Maratoni karikasarja stardis. Teadsin, et tuleb valus võistlus, kuna pole ammu nii pikalt sõitnud ja pingutanud, seda mitte tahtmise pärast vaid olude sunnil ja tervis ennekõike. Kuid teadmine, et kindlasti meeldib mulle sealne rada, kuigi pole varem täpselt seal sõitnud, kuid teades piirkonda, siis ootused olid. Raske muidugi 81 km ja 2500m+ aga see tähendas ka 2500m- , super lahe. Jõudsin tähele panna metsikuid hobuseid mäenõlval kui ka massiivsete sarvedega pulle metsa vahel. Kaunis ja metsik piirkond. Juba ka sealse piirkonna mõnus rattareisi pakett peaaegu paigas, kel ka soovi tõeliselt nautida puhkust ja rattasõitu!
Võistlusest, stardist minema, siis kohe nii 15km tõus mõne lohukesega, naiste esimene läks oma teed ja siis jäime meie viiekesi, vahel natuke keegi eespool, vahel tagapool, peale esimest pikemat laskumist jäime neljakesi ja nii põhimõtteliselt lõpuni, üks naistest ikka jäi laskumistel rohkem maha, aga alati punnis end tagasi punti. Mul oli pigem vastupidi, teadsin, et ei ole heas konditsioonis, siis mängisin alati rohkem oma tugevusele, rattasõidu nautimisele ja tehniliselt julge sõit, laskumistel ja singlitel nii üles kui alla olin tehniliselt tugevam. Lõputõusul saime kahekesi teistel eest, finishisirgel olin ehk natuke liiga hooletu ja alustasin liiga vara sprinti ning ei olnud jõudu et jooneni esimesena jõuda, seega tubli kolmas eliitnaistes. Väga tore päev rattal, kuigi pea 5h võistlust oli ikka valus.
Tänud kõigile lugemast ja toetamast!
On the start line of marathon cup. I knew it was going to be a tough race, since I haven’t ridden or pushed myself this hard and long in a some time—not because I didn’t want to, but due to circumstances and prioritizing my health. Still, I knew I’d enjoy the course there. I hadn’t ridden that exact route before, but I’m familiar with the area, so my expectations were high.
It was definitely a tough ride—81 km with over 2500 meters of climbing—but that also meant 2500 meters of descent, which was super fun. I even had time to notice wild horses on the mountainside and bulls with massive horns in the woods. A beautiful and wild region. I’ve already almost put together a nice little cycling trip package for that area too—for anyone who wants to really enjoy a mix of vacation and biking!
About the race. Right from the start, there was a 15 km climb with a few dips here and there. The winner woman went off on her own pace, and then there were five of us—sometimes someone would go ahead, sometimes behind. After the first longer descent, we were down to four, and stayed that way pretty much until the end. One of the women fell back more on the descents but always fought her way back to the group.
For me, it was kind of the opposite. I knew I wasn’t in great shape, so I leaned into my strengths—enjoying the ride and being technically confident. I was stronger on the descents and technical sections, both up and down. On the final climb, two of us managed to break away. On the finishing stretch, I was probably a bit too careless and started sprinting too early, and just didn’t have enough left to cross the line first—so I ended up a solid third in the elite women’s category.
A really great day on the bike, even though nearly 5 hours of racing definitely hurt.
Thank everyone for reading and supporting!
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