The 2010 season is ahead!

By: Roel Paulissen

Does anyone know where the winter went?

It’s becoming more and more astonishing every year how fast the winter passes by and you find yourself in front of the first race of the new season! Well, time is not flying that fast when you’re actually sitting for hours on your indoor trainer because outside it’s – 20 degrees (yes, we really had – 20), but it's ok anyway...

I started training again in the beginning of December. I have spent once again many, many hours on the indoor trainer and did my power training, but I also did a lot of backcountry skiing in the Dolomites. We made some great trips in the mountains and you cannot imagine how much fun it is to plunge down a mountain on half a meter of powder snow!

In January I spent a few weeks in Spain to train “for real” and now I am sitting already in my hotel room in Cyprus with the Belgian National Team for our first training camp and for the first races. It’s already for quiet a few years now that in spring many teams are pitching up their tents in Cyprus and take part in the races of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup. The organizers of these races are doing a better job every year and it seems cycling has become a new attractive form of tourism for the whole island. It’s just a shame when hotels, like the one we are staying at, don’t realize what an impact mountain biking has and had on the island over the last years. Our hotel here in Limassol doesn’t seem to be happy to have us cyclists with them and they actually do not want to accept the needs of a cycling team; so for instance we have to leave our bikes outside in the open air…(do they actually know how much such a bike costs?)

So that’s it for now (I have to go, the hour on the internet – for 5 €! - has expired). On Sunday I’ll race the Cyprus Sunshine Cup C1 in Voroklini. I feel good, prepared and I am happy that the season starts. You’ll find the result on my website tomorrow. Wish me good luck!

Roel

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