SPORTY NEW YEAR
[Translation: Crispen T.P. de Lange]

A brand new year lies ahead of us with unimagined challenges and experiences. As usual, I’ve made myself some new year’s resolutions, but am keeping them largely to myself. What I wish for most of all is good health, and that depends a lot on how I take care of my body day by day.

We’ve had a wonderful Christmas celebration together with the family, both at home in Bjørheimsbygd with my mother and father, and at Lura with all of Kenneth’s family. I’ve eaten a bit too much, as usual, everything from turkey to mutton ribs, from halibut to fish-cakes. I’ve actually not eaten too much cake this year. I haven’t even had time to make gingerbread men, and that’s never happened before. Things will be different next year, as Bjørnar will be old enough to take part in the Christmas cooking.

If Bjørnar was able to answer for himself, I reckon he’d agree that it’s been a super Christmas with many great presents and lots of fun with both children and adults in the family. We had a gorgeous Christmas tree right in the middle of the living room which Bjørnar quickly grew to like, with a gradually diminishing number of bobbles and décor on the lower branches. He rapidly realized that this was a prickly type of tree and that the bobbles were hanging a tad too high for him.

We were also graced with a white Christmas here on the sunny coast of Norway this year. We had heavy snow-fall exactly two weeks ago, and it’s still lying out there. I’ve had a few icy and slippery trips on my bike since then, but have mainly exercised indoors. Tomorrow we three are leaving for Lanzarote, where we’ll be training for three weeks. My mother and father will be joining us after a week and will babysit Bjørnar for us for the last two weeks. It’s going to be wonderful to have some sun and warmth on our bodies, and not least to have a few extra hours on my bike without freezing to an icicle.

We’ve come through a year full of experiences and many new challenges, especially regarding the combination of family life with sports on a high level. It’s only now that I realize how much we’ve actually rested and slept in order to achieve the results we’ve had in previous years. Sleep and rest will now receive top priority in everything we do in the time to come, and we are fully aware of how essential it is for our performance in the coming seasons.

We’ve packed just about everything and are ready for summer and sun. I did a 3 hour long distance ride on Wednesday and it was frightfully cold, with lots of snow and minus 7-8 degrees. These kinds of rides are possible to do once in a while, but not for extended periods. Now we’re aiming for some good days at Club La Santa where training and rest will be our main focus, and precious little else J

I wish you all an exciting and healthy New Year. I would like to thank our sponsors and supporters for great cooperation throughout the season of 2009.

Cyclist’s greetings from Gunn-Rita, Kenneth and Bjørnar.

Multivan Merida Biking Team