The race:
10.00, we roll out from the starting field and I am already in pain. The muscles in my legs are complaining and I just hope it will go away after warming up in the first climb.
After about 5km, we get ahead with 3, Blazso, Peter and me. But whenever one of the others accelerates, I have to let go. I know how I feel and there is just nothing I can do today but to try to save my energy till after the last climb around km 85. So, Blazso is testing us and Peter reacts by sprinting back to Marci. I can watch the show and sometimes it’s really nice to see, but at the same time it is very confronting as I realize they are in a different dimension… Because Peter doesn’t want to work, the pace always drops down and so I can get back to them time after time till the 2nd waterpoint. Here, Blazso continues while Peter and I make a stop to lube the chains and to get some extra drinks. After this, there is some confusion about the right direction and I call back Peter, but nothing really happens. I the second climb to the highest peak, Peter is a little behind, but at the top he’s back and we continue together.
When we start the long climb after the 3rd waterpoint around km 54, I feel the power is running out and I have to slow down. I don’t know what happened, but my condition changed very fast and so I have to let go of Peter in an ultimate effort to safe enough energy to survive the full track without suffering too much. Fun? Nope, if you need to slow down in a race because of your shape, it isn’t really fun, but ok, time to think about the future, about making a plan… At km 73, at the last waterpoint, I was 3min behind Peter, 6 from Blazso and I had found the correct pace to match my – bad - shape. But, then, I made a bad day worse by following the signs against my instinct. As I did this race last year, I kind of recognize the trails most of the time, but the signs are the signs… No lints, but arrows and arrows are quite clear in showing directions :-). So, arrow shows left, I remember straight, hmm, slow down, watch the ground and yes, ok, I see tire marks to the left so, ok, let’s go. Hmm, oo, even better, it’s a downhill, nice to relax a little… But, the road is bad and I really don’t remember this one, hmmm. After about 2km, I ended up in a forest and the road ended. Sh****t, no way? Pfft, here, mentally, I just died… I took an extra minute for a piss and to think about the situation. But, hey, what can you do, stay here? Nope, you have to get back up and you have to continu the rest of the loop. No other way to the finish. But, from here, I was driving touring speed, my energy was gone, both physically as mentally. So, how did I get 3rd place? Well, being too frustrated, I never thought about correcting the sign and so I think everybody behind me saw the same nice valley to the left, I am terribly sorry for that but I was too exhausted to think straight...
Conclusion:
So, I need training and as Blazso told me, I have to be very carefull not to want to get back too fast and to kill myself by racing too much too hard too far when not ready for it.. So, short intense trainings for me + a lot of recovery and slowly hoping to get back to my old shape. For now, I’ll have to see everything as a training and not to try to race… Not the nicest news, but then again, I am healthy, I can ride, I ‘ve see a lot worse already in 2015…
So, have fun and see you soon, hopefully in a better shape,
Wouter
