For the fifth installment of rider diary entries we hear from Logan Owen, who took both days at the Subaru Cycle Cup, a top 10 at Koksijde and who took second in a classic three-way duel at this year’s Jingle Cross. No stranger to Europe, Owen is on his fourth pass through. While he’s not saying with the other cross camp riders, he has the group’s full support on race day.
As Owen alludes to, it’s not easy to push your body through a full season of racing at any level, let alone when away from home, over in Europe and on the biggest cyclocross stage there is. And when you have a minor illness towards the end of a long season, focus and support are what you need to strike the right balance between staying sharp and getting healthy. Read Owen’s experiences in caring for himself while ill and making the most of it, below.
You can read all the rider diaries from Cyclocross Development Camp here.
by Logan Owen
I woke up at 10:00 am after 12 hours of sleep. This was a nice change from sleeping for only 7 to 8 hours the past couple of nights.
I got up and went straight into my morning ritual of eating some muesli and drinking a coffee.
Franky Verhoye and Chantal Reynaert, the host family I have stayed with for 4 years now when I venture over to Europe, had already been to work and back and were cleaning around the house. Since I had been fighting a cold this past week, they set up an appointment with the local sports doctor in Meulebeke for me.
As a cyclist, its tough to balance training and racing when you are sick. I made the mistake of racing this past weekend when I was still sick, but feeling healthier, just to finish with a result that did nothing for me. This made my body even more tired and the cold a little worse. But today is the first day where I have really started to feel healthy again. This was a great learning experience for me.
Logan Owen keeps his balance. © Bart Hazen
After finally feeling healthy again, I needed to do a bit longer of a training ride to get myself going again for the two races I have coming up this weekend, Zolder and Diegem. It was raining and nasty outside so I decided it was better to just stay inside and ride the trainer to make sure I stay healthy. I was able to watch two cyclocross races within that period of time, the Junior and Elite World Championships in Zolder from 2002, which made staying in one place for two hours go by very quickly.
Once I finished my ride, I went through my routine of stretching followed by some core work to keep my body performing well.
But’s not all riding and recovery. Later I headed off to the opening of Pieter’s, Franky’s son’s new restaurant.
I have to give a huge thanks to USAC for giving me the opportunity to be over in Europe following my dream.
Thanks for reading!
Read all of the other rider diaries from Cross Development Camp here.
