Learning the hard way ! (9th, February 2010)
Hoogerheide World Cup
Hoogerheide held good memories for me, from the world championships last season where I finished 14th in my first cross worlds. I looked forward to the world cup, it would be a different course with a lot of the same sections just the opposite way round, it wasn’t a frozen Circuit this time, instead from the rain the previous week the top of the ground became muddy, it wasn’t heavy mud, it was just on the surface which made some of the corners very slippy, there was just one run up to contend with, the rest was all ride-able.
Saturday was spent down at the course before spending the night in the hotel with the National Team in prep for the worlds the week after.
I woke up Sunday morning to dull skies and drizzle. The rain cleared up after breakfast but by the time I had arrived at the course it was even slippier from the day before due to rain in the night and the juniors and u23 having raced before us.
I still liked the course and it seemed to flow well, I got called up to the grid 4th row back, I had a really good start and by the 4th corner I was in 8th position I went down a little mound and then it was through a section of mud which had many different lines through it, I went to the right just behind Katrina Nash…..she crashed into the barriers and her bike flew in the air into my front wheel, it pulled my skewer open and my brake over, I now had to back right off ,my wheel was about to come out and it would hardly go round, luckily the pit wasn’t far away, I had a bike change and by this point that great start I had was messed up, now I was in about 25th place, I spent the race chasing back through the field until eventually I was back up to 11th, there was around a group of 6 of us fighting to be ahead, I finished up 15th place, the big effort of chasing in the early part of the race had caught up with me and by the last lap I was hanging on to my 15th.
Tabor World Championships
The week after Hoogerheide went well I had a really easy week and was well rested. On Thursday I flew to
Friday I got to look at the course for the first time, it was very challenging with the snow and ice, there were about a thousand corners, a set of stairs and some planks uphill. I had a lot of laps, it was going to be tough but it was the same for everyone, usually I love the fast frozen conditions and I did like the course it was just going to be really hard to judge what speed to go round and out the corners. I had a hard lap on Saturday, I wanted to test my limits on some of the corners and I pushed it a little to hard coming down a decent into a sweeping right hander, it was lethal with sheet ice on, I wacked my knee and hip hard, I quick got back up but when I did I was in a lot of pain, I had to go back to our hut for 15 minutes and just get myself together before another lap my last lap before race day. It went much better, no crashes and I came of with a clear picture of the course in my head.
Sunday was a early start we were up and down the course by 9am. I had a quick lap after the junior boys, it was different again from Saturdays conditions, more ruts which had iced over, the organisers had put some sand on the ice but it didn’t make a huge difference. I had a really good warm up on the rollers and as I made my way to the start I felt ready to race. Last season for the worlds I was gridded on the back row, this year because of a few more good results I was on the 3rd row. I was ready to race and before I knew it I was off, the start was perfect, by the first half lap I was in 6th place I felt really strong and I was trying to stay focused on keeping smooth and not making mistakes, the first few laps were great I was fighting for a top ten, with 2 laps to go I had slipped back a few places but still up there trying to hang on to 13th. I went through the last lap in 14th position, there was a German girl just ahead, I was trying to get up to her but I was also aware of a group of 6 chasing behind I made a stupid mistake on the last lap and went too fast into a corner, I just tapped my brakes and I was down I fell on my knee and hip the exact places I had came down on the previous day, the group from behind passed me one by whilst I was trying to get back up on my bike. I was gutted I finished in 19th place. After having such a good race one small mistake moved me from 14th to 19th and then it was over. Annie Last had a brilliant ride finished 11th it was great for her to be up there too, im sure she will have another great season on the mtb this year!
I came away from the race with mixed feelings, and looking back now I cant be too disappointed in my 2nd world cross championships I was up there for most of the race and it was just one mistake which cost me 14th. You have to learn the hard way which really is the only way in cyclocross its another experience and I’m sure with more time off road and another good years worth of training next time will be better.
I tried to get my head together and re focus for the following weekend, the delayed National Championships. I had been very focused on this race and really wanted that jersey, Sunday wasn’t a good day for me, I don’t know what happened, I just didn’t have the legs and couldn’t do anything about it it I felt tired and had no zip it was probably the worst race I felt I had since the start of the season and I was really disappointed with 2nd place. The atmosphere was great it was brilliant to have so many supporters there and I was made up for my brother to win the u23 race just before ours.
I have one more cross race left now the last GVA trophee in Oostmalle and then a week later i will ride Het volk with the National team, after this I will have a good rest. I’m not just physically but mentally tired now and I’m ready to chill out for a few weeks. Im sure next season will be better, this year I plan to do less road, and come into the cross season fresher, hopefully I can also start the season on time with no broken collar bone too!
I’m happy with how the season eventually went, ive had some good races and some races with bad luck and mechanicals but its my 2nd season and again I have learned a lot all which I can use towards 2010-2011.
Exciting stuff J! Thank you to everyone’s support the last few weeks and to my sponsors. Avb, prendas, oakley ,Mavic,SIS And the rayner fund for all your products and help during the season without which i would be able to race!
Photos will be on in the next few days !
Nikki