be. Even those who take transit could join this party. The average Calgary driver thinks of a cyclist as an obstacle or nuisance, but what they don’t realize is that another car in his/her place would be significantly more damaging to the super important lives they have to live and super important places they need to get to in a massive rush. The cyclists should be thanked for minimizing gridlock (and other minor things like no impact on the environment, lesser burden on the health care system, bla bla), not honked at, spat at, and treated worse than the homeless pan handlers downtown.”

Recently a car hit my friend Robin Clegg while we were riding just outside Calgary on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The incident was so unnecessary. Until this weekend my worst fear of riding in Calgary was getting caught in a hail storm. Those hurt. We can’t change the fact that golf balls will occasionally fall out of the Calgary sky, but we can change our attitudes towards fellow humans that are simply enjoying the outdoors and not harming anybody else. Please take responsibility for your driving and be excited for those taking it to two wheels. Try cycling yourself it could change your attitude, life and save our society.

Life of academia

Wow, its been a year since I last updated my website. I really don’t have any specific reason. During my athletic career I really lived weekend to weekend, and had quite a significant amount of down time in Europe. Plenty of time to think about me myself, and I. That’s really what the life of an individual athlete was most of the time. It was quite selfish and focused. Nowadays, I think that I don’t update my blog because nothing that interesting is going on in my life. Au contraire mon frère. The life of academia mashed in with some coaching and volunteer work with the Canadian Olympic Committee is quite demanding and dynamic. It is much more balanced and these days there are many more options in life so the path is definitely not as straight and it is certainly less predictable than when I was an elite athlete. Obviously, it could be much more straight, but I’ve been fortunate to have a large variety of life experiences and I’ve been inspired by so many exceptional people that at times, I just want to try and do everything. The tough part is that I retired from Nordic Combined at age 32 and sooner or later I’m going to have to commit to one path, but not yet. I’m going to keep enjoying the many opportunities that continue to present themselves at this point. Ideally I would like to attend medical school in the near future.

I recently graduated from the University of Calgary with an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology (honours). Woooohooooo!!!! I took my first university course in 1996, so it only took me 16 years to complete that goal. There were definitely times when I figured that it just wouldn’t happen, but the tremendous support from my mom and step father really helped to make it a reality – Thanks . The “honours” title indicates that I did research in my final year and produced a thesis. My research was titled The Effect of Warm-up Intensity of the Sustainability of Power on a Veletron Cycle. It was a very rewarding experience and opened up a new opportunity, which I will pursue: Master’s of Science under the supervision of Dr. Jane Shearer and Dr. Dustin Hittel at the University of Calgary. While at the University of Calgary I will also assist with training various varsity athletes. Still yet, I hope to find the time to remain active coaching kids with the Calgary Speed Skating Club.

Perhaps the biggest news is that I will be part of the London 2012 Team Canada Mission Team. My role will be Athlete Service Officer. I’ve never been anywhere near a summer Olympics and although I’ve been to London Heathrow airport close to 20 times, I’ve never stepped outside of the terminal. This will be a very unique experience and I’m excited to bring my “A game” and ensure that every one of our athletes has what they need to ensure best performance and help Canada finish in the top 12 in medal count. Go Canada!

Transition

A hurricane, an earthquake and a tsunami can all be chalked up as personal experiences in the past year. It seemed that wherever I managed to escape to became under attack by mother nature. Yet, somehow, the most anticipated potential disaster was averted. I’ve always valued pursuing post secondary education, but at times other opportunities always seemed more prevalent and attractive. Not to mention, upon retiring from the sport of Nordic Combined after the Vancouver Olympics, the thought of pursuing an undergraduate degree was beyond intimidating at 32 years old. Finally, the time came to jump head first into the anticipated disaster. Naturally, of course, there were some sleepless nights in September as I stressed about the transition from being a full time athlete to being fully immersed in the world of academia. Fortunately, this transition was not rough, whatsoever. Contrary to the experience of Hurricane Tomas in Jamaica, the 5.0 Earthquake in Quebec, and the Tsunami in Hawaii, the transition was relatively smooth and obviously rewarding.

I attribute the gratifying experience at the University of Calgary to excellent timing, commitment, friends, family, and a true passion for the Kinesiology curriculum. I rarely had to fight to stay awake during class as the curriculum seemed to peak my interest each and every day. U of C definitely has some of the industry leaders in professors, such as Dr. Dave Paskevich, Dr. Reed Ferber, and Dr. Richard Walker. The greatest challenge from the get go proved to be human physiology, as I struggled to recall anything from the good ol’ days of high school biology back in 1996. I had to hire a classmate to tutor me in preparation for the first midterm and half expected to be lucky to achieve a 70. I essentially struck gold and managed an 83. Nonetheless, I somehow attributed this more to luck than knowledge as I really didn’t feel that comfortable with the material. In the subsequent course I learned how to better manage my studies and set forth with even greater ambitions. I was fortunate to meet some really interesting individuals and we formed quite the dynamic study group. Thanks to this initiative, my mom and Mark’s support, and the Canadian Ski and Snowboard Association’s Making Winter Winners grant, I was able to commit to lots of library time and managed to boost that lucky 83 to a 95 and the second highest grade amongst 400 students.

The time is quickly approaching that I must make choices that will significantly impact my career path. I never imagined that there would be so many options with a Kinesiology degree. However, it seems that now an undergrad degree just doesn’t cut it and so I’ve set my sight on grad school. Right now, I’m very intrigued by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay. Also, I will give serious consideration to an MSc, most likely right back here at U of C. As it was my first complete winter in Calgary and I was unable to spend much time in the mountains, I came to appreciate our crazy, and often harsh climate. It really made 14 plus hour days in the library quite bearable and guilt free. Who really wants to be outside in the dark and minus 30? It was those rare sunny days above zero with a fresh dump of powder that made studying unbearable. I have great motivation to maximize my GPA this upcoming year.

Well, hopefully this summer is exciting as the last, minus the natural disasters. Its great to know what you want and be lucky enough to have the opportunity to jump in with both feet.

Friday the 13th

Its been a while since I’ve taken the time to write and say whats going on. I’m sorry. . . I’ve been too busy living. This Friday the 13th is scarier than any of past. Its not because my house feels like it may blow over at any moment or because the thunder clouds are rippin’ and roarin’ on a serious terror mission, it seems like that has been the routine for months now in Calgary. I still don’t feel like summer has arrived and it’s mid August. In fact, I’m so confident that it will never really come that I picked up a new set of skis in anticipation for the white stuff anytime. Really though, the terror comes from the fact that in one month, September 13, 2010, I will make my return to full time studies at the University of Calgary. It’s been 14 years since I graduated from high school and now I’m getting ready to go back.

My priorities have changed from the very physically demanding sport of Nordic Combined, to the challenge of balancing full time post secondary studies and hopefully new employment (fingers crossed). As scary as the idea of school is in some regards, I’m excited for the anticipated routine and interaction. I have had the opportunity to take the odd class on campus during the condensed spring sessions and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and passion in the Kinesiology faculty. Its funny that my mind and direction has changed so many times since I originally gained acceptance to the Faculty of Kinesiology in 1996 straight out of high school and yet here I am back at square one.

It’s been an amazing trip since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. As I had previously taken a step back from the sport of Nordic Combined, post 2006 Torino Olympics, I knew what to expect this time around. I had a lot of cravings for various recreational activities and travel. I’ve spent more time around water than in years past while in Thunder Bay, Utah, Kelowna, Barbados, Vernon, and some random spots in and around the Rockies. Surfing, kayaking, swimming, softball, bikes of all kinds, soccer, golf, long boarding and hockey have satisfied the itch to stay physically active. The fear that I will soon no longer be a stay at home recreational sports and outdoors enthusiast is scary. In fact, it’s scarier than Jason and his hockey mask on this Friday the 13th.

So, with one month to go, no matter if its rain, shine (unlikely), thunder, lightning, hail (probable), hurricane, I will take advantage of each and every moment and opportunity to enjoy my garage full of toys and whatever the land and water have to offer. From there on I may only get to read about physical activity while I am buried in Science textbooks. Cheers.

Games Over!

After what seems like a lifetime of preparation and anticipation the Vancouver Olympics have come and gone. It’s all over. Sure there will be Olympic Team gatherings and debriefings, but the Olympic competition and celebrations will only continue in memories. Its been a few weeks since the closing ceremonies and I’m starting to rid this Olympic Hangover. It was an amazing and rewarding experience being part of the 2010 Canada Olympic Team that was the best Canadian Olympic Team ever. I’m sad that Nordic Combined couldn’t contribute to the podium or top 8 mission of the Canada Olympic Team, but I assure you that I did my best and wanted it just as much as anybody that may have a medal around their neck.

In previous years I found myself counting down the races until the end of the season. However, since my comeback in November 2008 I found that I was doing what I wanted to do more than anything in the world. I truly enjoyed pushing myself to the limit in each and every training and competition. Whether I was performing above or below my potential I took pride in the battle against myself. Similar to every interval and pace workout I did for the last year the Olympics was a complete battle against myself. I knew my competition would bring their “A Game” and knowing that I was one of the lower qualified athletes I would have to bring my “A Game” and then some.

My mediocre jumping was close to as good as I had performed in competition all year. However, in my mind I was still dreaming that I would miraculously breakthrough and at least get a little help from the wind gods. I think they call this “hope” and I would never give up hope. I believe that you get a green light to start your jump for a reason. Despite my hope and belief, this wasn’t the case and the low inrun speed and my high body weight made the concept of competing against the best in the world even more challenging. In turn, I had to start a cross country race in a mindset that I had never experienced. I wanted to be anywhere, absolutely anywhere, other than where I was. I was on the start line for a cross country race at the Olympics and I was so disappointed with myself that I would have rather been anywhere else rather than face the embarrassment of skiing that course in front of my family and friends, and thousands of people who didn’t know that I was a better athlete than that.

I found the power to push myself from the start. . . barely. I continued to ski the first lap of the race at my own pace, kind of pouting and feeling sorry for myself. I was unsure of my body after the failure at the previous race 10 days before. There were thousands of people cheering me on, but I swear I heard nothing. I had at least a dozen different conversations going on in my head until one prevailed at about the 3km point of a 10km race. That voice reminded me that I was there in that moment and the past was the past. I was aware of the challenges of my own journey and any performance expectations cam from within. So, with thousands of people at my side it was, once again, me versus myself. I quickly found some rhythm and although it wasn’t the speed of some of my better races, it was everything I had on this day and I was determined to leave it all on that course. I overcame whatever negative thoughts persisted in my mind and proudly pushed forward toward the finish line.

I don’t believe that one necessarily feels stressed when they are stressed. I had everything I needed at the Olympics. Everything that hadn’t been there in the past was definitely there in the present. I had great sponsors, equipment, coaching support, family, friends, fans, food, dr’s. . . everything I could imagine. I felt extremely relaxed and comfortable being a part of the larger Canada Olympic Team. I completely rejected the idea that I could have been stressed, that is until I crossed that finish line. The floodgates opened and I felt alive again. Somehow, I managed to find a smile despite finished a good 45 steps away from the top of the podium. I had felt like a walking zombie for much of the preceding month and now had suddenly been injected with some energizer bunny. I really wish that I could have focused on my enjoyment of performing rather than the self-created expectations of results, but that is a learning lesson for the bigger picture of life.

I was at the Olympics because I had worked extremely hard and overcome many obstacles to qualify. The challenge is that once you meet one goal you set another. I was extremely proud to qualify for the Olympics, but once I achieved that I set a new goal of busting into the top 25. My failure to do so caused me great sadness. Albeit, I’m a competitive person and if I won the gold medal I’m sure that I wouldn’t be satisfied with my competition. There would always be something that I could have done better. Sometimes enough is never enough and often this attitude is what distinguishes the best athletes from the others.

Now that the Olympics are over I’m able to take advantage of extremely nice weather in Calgary. I’ve been loving the ability to mix up my activities, rather than succumbing to the tunnel vision of training for the Olympics. In the past 2 weeks I have been road cycling, playing hockey five times, curling, rock climbing, alpine skiing, badminton, a 30km xc race, running and hiking, watching the Calgary Flames and a ton of housekeeping. I’m so excited for what tomorrow may bring, but even more excited for today. Cheers.

One more shot!

One more shot

Today was an exciting day for me. Since I have been feeling much stronger I was able to get out and cheer some of my best friends on the USA Nordic Combined Team. They skied an amazing racing and earned four shiny silver Olympic medals. Congrats to Brett Camerota, Todd Lodwick, Johnny Spillane and Bill Demong and their coaching staff. This is the first Olympic medal in a Nordic Combined team event for the USA. Their success shows that it is possible to win in a European dominated sport.

We’ve now started training on the large hill ski jump for the final Olympic Nordic Combined event coming up Thursday February 25^th. Jumping continues to be a challenge as I struggle to find my previous form. I seem to be landing around 105 meters no matter the jump I make which is frustrating. However, I still have one session to turn things around a bit. Of course, things will be different on competition day as there will definitely be more energy in the air and I’m excited to have another chance to milk that energy.

Since my first event I was named the loneliest Olympian in the media. In some ways this may be true. I definitely feel that way at times in the Athlete Village now that most of the Canadian athletes are finished competing. I spend most of the day out at the Whistler Olympic Park venue to return to a mostly abandoned village as all of the luge and skeleton athletes, ski jumpers, and some of the biathletes have wrapped up their Olympic Competition and are now enjoyed the other elements of the Olympic Games.

Despite this perceived loneliness as a “one man team,” it is an amazing experience to have so many members of the Calgary, Thunder Bay, and various other Nordic Communities around the venues. In addition, I’m fortunate to be able to have teammates Barrett Martineau and Wes Savill around to use as gophers to help me push my cross skiing to the next level during intensity workouts. All of my teammates have been devoting long days to the forerunning the ski jumping so they are really working hard to be a part of the Olympics and keep up with their training at the same time. Hopefully they will get the chance to compete at the 2014 or 2018 Olympics.

Although I am a “one man team” there is just so much to do around the Olympic village on my own or as part of the Canadian Olympic Team. From free arcades to free dentistry work to road hockey matches versus the Canadian army, it’s easy to entertain oneself. Last weeks extracurricular activities were highlighted by social time with Queen Latifa, ping pong with Sidney Crosby, and, of course, watching John Montgomery’s gold medal skeleton race. At this point its all about balance. Its tough to be one of the last guys to compete as there are so many potential distractions, but yet it’s important to

So with only a couple of days remaining before my final event at the 2010 Olympics I’m excited to feed off of the extraordinary energy of the best Olympic Team Canada has ever fielded, the thousands of fans, volunteers, my teammates, friends, and most importantly my family. I’m excited to share this dream with all of them in pursuit of Olympic excellence.

Finally, I ‘d like to give a big thanks to all of the people that have sent me such supportive emails and fb messages. I value and appreciate each one of your messages and they will definitely help fuel my fire during the final race. Cheers.

Intense

I arrived at the Whistler Olympic Athlete Village one week ago. It is really difficult to describe everything that has gone down since. It really has been a rollercoaster of emotions.

In the last couple of weeks I have been battling serious fatigue and somehow that translates into not being able to sleep. I’m really hoping that this sorts itself out in the next couple of days, but as I’m sure everybody is aware, the harder you try to sleep the more difficult it becomes.

The great thing about being part of the Canadian Olympic Team is that we have everything at our disposal. If I’m too tired to walk eight minutes to my next meal, I can either settle for a huge variety of healthy snacks in our Canadian Athletes Lounge or sign out a motorized bicycle to get me down there and back up the hill. I think I will be putting these bikes to greater use now that the rain has ceased and I focus on getting healthy for the next event.

So far, everything about the organization of the Vancouver Olympics is far superior to my Torino 2006 Experience. Other than Air Canada and VANOC misplacing our bags on the trip here, every bit of this Olympics is extraordinary. The transportation, security, food, and lodging are all exceeding expectations. Every athlete that I have spoken with has commented on their love for Canada and the positive Olympic experience. From my perspective, this is possible because of the astonishing commitment of volunteers. Volunteers are dressed in turquoise blue jackets and are absolutely everywhere. Although, on several instances they’ve sent me in the complete wrong direction, their heart was always in the right place. Just like Calgary in ’88, Vancouver will be an outstanding success primarily due to the love and passion of the volunteers.

Speaking of passion, the Opening ceremony was nothing short of absolute awesomeness. I was unsure if I would go in the days leading in for health reasons, but in the end decided that I would really regret not going. So, I went. It was one perhaps the best experiences of my life.

Sorry for the quickie. I’ll let you in on more of whats going on around here shortly.

The Diagnosis and the Cure

Wow, its done! Today was the last World Cup before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Just typing that statement gets me excited, nervous, nauseous, afraid, and pumped. Fourteen months ago I gave up my job and each day seemed like it was longer than the last. Training until I couldn’t stand up, and then making one more repetition, jumping til. . . well, I could jump til forever on a good day. There just is nothing that can match the euphoria of flight.

The long days seemed to be replaced by flashes of time represented numerically on the calendar as the days of January 2010. Our training camp at New Years in Whistler was the first insight into the impending hype. Ever since that training camp each day seems shorter than the last and by no means am I referring to the amount of daylight, which, coincidentally, seems to be following a similar pattern. Contrary to our ability to determine tomorrow’s sunrise and sundown, I can’t predict how tomorrow will feel. However, I’m confident that it will fit somewhere within this realm of mixed emotions that seems to be flooding over me each day.

After a very successful training camp in Whislter I failed to put together one solid competition that I was proud of in the month of January. I’ve been trying various schemes to win the battle with my head that would enable me to produce equivalent jumps in competition as those in training. However, I’ve yet to win that battle. On the plus side, I know it there and I BELIEVE. Why else would I continue each and every day if I didn’t believe that tomorrow would be better than today?

Thankfully, I’ve managed to jump myself into a position where I could at least compete for World Cup points with great cross country racing on a couple of occasions. In the last couple of events I’ve managed to put together decent races to ski into 30^th place, which earned me exactly one world cup point on each occasion. So, although my jumping hasn’t been quite meeting my expectations, my cross country racing is at a level that can bail me out with less than mediocre jumping. As an athlete that is significantly heavier than my competition, its critical that my technique and timing are perfect on the jump hill in order to be successful. Its been close, but close just doesn’t cut it for me. I’m about to race against the top 50 athletes in the world on my home soil and I really want to show them what I’ve got, not what I almost have.

So, the world cup competitions are done. Now I have three days to train, relax, and hopefully not think too much. That’s definitely the toughest part for an independent, intense and neurotic athlete. However, the fact is that the training is done, everything is in motion, stay healthy and let it happen. Easier said than done since in the end I am ultimately responsible for my performance, I find it extremely difficult to shut off my brain at a time like this. However, I have the perfect cure in mind.

Seefeld, Austria is absolutely one of the most beautiful towns in the world. Situated high atop the Austrian Alps, the village somehow manages to have perfect sunshine and an abundance of white fluffy snow that all of us winter enthusiasts crave. What sets Seefeld above the others, in my opinion, is the Olympic Zentrum Sauna. This place is massive with several saunas of various temps, steam rooms and pools with waterfalls. Midwinter the place is absolutely packed. Between all of the hot and cold therapy and relaxation surely I can manage to escape for awhile. Cheers,

Euroland

Done with planes for a while. I’m trying to save all of my flying for ski jumping.

I arrived in Europe on January 5 after an awesome training camp with my Nordic Combined teammates, as well as the ski jumping team. Since I am a lululemon elite ambassador they were kind enough to put us up in an amazing house in the heart of Whistler. It was a much shorter drive to the Callaghan Valley compared to Squamish and a very short walk down the street to perfect cross country skiing at Lost Lake. We had perfect training conditions for the eight day camp and it really was exciting being in Whistler with all of the anticipation of the 2010 Olympics building.

Congratulations to Sean Van Es, Barett Martineau, Sebastien Dandurand, and Chanon Pretorius who qualified to travel to Europe to compete on the Continental Cup circuit. They will travel to Estonia, Germany, and Italy to train and compete. It will be a very challenging circuit and Chanon and Sebastien will definitely be the youngest competitors Good luck boys. You can follow their results at www.fis-ski.com . Click on the Nordic Combined link on the left hand side.

I’m writing this message from the back of the Estonian van. Its an interesting trip as there is serious mechanical problem and we only have first, third, and fifth gear. Sometimes, not all of those can be used. Occasionally reverse works, otherwise, we have to get out and push. Luckily reverse isn’t needed for this six-hour drive down the Autobahn. Our driver, the Estonian serviceman, was once a rally car driver so there is nobody better for this job and I’m happy to sit in the back and say hello to everybody at Brokerlink.

Its been an interesting first two weeks in Europe. For some reason I’ve been having some really poor luck along the way thus far. The bad luck started when my skis didn’t show up for the second consecutive trip to Europe. Back in December I flew to Austria for six days, which included three World Cups, and didn’t get my bags for the first four days thereby missing the first World Cup. This time, once again, my skis didn’t make the connection in London, and as a result, I didn’t see them for the first five days. Its hiliarious when Lufthansa, an Air Canada partner, told me to go rent skis for the World Cup. Wow, when was the last time you saw a pair of 260cm ski jumping skis in a rental shop, not to mention worthy of using in a World Cup competition? I had to borrow equipment for the first two World Cups. . . again. Funny thing is that when my jump skis did eventually show up they were quite badly damaged so tomorrow I plan to drive to Austria and find some new ones. Thank you very much Air Canada, proud sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team, for your support!

However, things are getting better and I’m still following my plan. I’ve had some really great training jumps in Whistler and then again in Italy. The goal now is to let it flow like water, relax and let it happen in competition.

Racing, on the other hand, is getting better with each race. Albeit, its often difficult to put together a good race after a poor jump competition. For instance, in today’s World Cup the first sixteen athletes were very unlucky, myself included, and had substantially less inrun speed, about 2km/hr. This gave us all an overwhelming handicap before we even put on the skinny skis. Regardless of the situation and the lack of motivation I was able to put together a respectable race. This is encouraging as I am confident that I will be able to find an even higher gear when the jump result is there.

This month is all about competing on weekends and training and travelling during the week. We will make Predazzo Italy our base for this time. Wesley Savill and I are here for the duration, while we swap coaches along the way. At times it can be crazy busy, especially since we are a very small, and independent team without support staff. But, we enjoy this and take pride in our ability to manage this challenge. Less than a month to go. This is exciting!
Cheers.