Two Top Tens
This week I am feeling lots more positive and confident as I have had 2 good races to report on. So a good feeling this week! All part of the up and down roller coaster of racing!
I am now back in the UK, which is really nice to see all my family again. I am going to be getting a good training block in before the Koksijde world cup on the 28th of this month.
Last week was a lot busier with races on Wednesday and Sunday. I had 3 days to recover from the Nommay World Cup before the first of the weeks races at Niel, Belgium. This was the first time the organisers had put a women’s race on at this venue, so it was a completely new experience for all the riders. It was a fast circuit, with rather a lot of road. It was incredibly bumpy as well. It was at this point that I decided that although I think cows are an alright animal I am not impressed with the bumps they create in fields!!! It made for some tough riding, and it was always hard keeping a constant momentum. No bike changes were required during the race, so not so much work for my great pit crew of Belgians Robby and Jurgen. During the race I was in a good group with the Belgium Champion, 2 Dutch riders along with Nikki going for 5th place. Unfortunately with 2 laps to go I lost contention, my legs were just not quite there, maybe still the Nommay travel in them?! So I spent 2 laps on my own trying to keep the gap as small as possible. I crossed the line in 9th place so I was happy my first top 10 so far.
I then headed home to what I thought would be a rather lonely house, as Helen and Stef are in Portugal and Ian went home after Niel race.
(The Tielt house is very big and I imagine lonely especially at night when it is very dark and creaking!!! And apparently it is slightly haunted, although I have since found out that although it is an old house it is infact not at all haunted!!!) However when I arrived back Gary and Betty an older American couple had turned up and were staying for a few days. This made me feel rather happy as I was not going to be lonely. They even took me out for a pizza that night…very tasty!!
I had a few days to get my legs back in shape for Sundays race at Gavere.
The womens race is always a lot earlier than the other races, so it meant I had to to get up at 6.30am…early for me!!
Gavere is a very tough circuit and is normally always very muddy and slippy. It features a very tricky descent, which caused Niels Albert to be taken to hospital with a ruptured spleen last year.
There was no exception this year as I pre rode the circuit at 9.15am in heavy rain and dark skys. The thick mud made everything much harder to ride. I managed in warm up to ride the infamous descent but by my race it became a running descent, bike straight on the shoulder from the pits and straight down and up the otherside. It was definitely a ‘real’ cross course. I made bike changes every half lap (which kept my pit crew very busy!), the one time I left it to just once a lap I caused myself a problem as my wheel decided it would not go around as there was so much mud stuck around the brakes. So I had to stop and pull the mud away.
I got a great start and was 7th for most of the race until the Belgium Champ caught me on the last lap. So I finished 8th, which I was very happy with. I had been in the mix with some top riders so all good progress. I am also not fading so early in races now so that is good too. And another thing…I didn’t crash!!! Many riders were crashing around me.
So overall a great weeks racing, lets hope the next races carry on in this vain!
