Thursday, March 29
Hello from a snowy Switzerland:)
I am writing this from high up in the mountains.
Not sure how they even have wi-fi here, nor am I sure how I managed to salvage
the code off the tiny lady who speaks only German. We arrived here last
night in the dark, so this morning as I crawled out of bed, I was presented
with a winter wonderland outside. Needless to say, training will take place at
the bottom of the steep 10km pass, where the temperature is at least 10 degrees
warmer. But for now ill just sit by the crackling fire and enjoy its warmth.
Before we made the trek across Austria, we raced in
the Kamptal-Klassik Cup, which is a Category 1 race in Langenlois (Austria).
The track was a 5km circuit with 330m of vertical ascent per lap. Insanity I
say! The start was at the bottom of a mountain in a small town, and the rest of
the course extended skyward. A sustained power on the climbs, and a wreckless
speed on the downhills was the key to success. The technical aspect of the
track was almost non-existent, with only two rocky downhills to test your
skill. I think that if such a course was to be designed in SA, people would
probably lay complaints. But in Europe, the nature of the course in irrelevant.
They place emphasis on pedalling the bike as fast as possible and being first
across the line. Us South Africans can learn a lot from this winning attitude.
Racing in the Elite Womens Category, my start was
at 10, along with the Junior Men, Junior Women and Master Men. Having 350
people on the course at once was going to be interesting! Nevertheless, I was
happy to have made it to the startline at the correct time (daylight saving
began on that day). Although, I did feel robbed of an hour of precious sleep.
The gun goes and the girls went off firing on all cylinders! It was a steep
5min climb before we could start descending for the first time. I felt
terrible! Passing the feedzone in 21st position after the startloop,
I knew I had work to do. I also knew that I had gotten rid of the heavy legs on
that single climb. All I had to do was stay mentally strong and race smartly.
As I had predicted, people started giving up one by one as the race progressed.
The brutality of the course begins to take its toll about midway through the
race. People who had played all their cards on the climb out the start gate
really started battling, and I could see it. This gave me a mental edge. I
discovered and learnt a lot about the importance of cadence on steep climbing
courses. Keep those pedals turning at a brisk pace. I witnessed girls trying to
grind big gears. It is unsustainable and your legs will sieze up.
After moving through the field of Elite riders
throughout the race, I ended 14th at the finish line. (3rd
U23). I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the race and with the way I
felt. It is always a confidence booster when you begin to reap the rewards of
the hours you have put in. Also, its always beneficial to steal a few more UCI
pointsJ
Well done to my BMC counterparts Savannah Vosloo, Ashleigh
Parker Moffatt and Jaco Pelser for their results- go check out their blogs for
more info. Kyle dorkin (outcast on his Ellsworth Enlightenment) placed 3rd
in the Junior Mens Category! Excellent job young manJ And where would we be
without our faithful back-up, managers, feeders and supporters all-in-one..
Johann Wykerd and Willie Pelser. Thank you endlessly!
Catch us on Sunday at the BMC Swiss Cup for some
more entertaining racing. Cant wait!