Amber Neben diary: The Euro’ spring classics? How did I end up back here?

How did I end up in Holland again? After I finished my spring stint here with the USA T-Mobile team back in 2004, my director Jim Miller told me I would never have to race in the Netherlands ever again. But then, I went and signed with a Dutch team and have spent the first two months of the season in this cold, gray paradise every year since.

Living. Racing. Resting. Regenerating. Racing again. Hard races. Fast races. Cold, windy, wet races. Races with really, really big Dutch girls all around me. It isn’t the easiest place to race, and it is completely flat, but that’s the best part about it. It takes me out of my comfort zone, and it prepares me for the rest of the year. I’ve actually learned to love racing here as much as I disliked it the first few years of my career.

However, I thought this year I would stay away. I did not have a Euro team to ride with, so I did not plan on making a trip. Instead, I was going to take advantage of the time at home. Funny how fast life can change.

A few days after Redlands and before the Flanders World Cup, the “door of opportunity” opened for me to jump into the Euro Spring Classic scene. And although I was not totally rested for it, (and yes, it was a little bit crazy, too) I was definitely willing. The week’s worth of hard races, including the two spring classic world cups, cannot be mimicked by training in the States. So Wednesday night, I changed my plans. I trained easier on Thursday, packed up my bags, and made some last minute preparations. Then, Friday morning, I was back at LAX for my journey to Brussels …

SIGH … via the bike and baggage abyss that is Chicago O’Hare first.

I landed in Brussels on Saturday, and as I was departing the plane, there was an announcement on the loud speaker for passenger Neben. I needed to see the United baggage services. Hmmm. Since I only checked my bike, the message could only mean one thing. The good news was that I was able to track down a bike Saturday evening and then find the right pedals before the race on Sunday

Our race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (aka the Tour of Flanders) for women took place over the last 120km of the men’s race. It is, in my opinion, one of the coolest races ever. The men’s race is the Belgian SUPER BOWL of cycling, and it is very special to be a part of it. We get to race over some of the same climbs that are filled with the same crazy spectators. There is so much passion and electricity in the atmosphere. And in addition, there is so much history from within the sport buried in the terrain. If we could only get the stones to tell their stories about all of the glory, heartbreak, and pain they have witnessed!

The race itself did not go great for any of us. We were all battling from the beginning. We dealt with crashes, mechanicals, and just plain bike racing, but going into the Muur, there were still two of us left. Andrea and I were still in the mix, but we were too far out of position to make the front split. Position is critical at that point, and the entry is very similar to a bunch sprint finish. Our days were basically done, and we cruised in with the 30ish riders behind the lead group. Honestly, though, with everything that went on to get from Irvine to the bottom of the Muur, I cannot believe I was still there.

The following day brought the Dottignies race, also in Belgium. It was far from a World Cup on the scale of importance, but was still a hard, fast spring race. Only it was hard in a different way. It was more like a 3+ hour motorpace session with a few attacks and bonus efforts off the front. I would have to say my legs were sufficiently cooked after the back-to-back races and ready for the travel and rest day that followed.

And now … I am back in Holland, at least for a few days, ready for two more races before I fly home. Thursday, we will do a fast, flat race similar to Dottignies. Then, on Saturday, we will race the other Spring Classic World Cup, the Ronde van Drenthe. There will be three long sections of some serious, real deal pave and a few circuits up and around the “VAMberg.” (The VAM is the only climb, 400 meters, in the area and comes courtesy of a trash dump.) If it rains, the race is brutally hard and scary, and if the weather is “nice,” it is just hard and scary. I’m excited to be here, and I can’t believe I just wrote that.

So … That is how I ended up back in Holland, but only for eight days and not two months.

FILED UNDER: No Spoil / Rider Diaries / Road / Women TAGS: Amber Neben / Tour of Flanders / Women's Tour of Flanders