I raced in heart of the Austrian alps two days ago. The experience is still fresh and the feeling is really mixed my inside. I am sad and happy in the same time. This race was really hard, really hard and not just a physical side, it was really hard mentally.
I am sad because I didn't do too well, I wanted to ride at least 1,5 hours better time, but this sadness is my fault. I put the requirement too high. I had to realize that this type of race isn't my profile. I don't really train for this and I can't really train for this type of the course. Unfortunately we haven't any similar high hill around London. In the same time I wasn't in my best shape, I am over 3 quite tough races and I finished on the podium every time. We try to shape up me for the 24 hours World Championship. The biggest problem, I lied myself and I thought that I do really well....it was a mistake! I have to learn and I have to accept, that I can't be in the top form all the time.
Other side I am happy! I am happy, because all of the bad things I didn't give up the race, I finished. I had a heroic fight my inside over 13 hours. I had to fight with my weakness, but I won! I killed the bad voice and I rode up on all the climbs and I finished the race properly. I did my best, that's it!
But what did happen?
I flow back to Hungary last Thursday afternoon. My really good friend, Zsabi came and picked up me on the airport and I stayed on her place over the night. The Tatra street base! :) We had dinner and we went in the bad really early. We drove to Bad Goisern on Friday morning with VasP, Hedi and Miss Fishtax. The trip was good fun, we had a lots of laugh in the car. We arrived to Bad Goisern late afternoon. We picked up our start number in 5 minutes and we had a quick shopping. Everybody prepared everything for a next morning early start. We been in the bed around 9 o'clock.
The alarm went on 3:50. Everybody jumped out from the bed and started to be done quickly. The start was 5 o'clock. We started the first climb in nearly dark. I was quite hopeful in the first 10 minutes, I felt okay and I didn't have any crump...hurra! But I had to realize my heart rate wasn't right. It was too low and I was slow... The weather was really humid and hot already. After 20 minutes I swatted really hard and I didn't feel any strength in my legs. And a mission started. I knew, that I couldn't ride good time, I was dead. I tried to eat a bit more, I thought may help, but it didn't work. My stomach started to be full and my energy level just went lower and lower. I wasn't well, I couldn't push hard uphill and I didn't feel myself confident on the downhills. I fallen off around 40km and I hit my left knee. Nothing major just some nasty bruise. I moved slowly and I didn't really stop until 150km. Around the Hallstadt lake, middle of the forest I hit the wall. I had to stop and sat down. I wanted to drink coke and eat flat bread, but I hadn't any with me. I was alone and I had to realize in this moment, how hard is this race. It more harder the any 12 or 24 hours race, where you know the course and you had a complete support team, who helps for you. After 10 minutes brake, I felt a bit better and I carried on riding. I rode up until the salt mine, but after I had to push the bike, I couldn't ride. Anyway, I finished a race on the 21. place in my age group with 13 hours and 40 minutes. "
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