DNF – Well, then I tried that too...

Last race of my season is in the books, but for me it ended a couple of hours to early.

I really looked forward to Challenge Henley-on-Thames since I finished in Copenhagen in middle of august. It was quite strange feeling in these weeks between the two races, I never really felt tired from Copenhagen but also never really felt fresh. I did not do much training more or less just one race with a little short intensity stuff before to get activated, then raced Challenge Walchsee and with two weeks between Challenge Walchsee and Henley that time was spent with resting.

Susa an I drove to England. When it is possible we always try to drive to the races, because you are able to bring all the stuff you need and are not limited to a suitcase or a bikebox.

The English countryside is beautiful, and that was in surroundings like in the English TV-series Barneby that we were going to race.

The race began for us at 6:30 that Sunday. It was going to be a sunny day. But that also meant that there were clear sky during the night witch pulled the temperature down to a rather chilly 5 degrees.

Off we went in the Thames on part of the rowing leg for the rowing regatta in henley, best know for its battles between Oxford and Cambridge university.

We could see nothing other than the caps of the other athletes because of fog, witch made it a very different experience, but a very cool one.

I came out of the water as number 10 and all was good, even though that I had lost some meters to a couple of guys that I have hanged on to for most of the swim.

Transition was good, but took its time – after all you do want to get an extra shirt on when you know that you are getting out on your bike being wet in 5-6 degrees.

I did actually not feel that bad. It was cold but not in a way that you could not handle it. And I am still in the belief that the temperature did not course the problems I experienced next.

I was not feeling strong on the bike, and guys that I would normally be able to ride with were passing me in what felt like double speed. The bike leg was challenging but very nice. 4 loops with 2 climbs on each loop. Not nasty steep climbs, more like long annoying once, the ones where you feel that you should be able to be faster but simply are not.

But like I said not really steep. Therefore I was wondering what was happening n the end from second loop when I hardly did not get to that top of one of the climbs in my lowest gear. I did get to the top though, rode on for a couple of minutes and then I puked, got back on my bike rolled a little on got off and puked again. That was the end of my day.

I´ve never had a DNF before, exept one time in the danish championships where I broke my back wheel and had the option to ride the last 50k´s on the pullys or to wait to get picked up after the last competitor came past. But this was the fist time that my body was not playing along.

 

I don´t know where it came from. Did not eat any strange stuff in the days before, even drank bottled water because I did not like the chloral taste in the normal water. Maybe it was just a sign from my body to say stop.

Well I did stop, and now the off season is coming up witch also not is to bad. More on that to come...

Take care

Hans

Challenge Walchsee race report

Photo: challenge Family

 

Last weekend I once again found my self on a starting line. Here three weeks after Challenge Copenhagen I drove with Susa to Austria, this time for a half distance but not just any half, Challenge Walchsee was on. I got a late entry spot and was looking forward to a good race and the last hard unit before the next long distance in the mid September.

Susa had the job of handing out gels and salt to me one race day, and kindly asking me why I was not racing faster when I knew that I was slow. - I think she likes that job way more than racing herself.

We arrived Thursday evening to our little but very sweet hotel in Kössen, next to Walchsee, where it turned out that the daughter Michaela and her boyfriend Mario also was going to race. Both of them for the first time.

Later that evening Jacob Frandsen and Chris Fischer checked-in. Both of them are very talented Danish athletes ready to kick my ass, but all in all perfect company leading up to the race.

I hate race mornings. I don´t know why, as soon as the gun goes off and the swimming is on everything is good but until that point I just want to get back into bed. This time was no different even though we all was welcomed by a beautiful sunrise and the typical challenge atmosphere when we checked our bikes the last time and went to the swim start.

The clock hit 8:00 and off we went. Now everything was good, except that some guy hit my glasses in a way that I almost lost them, but I got them back on and did not loose much time. My swim was good and I had a group and never had problems with following. I exited the water with athletes that normally are quite a bit ahead of me in the swim so it seemed like that I had a swim that was better that normaly somehow.

On the bike I spent the first kilometres closing a small gap to 3 other guys. A couple of guys came along but on the first big hill I was kicked off when they for some reason practically sprinted to the top.

After not being able to close that gap, the rest of the ride was more or less unspectacular and I hit T2 with a setback of about 4:30 to where I wanted to be.

Photo: challenge Family

So yet again I knew what to do if I wanted to finish somewhere near top 10.

It was kind of a lonely run for the first 10-12k. In that 4:30 gap there was no one, so even though that the gap got smaller and smaller I did not see anyone. I was happy that the spectators was so motivating because otherwise it would have been a even more though task to close the gap.

On the last lap I caught 3 guys, and then on the last meters I overtook Chris Fischer who again had showed his power on the bike were he after 15k came blistering by.

I hit the finish line just in time to get a little share of the price money, lucky me that a couple of good guys had signed up as age groupers because I was only in 12^th position overall.

Photo: challenge Family

I am very happy with my performance. It was a world class field, I can´t think of a stronger middle distance field in Europe this year, so a 12^th place is for sure okay.

Now back in Germany the last preparation is on for Challenge Henley on the 18^th September.
- I am looking forward!

Results can be found here