Thursday, 31 December 2015
2015 - Summary, 2016 - Plans
This seems like a good time to summarize the racing year of 2015. Were expectations met? What went well and what was not so good?
I guess I'm not the kind of person to set hard goals, I'm probably too scared not to fulfill them. Much better to have them in my head. As long as no one else knows about them...
The other big goal for 2015 was the Swedish Marathon Cup (Långloppscupen). I finished fifth at the end with one top-3 trace finish. This was 'okay', I guess, but I had hoped for more. Again, I will give it another shot n 2016.
The national XCO championship finished with a puncture. Well, I'm not much of an XCO cyclist so that wasn't a huge disappointment. I was happy to have practiced the championship track and mustered most of the a-lines. As for the national XCM championships I went in feeling physically poorly and ended up with an eigth place, which, under the circumstances, was all I could wish for.
In 2016 I will continue to focus on Långloppscupen and also on the different marathon and stage races. That will be the main focus. I do however want to become a better XCO rider so part of the plan is to do some XCO races as well.
For 2016 I'm switching bike brand from Trek to BMC. I'm very very excited about this and so curious on how the BMCs will feel. I will write a complete post on the new bikes. I'll just mention right now that as 2015 and 2014 I will be riding on one top-of-the-line hardtail and a full-suspension bike as well.
Most of marathon races were done on the Specialized Fast Trak / Renegade combo. An early puncture made me switch from the S-works version of the tires to the Control version. 50 grams heavier but then I had zero punctures after that. The XCO-type races were done mostly on a new tire for me: Vittoria Barzo / Peyote. Apart for two punctures I like the way these tires feel. Tire pressures were around 1.7 bars for the smaller Specialized tires and 1.4 for the bigger Vittorias. This seems to work. For Beskidy I used Racing Ralph Snakeskin and they worked great! No punctures in that race where I saw tons of people having punctures. I will continue to use these tires during 2016.
I loved the NoTubes Valor wheels! Imagine a wheelset that's actually LIGHTER in real life than the manufacturer specifies. And the weight does make a difference: You accellerate away much quicker!
I have continued to train using a mix of MANY races and A LOT of training. My training is not very structures. I did get a training program from Activitus before 2015 which I then didn't follow. I'm not sure if I'm the kind of person who sticks with a training program. I may have to become more structures in the future however to take another step upwards in performance. We'll see...
I guess I'm not the kind of person to set hard goals, I'm probably too scared not to fulfill them. Much better to have them in my head. As long as no one else knows about them...
The Races
One of the really positive things about 2015 was the two stage races: Beskidy Trophy and Trans Schwarzwald. Placing in the top-10 in both races, being my two first stage races ever, was fantastic. Especially considering that I would've placed higher in both races were it not for some uncontrollable circumstances. I will definitelly be back in 2016!The other big goal for 2015 was the Swedish Marathon Cup (Långloppscupen). I finished fifth at the end with one top-3 trace finish. This was 'okay', I guess, but I had hoped for more. Again, I will give it another shot n 2016.
The national XCO championship finished with a puncture. Well, I'm not much of an XCO cyclist so that wasn't a huge disappointment. I was happy to have practiced the championship track and mustered most of the a-lines. As for the national XCM championships I went in feeling physically poorly and ended up with an eigth place, which, under the circumstances, was all I could wish for.
In 2016 I will continue to focus on Långloppscupen and also on the different marathon and stage races. That will be the main focus. I do however want to become a better XCO rider so part of the plan is to do some XCO races as well.
The Bikes
As for bicycles and equipment: I switched from Specialized to Trek in 2015. As in 2014 going with one top-of-the-line hardtail and also a full-suspension bike with identical spec. I still remember that first ride that I had on the Superfly hardtail and how my initial reaction was that it felt so slow to turn in, compared to the old Stumpjumper, and seemed so more boring to ride. Well, after the first few races I really changed my view on that. The Treks were slower to turn, but so much more stable and therefore made me a much more confident mountain biker. They aspired me with confidence to go downhill so much faster than I had before, which really helped with both Beskidy and Trans Schwarzwald. The Treks were great for me and helped me achieve great results in 2015.For 2016 I'm switching bike brand from Trek to BMC. I'm very very excited about this and so curious on how the BMCs will feel. I will write a complete post on the new bikes. I'll just mention right now that as 2015 and 2014 I will be riding on one top-of-the-line hardtail and a full-suspension bike as well.
Most of marathon races were done on the Specialized Fast Trak / Renegade combo. An early puncture made me switch from the S-works version of the tires to the Control version. 50 grams heavier but then I had zero punctures after that. The XCO-type races were done mostly on a new tire for me: Vittoria Barzo / Peyote. Apart for two punctures I like the way these tires feel. Tire pressures were around 1.7 bars for the smaller Specialized tires and 1.4 for the bigger Vittorias. This seems to work. For Beskidy I used Racing Ralph Snakeskin and they worked great! No punctures in that race where I saw tons of people having punctures. I will continue to use these tires during 2016.
I loved the NoTubes Valor wheels! Imagine a wheelset that's actually LIGHTER in real life than the manufacturer specifies. And the weight does make a difference: You accellerate away much quicker!
The Training
I've raced most of the season weighing in at between 73 and 76kg. Mostly around 75kg. I did go down to 73kg just before Trans Schwarzwald and I think that accounts for part of the success there. I will try to be more focused on achieving a low weight in 2016. Even though my passion for dark chocolate is hard to give up....I have continued to train using a mix of MANY races and A LOT of training. My training is not very structures. I did get a training program from Activitus before 2015 which I then didn't follow. I'm not sure if I'm the kind of person who sticks with a training program. I may have to become more structures in the future however to take another step upwards in performance. We'll see...
Saturday, 19 December 2015
Slushcup #3 - Puncture! (aborted)
Result: Aborted
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
It was going pretty well up until the puncture. I had a good fight with Henrik Söeberg and another M40 guy for third place.
Checked the puncture at home. It was in the middle of the track. Also, Stans fluid had dried out. So my bad for not checking and refilling it
Checked the puncture at home. It was in the middle of the track. Also, Stans fluid had dried out. So my bad for not checking and refilling it
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Vintercuppen #3 - Aborted due to cracked saddle
Result: Aborted
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
Well, my saddle cracked at the end of the first lap. It was going ok up until then. Real muddy conditions though.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Vintercuppen #2: Second place in the rain storm
Result: 2nd place (6th overall)
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
There was no doubt that the second race of Vintercuppen was going to be muddy. The melting snow and rain of the past week made for wet conditions. I was surprised when I drove over from Sweden, where all the snow had already melted, and over Denmark, to notice that the Danish forests still had plenty of patches of snow in them.
As I spent the whole day before moving into our new house, carrying stuff up and down stairs, I was wondering about how that may affect me during the race.
As I spent the whole day before moving into our new house, carrying stuff up and down stairs, I was wondering about how that may affect me during the race.
Result: Vintercuppen #2
I did one lap of the course as a warmup and noticed that the blanket of leaves was so thick that it was impossible in most places to see where the track went. It was well marked out though so the risk of bad navigation was low. I did however wonder how slippery the terrain would become as those leaves started to mix with the mud underneath. The lap was mostly single track, with some sections of gravel road. The single track was everything between slow and super fast. The conditions would make things technical.
The race started with the normal gravel road start but we quickly went up into the first short climb, still on gravel road. On the climb it was like I was standing still and people were just rushing past me. I went from 5th place down to somewhere 10-12th. My thought was: Ah, here's how I pay for all the carrying of furniture. On the next flat part I sprinted past the guys that had passed me on the climb and was again around 5-6th place.
We had a group of six riders that broke off from the rest. I was in the group, so was Palle. I judged the rest of the riders in the group to be younger and not in Palle's and my category. I managed to hang on to this group for the shorter starting lap and another complete lap. Always losing ground during the climbs and having to sprint back into the group on the flat. This sort of riding is very exhausting. So going out on the third lap I let go of the group.
I rode solo for a couple of laps and then two younger riders came up from behind very quickly. I first thought that they would just rush past me but I managed to hang on the their wheels. They went away from me on the climbs but I managed to rejoin in the technical and muddy stuff.
At about halfway through the race a rain storm came in and drenched us all. Also, the temperature dropped considerably and it became really cold. Naturally trail conditions became worse too.
The last lap I did on my own and managed to finish 2nd in my category and 6th overall. Not happy with the start of the race but pleased that I got quicker as the race progressed and also content with how I now handle technical courses like this one.
Pulse data shows an average heart rate that's lower than normal. So tired legs I guess
I did one lap of the course as a warmup and noticed that the blanket of leaves was so thick that it was impossible in most places to see where the track went. It was well marked out though so the risk of bad navigation was low. I did however wonder how slippery the terrain would become as those leaves started to mix with the mud underneath. The lap was mostly single track, with some sections of gravel road. The single track was everything between slow and super fast. The conditions would make things technical.
The race started with the normal gravel road start but we quickly went up into the first short climb, still on gravel road. On the climb it was like I was standing still and people were just rushing past me. I went from 5th place down to somewhere 10-12th. My thought was: Ah, here's how I pay for all the carrying of furniture. On the next flat part I sprinted past the guys that had passed me on the climb and was again around 5-6th place.
We had a group of six riders that broke off from the rest. I was in the group, so was Palle. I judged the rest of the riders in the group to be younger and not in Palle's and my category. I managed to hang on to this group for the shorter starting lap and another complete lap. Always losing ground during the climbs and having to sprint back into the group on the flat. This sort of riding is very exhausting. So going out on the third lap I let go of the group.
I rode solo for a couple of laps and then two younger riders came up from behind very quickly. I first thought that they would just rush past me but I managed to hang on the their wheels. They went away from me on the climbs but I managed to rejoin in the technical and muddy stuff.
At about halfway through the race a rain storm came in and drenched us all. Also, the temperature dropped considerably and it became really cold. Naturally trail conditions became worse too.
The last lap I did on my own and managed to finish 2nd in my category and 6th overall. Not happy with the start of the race but pleased that I got quicker as the race progressed and also content with how I now handle technical courses like this one.
Pulse data shows an average heart rate that's lower than normal. So tired legs I guess
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
Heino Fall Race - Snow storm hell
Result: Aborted
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
Well, there was a snow storm during the day and night before the race. We barely made it to the race location as the road were snowed over. Once there they tell us the start has been posponed by one hour. So we wait... This race is two loops of the same track. Each 22km. Last year I finished this race really well, in 10th place, and in just under 2 hours. This year, at the starting line, we're speculating at finishing in around 3 hours.
As soon as the race was on I realized that there was no way we were going to finish anywhere near 3 hours. There's between 10cm and 50cm of snow. There are no tracks in the snow; we are the first ones to ride after the snow storm. We switch between walking and riding. Perhaps 1/3 of the time walking and the rest on the bike.
It's fun for a while but becomes tedious as time goes on. Ice freezes beneath my boots and makes it hard to click in the pedals. I'm not cold, yet, but really wet in various places. If there is something I despise it's walking/running during a bike race. It's so demoralizing and I'm just so slow.
As I was coming around to lap I looked at my clock and noticed that more than 2 hours had passed. If I was to go out and finish the second lap it would be after 4pm before I crossed the line and it would have started to get dark at that time. So I decide to abort after just the first lap. Out of all the starters only 8 riders completed the two laps.
I got a good training session out of it....
Well, there was a snow storm during the day and night before the race. We barely made it to the race location as the road were snowed over. Once there they tell us the start has been posponed by one hour. So we wait... This race is two loops of the same track. Each 22km. Last year I finished this race really well, in 10th place, and in just under 2 hours. This year, at the starting line, we're speculating at finishing in around 3 hours.
As soon as the race was on I realized that there was no way we were going to finish anywhere near 3 hours. There's between 10cm and 50cm of snow. There are no tracks in the snow; we are the first ones to ride after the snow storm. We switch between walking and riding. Perhaps 1/3 of the time walking and the rest on the bike.
It's fun for a while but becomes tedious as time goes on. Ice freezes beneath my boots and makes it hard to click in the pedals. I'm not cold, yet, but really wet in various places. If there is something I despise it's walking/running during a bike race. It's so demoralizing and I'm just so slow.
As I was coming around to lap I looked at my clock and noticed that more than 2 hours had passed. If I was to go out and finish the second lap it would be after 4pm before I crossed the line and it would have started to get dark at that time. So I decide to abort after just the first lap. Out of all the starters only 8 riders completed the two laps.
I got a good training session out of it....
Sunday, 15 November 2015
Slushcup 2015/2016 #2 - Gravel and mud
Result: 5th place
The race started well for me and I was among the top-10 riders in the first gravel road section. However it improved even more as the lead guy had a fall in the first turn as gravel road turned to single track; I was able to go around him and found myself all of a sudden in third place over all.
Two of the quick young riders went away ahead at a brisk pace and there was no point in trying to follow. For a while it was just Palle Jensen and me chasing behind but then more riders started coming up from behind.
At the start of the second lap Palle took the opportunity in one of the muddy sections to go ahead. No one tried to follow and the group that formed behind consisted of me, Johan Malmsten, Henrik Söeberg, Thomas and one of the juniors
In the mushy and muddy sections I tended to lose a little ground to the guy in front but I was able to catch up on the gravel road sections. This continued until the third and last lap. Towards the end of the lap Henrik Söeberg went to the front on a gravel road bit and the pace picked up sharply. I saw that we were catching up to Palle who was first in M40. We approached the last single track section which just had a short gravel road part following it before the finish line. Henrik went first into the single track, then Thomas and Johan, with me going in last. At this point I found myself really tired and let go of the rest of the group. The guys didn't quite manage to catch up with Palle but I saw them sprinting for second place. Henrik took second, Thomas third and Johan fourth. I came in a few seconds later in fifth place.
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
The second race of the cup was on a location where we had raced many times before. Generally quick trails resulting in high speeds. However recent rains had turned some of them into mud (as can be seen by the photo) so the technical level was a bit higher than normal.
The second race of the cup was on a location where we had raced many times before. Generally quick trails resulting in high speeds. However recent rains had turned some of them into mud (as can be seen by the photo) so the technical level was a bit higher than normal.
Result: Slushcup #2
The race started well for me and I was among the top-10 riders in the first gravel road section. However it improved even more as the lead guy had a fall in the first turn as gravel road turned to single track; I was able to go around him and found myself all of a sudden in third place over all.
Two of the quick young riders went away ahead at a brisk pace and there was no point in trying to follow. For a while it was just Palle Jensen and me chasing behind but then more riders started coming up from behind.
At the start of the second lap Palle took the opportunity in one of the muddy sections to go ahead. No one tried to follow and the group that formed behind consisted of me, Johan Malmsten, Henrik Söeberg, Thomas and one of the juniors
In the mushy and muddy sections I tended to lose a little ground to the guy in front but I was able to catch up on the gravel road sections. This continued until the third and last lap. Towards the end of the lap Henrik Söeberg went to the front on a gravel road bit and the pace picked up sharply. I saw that we were catching up to Palle who was first in M40. We approached the last single track section which just had a short gravel road part following it before the finish line. Henrik went first into the single track, then Thomas and Johan, with me going in last. At this point I found myself really tired and let go of the rest of the group. The guys didn't quite manage to catch up with Palle but I saw them sprinting for second place. Henrik took second, Thomas third and Johan fourth. I came in a few seconds later in fifth place.
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Vintercuppen 2015/2016 #1 - Second place on quick but partly muddy course
Result: 2nd place (5th overall)
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
The second winter cup that I'll be competing in is called "Wintercuppen". The races are in Denmark (as with Slushcup). This is my first time racing the cup. However the tracks are familiar from the other Danish cups. All the races are 70 minutes + the lap. This first course was quick with some very muddy sections.
Result: Vintercuppen #1
I lined up right at the front. There was no seeding as this was the first race. We were just told to line up in a fair way. I had done a practice lap ahead and saw that the course turned into single track really quickly so being among the first few cyclist was critical. As the race started I got off nicely and entered the single track section in perhaps 10th place. My old adversary Palle was behind me but came flying past in the rough, beside the track, taking a shortcut through a turn.
Palle put another few riders between the two of us but I was able to get around them. However by that time he was at least 100 meters ahead of me. So I pushed the pedal to the metal and started hunting him down. After about half a lap at 98% of max heart rate I was able to catch up with him and two other riders. As soon as he saw me catch up he went to the front and accelerated. I overtook the other two guys and attached myself to his rear wheel.
As the pace went up the other two guys dropped back and Palle and I started catching up with a group of two new riders. We soon joined them and noticed that they were keeping a fair pace. There was no way that I could go any quicker so I just concentrated on staying with this group. On the muddy sections a lost a bit of ground but I was able to gain it again on the quicker trails.
Just before going out on the third lap one of the guys in our group had a small fall and then there were just three of us. The pace was still really frantic and about halfway through the third lap, in a muddy section, I had to let Palle and the other guy go. I went on alone but was soon caught by the guy who had crashed previously. I took his wheel and the pace went up again. I could see Palle was not all that far ahead. However I was getting tired.
At the beginning of the fourth and final lap I let go of the guy's wheel and finished the last lap alone. No one caught up from behind. I finished the race in second place in M40 and in fifth overall. Heart rate was really good with an average of 180 and a max of 189.
Monday, 26 October 2015
Slushcup 2015/2016 #1 - Technical track and bad navigation
Result: 6th place
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
This was the first race of the winter cup - Slushcup. This first round was a time trial race with 3 laps of about 8km. Conditions were dry and good. Track was new and unknown. The race arrangers had announced a difficulty level of 5 out of 10.
Result: Slushcup #1
The terrain turned out to be much more technical than I had expected. There were a lot of new trails on terrain that had not been used before. So very rough with lots and lots of roots and branches across the track. Some of the roots were rather wet and so a bit dangerous. Sure, there were sections of gravel road where one could press hard. Also quite a few short but steep climbs and equally steep descents.
I found that I handled the terrain better than I expected after discovering the high level of technical difficulty during my practice lap. Everything went quite smooth except for quite a few errors in navigation. On some parts the track wasn't all that well marked out. Mostly it was places where it turned off the dirt road and into single track. I missed these turns in four places in total, luckilly I noticed it at once and was able to turn the bike around and get on the right track. But I ended up losing something like 10 seconds each time it happened. And it was very frustrating.
So I finished sixth which was ok, I guess, especially under the circumstances. Pulse data was perhaps a tad low but ok as well.
Sandra did a great race and finished in third place. You can read about her race here: http://sandrabackman-mtb.blogspot.se/
Club mate Johan Malmsten placed third in M40. Good race for him! I bet he liked the terrain too.
My pal Fredrik, however, had a bad crash in a downhill section with branches across the track. He's injured his shoulder and will be out for a month or so.
Conclusion: Look where you're going!!
Bike: Trek Superfly 9.9 SL, Vittoria Barzo / Peyote 1.4 bar
This was the first race of the winter cup - Slushcup. This first round was a time trial race with 3 laps of about 8km. Conditions were dry and good. Track was new and unknown. The race arrangers had announced a difficulty level of 5 out of 10.
Result: Slushcup #1
The terrain turned out to be much more technical than I had expected. There were a lot of new trails on terrain that had not been used before. So very rough with lots and lots of roots and branches across the track. Some of the roots were rather wet and so a bit dangerous. Sure, there were sections of gravel road where one could press hard. Also quite a few short but steep climbs and equally steep descents.
I found that I handled the terrain better than I expected after discovering the high level of technical difficulty during my practice lap. Everything went quite smooth except for quite a few errors in navigation. On some parts the track wasn't all that well marked out. Mostly it was places where it turned off the dirt road and into single track. I missed these turns in four places in total, luckilly I noticed it at once and was able to turn the bike around and get on the right track. But I ended up losing something like 10 seconds each time it happened. And it was very frustrating.
So I finished sixth which was ok, I guess, especially under the circumstances. Pulse data was perhaps a tad low but ok as well.
Sandra did a great race and finished in third place. You can read about her race here: http://sandrabackman-mtb.blogspot.se/
Club mate Johan Malmsten placed third in M40. Good race for him! I bet he liked the terrain too.
My pal Fredrik, however, had a bad crash in a downhill section with branches across the track. He's injured his shoulder and will be out for a month or so.
Conclusion: Look where you're going!!
Saturday, 10 October 2015
My two Team Bikes are up for sale
My two bikes are up for sale:
I purchased them both new at the beginning of 2015 so they've both seen about 6 months of use. Both bikes have been continously serviced and are in perfect working order.
The specifications are identical appart from one of the bikes being full suspension
Spec:
Groupset: SRAM XX1 (34T), Gripshift
Brakes: Shimano XTR M9000 Race
Fork: RockShox Sid World Cup XX with remote
Wheelset: Bontrager Race XXX Lite CL
35.000SEK for the hardtail (about 3500 euro) SOLD!
45.000SEK for the full-suspension (about 4500 euro) SOLD!
Contact me if you're interested: alexander.lapajne@gmail.com
Trek Superfly 9.9 SL "Project One"SOLD!Trek Superfly FS 9.9 SL "Project One"SOLD!
I purchased them both new at the beginning of 2015 so they've both seen about 6 months of use. Both bikes have been continously serviced and are in perfect working order.
The specifications are identical appart from one of the bikes being full suspension
Spec:
Groupset: SRAM XX1 (34T), Gripshift
Brakes: Shimano XTR M9000 Race
Fork: RockShox Sid World Cup XX with remote
Wheelset: Bontrager Race XXX Lite CL
Contact me if you're interested: alexander.lapajne@gmail.com
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Winter racing - The season never ends
Summer is over and fall is here. So what are we mountain bikers supposed to do? Start our winter training? Go indoors and get on the stationary bike? Perhaps do some weights?
That may work for some people. It doesn't for me. I'd rather....
... and fortunately I have that option. Now, in my home country of Sweden most bicycle racing dies down in the month of October. However, in Denmark there's plenty of year-round racing! Great! And Denmark is only an hour away!
So what's the plan for the winter?
And:
Vintercuppen: Six 70 minute races from November to March
Let the fun begin!!!
That may work for some people. It doesn't for me. I'd rather....
... and fortunately I have that option. Now, in my home country of Sweden most bicycle racing dies down in the month of October. However, in Denmark there's plenty of year-round racing! Great! And Denmark is only an hour away!
So what's the plan for the winter?
Slushcup: Six 80 minute races from October to March
And:
Vintercuppen: Six 70 minute races from November to March
Let the fun begin!!!
Saturday, 26 September 2015
Västgötaloppet - FINALLY!!!
Result: 3rd place
Bike: Trek Superfly FS 9.9 SL, Racing Ralph 2.1 SnakeSkin - 1.7bar
Västgötaloppet is the nineth and last race in Svenska Långloppscupen. It's a late adition to the cup, only joining it last year. It's also one of the quickest (least technical) of the races. The terrain suites me and I did well in it last year. There's quite a lot of gravel road racing with some good climbs. The starting climb is long and hard and the last 10km is mostly uphill. This year we were promised 40% more singletrack than previous years. This was good!
My form had been rather bad lately and so my motivation was quite low too. I had gained a couple of kilos while working in London during last week. My lacking motivation was noticable in the fact that I did not race-prep my bike and also was quite casual with my training in the week leading up to the race: I just commuted by bike every day during the week.
Results: Västgötaloppet
The race started and we immediately started climbing up the first long uphill section on asphalt. I soon noticed that a gap had opened up to the lead group and I accelerated to join them. Once I got with the group I noticed that Martin Wenhov was at the tail of it. Very impressive as Martin previously had some problems with races where the climb started early on. The climb continued on gravel roads and the front group started to split up. I was somewhere in the middle, ahead of Martin but I also saw some other guys go off the front.
After a while the climb turned into level single track and then a slight downhill over grassy and muddy single track. The pace was quick and I was trying to stay with the guy in front of me. I came on the brakes at one point and directly noticed that there was absolutely no grip and my rear wheel started drifting to the right at once. I tried releasing the brakes in the hope that the wheel would get back in line but it was too late: the rear wheel slipped and I found myself on my back. The fall was quite light but I was worried about getting run over from behind. I got up quickly and noticed that Martin passed me. However I was able to rejoin at the back of the group.
Once out of the single track section we got onto quick gravel roads and the pace got really frantic. I passed Martin at some point and then never saw him again. We had a group of some 10-15 riders, I was at the back of it. I noticed that Rolf Svensson was there. Being in a group with Rolf is always a good sign: He's one of the quickest riders so if he's around that means you're going quickly, also Rolf never ever gets tired so he's a good wheel to follow.
Shorter single track sections followed and mixed up with new parts of gravel roads. Short and frantic climbs. The group got smaller and smaller and we caught up with riders. Rolf was there all the time doing the hard work pulling the group along. I knew that my form was not good and my only hope was to stay with this good group as long as I could, and once I was too tired I would let go and hope that the damage of riding alone would not be too great. I had no hope of following Rolf all the way to the finish, especially as I knew that the last few kilometers were mostly up hill.
At about 20km into the race we passed Robert Eliasson who was standing at the side of the road fixing his bike. I felt sad for him as I knew he had to place well in this race to keep his third place in the total cup standings.
After 40km we came back to the start-finish area to go to the next loop. At this point I was at the front of our group but there were two young riders also there who were driving real hard. After leaving the stadium I had to let them go. I wasn't quite sure where the riders behind me were but soon some of the guys caught up and we were a group of some 6-7 riders again. Rolf was there, of course.
Having looked at the altitude profile before the race I understood that the hard part would be comming up with about 10-15km left of the race. Now, as we reached that point and started climbing on the gravel roads there was just me, Rolf and another guy. I was at the back. I fully expected to get dropped but I managed to cling on. Rolf holds a very steady and even pace making it easy to hold his wheel.
Somewhere around here we also caught up with a rider with the number 450 on his back (M40 category). He had been with our group previously but had gone off the front when a couple of young elite riders had increased the pace. Now he was with us again.
At the quary with just some 5-6 km to go we caught up with Mikael Johansson. Now, afterwards when looking at the results, it is clear that this was the leading four guys in the M40 category: The guy with 450 on his shirt, Rolf, Mikael and I.
In the last few kilometers up towards the finish we keps more or less together, however I lost sight of 450. I still, today, don't know when he left us.
At the last climb, with just 2km to go there were just three of us: Rolf is first, then me, and Mikael behind me. Mikael comes around both of us and sprints up the hill. I try to accellerate but the back side of my right thigh starts to show signs of cramp. I have to ease off. Rolf also speeds up, he's not able to follow Mikael, but he starts getting away from me. At the top of the climb Mikael has gone away, and Rolf is perhaps 30 meters ahead of me.
The last kilometer towards the finish is on grass and some quick short climbs. I give it my all, and to my surprise, I start getting closer to Rolf. After a while I catch him and decide to start my sprint early: I go straight past him. I don't look behind so I have no idea if he takes my wheel. I sprint for the finish and just have a quick look behind with 100m left. I seem to have a slight gap.
I cross the line 1 second ahead of Rolf, 19 seconds behind Mikael and about a minute behind 450. I'm in third place! After three years of racing in the Swedish Långloppscupen I finally got on the podium!
Bike: Trek Superfly FS 9.9 SL, Racing Ralph 2.1 SnakeSkin - 1.7bar
Västgötaloppet is the nineth and last race in Svenska Långloppscupen. It's a late adition to the cup, only joining it last year. It's also one of the quickest (least technical) of the races. The terrain suites me and I did well in it last year. There's quite a lot of gravel road racing with some good climbs. The starting climb is long and hard and the last 10km is mostly uphill. This year we were promised 40% more singletrack than previous years. This was good!
My form had been rather bad lately and so my motivation was quite low too. I had gained a couple of kilos while working in London during last week. My lacking motivation was noticable in the fact that I did not race-prep my bike and also was quite casual with my training in the week leading up to the race: I just commuted by bike every day during the week.
Results: Västgötaloppet
The race started and we immediately started climbing up the first long uphill section on asphalt. I soon noticed that a gap had opened up to the lead group and I accelerated to join them. Once I got with the group I noticed that Martin Wenhov was at the tail of it. Very impressive as Martin previously had some problems with races where the climb started early on. The climb continued on gravel roads and the front group started to split up. I was somewhere in the middle, ahead of Martin but I also saw some other guys go off the front.
After a while the climb turned into level single track and then a slight downhill over grassy and muddy single track. The pace was quick and I was trying to stay with the guy in front of me. I came on the brakes at one point and directly noticed that there was absolutely no grip and my rear wheel started drifting to the right at once. I tried releasing the brakes in the hope that the wheel would get back in line but it was too late: the rear wheel slipped and I found myself on my back. The fall was quite light but I was worried about getting run over from behind. I got up quickly and noticed that Martin passed me. However I was able to rejoin at the back of the group.
Once out of the single track section we got onto quick gravel roads and the pace got really frantic. I passed Martin at some point and then never saw him again. We had a group of some 10-15 riders, I was at the back of it. I noticed that Rolf Svensson was there. Being in a group with Rolf is always a good sign: He's one of the quickest riders so if he's around that means you're going quickly, also Rolf never ever gets tired so he's a good wheel to follow.
Shorter single track sections followed and mixed up with new parts of gravel roads. Short and frantic climbs. The group got smaller and smaller and we caught up with riders. Rolf was there all the time doing the hard work pulling the group along. I knew that my form was not good and my only hope was to stay with this good group as long as I could, and once I was too tired I would let go and hope that the damage of riding alone would not be too great. I had no hope of following Rolf all the way to the finish, especially as I knew that the last few kilometers were mostly up hill.
At about 20km into the race we passed Robert Eliasson who was standing at the side of the road fixing his bike. I felt sad for him as I knew he had to place well in this race to keep his third place in the total cup standings.
After 40km we came back to the start-finish area to go to the next loop. At this point I was at the front of our group but there were two young riders also there who were driving real hard. After leaving the stadium I had to let them go. I wasn't quite sure where the riders behind me were but soon some of the guys caught up and we were a group of some 6-7 riders again. Rolf was there, of course.
Having looked at the altitude profile before the race I understood that the hard part would be comming up with about 10-15km left of the race. Now, as we reached that point and started climbing on the gravel roads there was just me, Rolf and another guy. I was at the back. I fully expected to get dropped but I managed to cling on. Rolf holds a very steady and even pace making it easy to hold his wheel.
Somewhere around here we also caught up with a rider with the number 450 on his back (M40 category). He had been with our group previously but had gone off the front when a couple of young elite riders had increased the pace. Now he was with us again.
At the quary with just some 5-6 km to go we caught up with Mikael Johansson. Now, afterwards when looking at the results, it is clear that this was the leading four guys in the M40 category: The guy with 450 on his shirt, Rolf, Mikael and I.
In the last few kilometers up towards the finish we keps more or less together, however I lost sight of 450. I still, today, don't know when he left us.
At the last climb, with just 2km to go there were just three of us: Rolf is first, then me, and Mikael behind me. Mikael comes around both of us and sprints up the hill. I try to accellerate but the back side of my right thigh starts to show signs of cramp. I have to ease off. Rolf also speeds up, he's not able to follow Mikael, but he starts getting away from me. At the top of the climb Mikael has gone away, and Rolf is perhaps 30 meters ahead of me.
The last kilometer towards the finish is on grass and some quick short climbs. I give it my all, and to my surprise, I start getting closer to Rolf. After a while I catch him and decide to start my sprint early: I go straight past him. I don't look behind so I have no idea if he takes my wheel. I sprint for the finish and just have a quick look behind with 100m left. I seem to have a slight gap.
I cross the line 1 second ahead of Rolf, 19 seconds behind Mikael and about a minute behind 450. I'm in third place! After three years of racing in the Swedish Långloppscupen I finally got on the podium!
Sunday, 20 September 2015
XCup #7 - Still battling uneven form
Result: 9th
Bike: Trek Superfly FS 9.9 SL, Racing Ralph 2.1 SnakeSkin - 1.5bar
After spending the whole working week in London teaching a course and therefor limited training (a few runs on the hotel gym exercise bike, boring) I needed some intense biking. XCup in Käglinge provided the venue. It's a tight and technical course. The race setup is 60 minuter + the lap, which in this case meant 4 laps. Form had not been great lately so I had no high hopes.
Result: XCup #7
The start and first couple of laps went well. I was battling it out with Christian Skoglund and Rolf Svensson and hanging on. But when the third lap came round all the energy just left my body. Martin Wenhov caught up from behind and flew by. I was actually thinking about calling it quits after the third lap but decided that I needed this, as an intense training session, if nothing else. The funny thing was that during the fourth lap I started gaining on Martin and passed him. However another young Danish rider managed to pass us both. Looking at the lap times my third lap was the slowest one by far. Weird - Usually when I get tires towards the end of a race the laps just get slower. Also Strava said that I set a personal best on the lap (I've ridden this track many times during the years) so something was working ok. Just the strange tiredness that suddenly pops up... This has happened a few times during the last few races.
Bike: Trek Superfly FS 9.9 SL, Racing Ralph 2.1 SnakeSkin - 1.5bar
After spending the whole working week in London teaching a course and therefor limited training (a few runs on the hotel gym exercise bike, boring) I needed some intense biking. XCup in Käglinge provided the venue. It's a tight and technical course. The race setup is 60 minuter + the lap, which in this case meant 4 laps. Form had not been great lately so I had no high hopes.
Result: XCup #7
The start and first couple of laps went well. I was battling it out with Christian Skoglund and Rolf Svensson and hanging on. But when the third lap came round all the energy just left my body. Martin Wenhov caught up from behind and flew by. I was actually thinking about calling it quits after the third lap but decided that I needed this, as an intense training session, if nothing else. The funny thing was that during the fourth lap I started gaining on Martin and passed him. However another young Danish rider managed to pass us both. Looking at the lap times my third lap was the slowest one by far. Weird - Usually when I get tires towards the end of a race the laps just get slower. Also Strava said that I set a personal best on the lap (I've ridden this track many times during the years) so something was working ok. Just the strange tiredness that suddenly pops up... This has happened a few times during the last few races.
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