by Christine Vardaros

Collecting More Than Just a Suntan in Cyprus – Christine Vardaros wraps up her report from the Tour of Cyprus. If you missed Part One, check it out!

I am checking in from the Stoumont region of The Ardennes – the hilly part of Belgium next to some of the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege climbs. Jonas and I are spending the week with his family on their yearly Easter holiday.

Based on the success of this year’s flagship Tour, I expect it to be twice the size by next year. And considering the time of year it’s held, you can be certain I will again be there working on my suntan while whipping my body back into shape – bootcamp style.

As for the Tour, the last day of the four-day co-ed stage race was the most fun. With only 1.434 seconds separating the top two guys on the general classification, there was no champagne to be had during the race.

We are also using it as part two of our “base training.” But after coming here directly from sunny Cyprus, it’s a bit of a shock to voluntarily step out of the house for a few hours of training in the icy cold rain where temperatures are hovering at about 8°C. Instead, we have been delaying every ride so far as we sit indoors next to the heater, reminiscing about our fabulous time at Tour of Cyprus.

As for the Tour, the last day of the four-day co-ed stage race was the most fun. With only 1.434 seconds separating the top two guys on the general classification, there was no champagne to be had during the race. On the women’s side, even though I had a gap of over ten minutes on second place, I was too nervous about losing my leader’s jersey due to a flat tire, mechanical or even bad legs that I didn’t start the celebrations until crossing the line.

Read the full article and see lots of photos on the Cyclocross Magazine web site.