Thanks to the organizer for giving me a
free entry into this year’s event I set about persuading my parents to come and
support that didn’t take much and soon we were flying off to a country I
haven’t been to before. The race
looked pretty unique, not in high alpine mountains but with around 2000 plus
meters of climbing each day on stages only around 70 – 80km long it was
certainly going to be a hilly one.
Sharing three to a room also kept costs down and saved me going in the
‘camp’, after doing that in Trans Alps I decided I could never again sleep in a
school hall or gym with a hundred other blokes!! The race started in Kiowa
Zdroj, a beautiful spa town with amazing gardens and natural springs, nothing
as all what I expected in Poland.
My helpers for the week in serious
preparation.
Prologue
8km Kudowa Zdroj
480m ascent
With a 2pm start and having arrived 7am the
previous morning thanks to a Wizz Air delay I should have had plenty of time to
ride the route, however my first job was to find the service van after I
accidentally let the break fluid out trying to adjust the brake ‘ah self
service’ was the comment I got from the mechanics when I explained, ‘ah yes, no
more self service’ I said after leaving with perfect brakes and gears costing
me about a quid! So, I managed a 30 minute warm up, not enough for the time
trial straight up with a few small descents to have a breather on. I can’t say I felt good at all for 37
minutes but I guess no one would on an uphill race against the clock in 35
degrees! Recovery was an ice-lolly
at the top before riding down and jumping into a very cold shower. Dinner number 2 of meat and potatoes,
followed my ice cream number 3 in the very pretty town square
Stage One
89km Kudowa Zdroj – Kraliky
2101m ascent
The race rolled out at 10am straight into
fast fields and short sharp climbs.
To say I was blowing was an understatement as I hung on wheels and got
dragged along. I suffered for
around 13km until everyone around seemed to either slow down or I finally
warmed up and I rode around the same riders most of the day. I met 2 Brits and managed to have a
chat to them but I’ve got to say riding solo can get a little lonely especially
when I hit the odd long forest descent alone. Mainly though I really pushed it in order to stay with other
riders for both the company and for the drafting. A plus of riding alone as a woman is that you don’t seem to
get pressured into doing a turn, or maybe my breathing was that bad that no one
would dare ask!! Mam and dad were
at 2 feeds which was perfect but I didn’t stop at the last thinking half a
bottle would do for the last 20km forgetting the mountain we had to climb. Luckily the climb was more shaded that
we had been told and I envisaged my banana had enough moisture in the stop a
heat stroke!!! The climb was
tough, steep and long. It took me
forever to catch a rider who looked like he’d really blown though he caught me
back on the steep descent and we rode towards the finish together. I felt the dreaded flat 4km away on a
road of all places. The sealant
I’d just put in didn’t work and I didn’t know my lead so instead of wasting an
age with a tube I rode slowly with a very soft tire down the tar road. It left me with no energy, feeling a
little sick and very dehydrated but I came in 1st woman. Another trip to my mates at
the services, followed by another schnital and potatoes and ice cream number
5.
Stage 2
80km Kraliky – Stronie Slaskie
2614m ascent
Today’s stage looked great on paper with
lots of climbing and single track and much cooler after a big storm last
night. After 5km my heart sank as
I felt the back wheel go soft again.
I bombed it twice but only saw sealant leaking from the spokes. (I later found a nail lodged next to my
pierced my rim tape that must have caused yesterday’s flat. The valve was also on super tight but
luckily I saw one of the timers ahead who happened to have tools and loosened
it off and put my tube in for me, the perks of been a woman!! I knew I’d been stopped around 15
minutes and knew I wouldn’t see any of the riders I’d been racing with
yesterday so settled into a steady pace taking it extra slow on the rocky
descents. The last thing I needed
was another flat. Stopping again
at the mechanics to grab another tube I at least had a bit more confidence that
I wouldn’t be stranded and enjoyed the last half. Mam and dad loaded me up with bananas and biscuits which I
had to down in one since my pockets were full, it was as well as I hadn’t eaten
much and we had a big rocky climb to do.
At the top I finally caught the 1st lady and came into the
finish 1st again by a few minutes. No need for ice cream today as it wasn’t hot enough, but did
get more potatoes and meat for dinner.
Stage three
60km Stronie Slaskie - Sloty Stok
2024m ascent
I love the translation of the road book…
today we started with a ‘lap of honor’ round the town followed by an ‘unusual
single track’ after 20km. Unusual
it was, in fact I’d better describe it as a hiking trail. With loads of hike a bike and with the
ridable bits full of roots, fallen trees and rocks it was the slowest 25km I’ve
ever ridden. Riding alone meant I
had no one to grumble to and did loose my humor more than once. However it was real mountain biking I
guess and riding along the border crossing was pretty special. I was glad to get to the finish after
lots of the rest of the route was on sharp loose rocks, slow going and pretty
technical. 60km took me over
4hours 30!! I managed 1st
woman again and extended my lead.
We were rewarded tonight with the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in for a
bike race, a castle complete with pool, Jacuzzi, games room for a bit of table
tennis, a huge lawn, good wine and no potatoes in sight!!
Our posh castle filled with riders, bikes,
baggy shorts and compression socks
Stage four
73km Sloty Stok - Walim
2501m ascent
The first morning we all slept through the
alarm happened to be the morning we were 30km away from the start. Breakfast was a bit rushed which wasn’t
a problem really as I was still stuffed from the delicious dinner last
night. I still managed a good warm
up, good job as the start was as usual straight up hill and as usual I chose to
go as hard as possible then killed myself hanging onto a fast group. Despite the ‘you will ride up and down,
up and down’ description for the day we traveled along at a fast rate and
before I knew 30km were done.
After the second feed the steep climbing up to 1015m began. I didn’t help myself by taking a wrong
turn and descending all the way back down and adding an extra climb on by
accident but luckily it was only 1km and soon I caught familiar faces up
again. I enjoyed the climbs, there
were some walking sections but a lot was steep and loose and required lots of
concentration that made the kms fly by.
5km to go we had a ‘very groovy track’ down. I half expected a smooth single track through the forest but
this is Poland and instead it was half forest single track then suddenly loose
big rocks on a steep slope. Wanting to neither break myself or my bike I took it slowly
and ran some letting a few cyclists go past but comfortably in 1st
place again. More potato and meat
for dinner but some salad for the first time all week and my own bedroom which
was almost as exciting as discovering the pool in the castle!!
Stunning scenery on route
Stage Five
79km Walim - Kudowa Zdroj
2267km ascent
With the start 4km down the road and awake
early after the best nights sleep all week I had plenty of time for a good warm
up even though my legs were rebelling and I would have preferred to sit in the
shade and doze back to sleep! I
was glad for it as we started up a road that must have been 20% followed by a
fun forest descent then up a long open climb. I started well and intended to ease off but the course
didn’t allow for that with either hot grassy slow going tracks, rocky climbs,
rooted single tracks or difficult descents. I think the grass really got to me today too as I struggled
to get my breath and was wheezing all day even though my legs felt relatively
good. On the plus there was never
a moment to be bored, there hasn’t been all week and I found myself with the
same faces and had a chat along the way, especially when we had the first road
section of the week and I was riding with the tallest man in the peleton. I did my work at the front but I’m sure
he got no draft from me! Mam and
dad were on hand with my new favorite feed stop food, peeled oranges at all
three points and plenty of water as it was easily over 30 again. The last 20km was extra hard and I took
the last descent really carefully, with a big sugar low I really didn’t want to
fall or brake my bike and there was no need, I started the day 50 minutes ahead
and won the stage too. The
atmosphere at the end was great back in the beautiful spa town we started in,
as was the ice cream with our new mates from the UK. It was a shame to fly home and miss the presentation and
banquet but the thought of my own bed, a weekend of doing very little with Rob
and not a potato in sight was highly appealing!!
I would highly recommend this race for any
keen mountain biker. The stages
are challenging, lots of climbing and technical but not too long. I was riding around 4 hr 30 every day
and finished around 40th on GC. It’s really well organized, the
hotels we stayed in were great and it was all so affordable with free
mechanical back up, very cheap beer
(for the supporters of course) and good food (especially if you like
potatoes!)
Thanks to my team Bizhub, my Epic sponsor
Energas for helping me out with European races and my Rocky Mountain 29er for
getting me through yet another stage race.
You did a great race! And the landscape was awesome,
ReplyDelete(The guy who talked to you after the first stage ;)