So there we where all line up ready to all 22 of us, including 3 women and 2 youngsters who “only” had to do 1 lap (30k). First 5k we did behind a pace car so it went nice easily :) Then we where let lose, and after 500 meters the first of the 2 big climbs starts. Now we have one guy who is good, really good. Well compared to the rest of he is unbelievable. Everybody knows he will win, and nobody even tries to do something about it. Well we hit the start of the first climb, and he, I guess just wanted to stretch his legs or something, well for me, and a lot others it meant been dropped like a sack of potatoes :( My legs could just not go that fast. My first thought was 90k time trail…that is pretty long. Next thought, I miss my aero bars :(. I was so sure that I would have to do the whole race alone at this point, and I have to say I did not like that thought. I managed to get up to the top of the hill, and then it went straight down on the other side. I accelerated hard on the top to build up some speed and then just tried to get as low as I could. When I hit the bottom which came to fast not giving me enough time to rest, I was doing 70 km/h. But the best part was that I could see that the field had slowed down, and I was catching up again. I just managed to get in contact with group when the second climb started ! Do I need to say what happened ? Dropped again :( But on the other side of the climb nobody really wanted to do any work, so I was able to catch up again. The next part went on without anything happened, besides from the fact that after we turned around I got dropped on the 2 climbs again, but where able to get back to the group. Then something strange happened ! After we turned around and started our second lap, I went to the front and got a little gap, I was not trying to get away, it was just so I could get rid of an empty bottle at the parking lot. So I finish the bottle, drop it in the grass, and ride on, then I notice that I actually have like a 100m gap to the group. Now if I would have been a strong rider I would have power off like a bat out of hell, but I am not. So all I could do was to pick up the pace a bit and see how far they would let me go. Minutes later I hit the first of the climbs and started going up (in my tempo) and I actually made ¾ of the way before I could here that they where all right behind me, but they did not go by, so I could just keep my tempo until the last 100 meters where I eased of but still went over the top with the pack :) Now the descent :o I was fast going down alone but in the group where you could draft :o Oh boy, I can actually not tell you how fast I was going because then my wife would kill me !! But it was a PB and it was a bit faster then on the first lap :)
Rest of the lap went “normally”, I would get dropped on the climbs, and then get back up again. Then we turn and started the last, only 30k to go. So 60k over with and that is normally how long my long rides are! And they are on the flat ! So my legs where tired now. Then the “super guy” decides that something has to happen, and he takes of like a rocket, everybody after him, the group turns in to a long single string. With me dropping of the back……and this was in a straight line !!!!!! Damn, but there where just nothing left in my legs to even try to keep that pace. The good thing was that this time I was not alone, there was a very young junior who also could not keep up with the pack, so we worked together, what else could we do ? And finally we get to go over the climbs in a more controlled manner. This last part was just about survival, making it to the finish. We start the last climb and the junior sets a high pace, all I can do is to hang on, then there is a little section where it is almost flat, and he lets me pass so I can work. Somehow I find a very good rhythm and goes almost flat out. I make it over this section and actually make it up to a guy in front of us. I just go by him and continue in my tempo, I then realize that I had drop the junior :) We can now see the finish up ahead and I do mean UP. The last part goes straight up in the sky. The guy I court makes a desperate attempt to get me of his wheel, but he is hardly moving. With 300 meters to go I pass him. Now in the lowest gear there is nothing to do but pedal. 200m and he is still there. 100 meters to go and he is of the wheel, with my last strength I stand up go what seams to be forever before I reaches the line.
I did it :)90 very hilly kilometers. All I can do is stop and lie down in the grass, and just do nothing.


Nothing

Drove back to the car park (down hill) :) That’s it too tired to do anything else.
I ended up getting 3rd place in my age group. Happy with that, actually I happy just to have finished it !


Training ! Need to learn how to climb better.
And my bike, mine was the only one there with the shifters on the down tube. It actually made my bike look antic compared to some of the others.