#theraceday

[travelforone-blog]

Malmöcrossen, Saturday

Representin' Malmö! Picture: Mr. Pink by Simon Pictures by Simon and Thomas

Date Location Discipline, club Result Distance driven 2016-11-06 Crime City, Sweden Cykelcross, CK Barriär 7/18 15 km

Plan

All in, no regerts

Pre-race

Pack shit in car, arrive at venue at 11:00 with Juhlia, take her to the best spot (top of the hill) and say: The is the best spot, stay here :D Along the way meet and greet people, calm down Björn: WHAT, ingen cykelkläder? Ja, ja, soon, will warm up now ... See where the barriers are, just in front of a climb ... .... .... mentally complain to myself ... think - I hope I don't jinx myself Side note - remounting just before a climb and just after a looooong power section can be tough ... just sayin ... Get to car, start warming up, notice there is not that much time left, stop warming up, get dressed, start riding around the track Almost fall into a ditch in the forest section of the track while loudly exhaling: DAFUCK? Get to start, piss in a bush, Daniel drives by and says - Hej Mike, toaleten är då! Yup, 10m away, never saw it ... Get to callup, get called to 2nd row, good, position in the middle (thinking - left is fast, right is slow, gives me some wiggle room) See Emil soigneuring for the Specialized dude, interesting ... Emil nods in my direction, yeah, thanks, hand over the jacket Get ready to rumble!

Race

Start, the dude in front of me gets sandwiched between two riders, brakes WTF DUDE, FUCKING PUSH THEM AWAY Move left, like 10th wheel, try to move forward Enter first corner someone on right (Martin) goes down hard, wipes out about 5 guys with him ACCELERATE LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER Get to the climb, suck at running, get passed Bomb the descend, pass a couple of people in the offcamber righ turn, descend ... Position check: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6th, good ... Keep position, lose a bit accelerating on gravel, catch up in the forrest, looking good Feeling in control ... Batman crashes in the slowest corner in the forrest, blocking everyone, gap opens up FFFUUUUUUCK My Garmin stops. Comment: Dude, you made my garmin stop! Batman: _Unrecognizable KLING shouting KLING as I KLING power away and KLING shift down Ok, I am in touch with the leading group, feeling strong, gooood Mr. Pink (Nikolas Kauzas) comes by and passes me Observe David follwoing behind ... Ok, not bad, except mr. Pink here is sloooooow in anything but a straight section or runup Also, Björn passes me Gap is oooopening uuuup ... Nikolas, pick it up ... Pass him and Björn in the gravel section, swerve left for the right corner, BZZZZZ tires touching, some shouting from behind ... Try to drop him, close the gap, fuck, dude is strong By the time we are running again he passes me easily, as does Stefan ... FML Gap is still opening up Goddammit, pass him in the forrest, get a comment: Don't do anything stupid now hehehe Put an effort into it, I thing it's the kanelbulle, pass him on the inside, good #igotthis Get passed again in the runup FUUUUCK The Lempre stanza dude passes, ffuuuuuuck ... Need to catch up, need to catch up ...but he's soooo slow in the tech sections, like the big kaelbulle, I need to brake ... fuck He gets a mechanical after the forrest, ahhhhhhh, yissss ... try to catch up to Stefan Pass a dude or two who are fading away ... good ... Stefan is moving away, Björn passes me before the barriers, c'mon Mike! ... Think to myself - Like, if we were on the road, I would be full aero boom mode, following 2mm on hiw wheel, but here, we're not on the road, what am I supposed to do, take your wheel? Meh ... Björn is gone ... Goddammit! Literally put everything down to try to catch Stefan ... gaining some ground, good, maybe I can get him Catch a lapped dude, pass him Fuck up last lap remount, like really fuck it up, unable to clip in, mourn: ah dej no, piiiiizda with a sad voice, no speed into the climb, fuck Lapped dude passes me, I pass him back in the kanelbulle climb, elbow him away (like, wtf just boom, stay there ...) See Stefan pass Oskar I think (my mind was in a weird place) I see Oskar see me, Oskar sprinting, me sprinting EVERYONE IS SPRINTING TO FINISH WHY AM I SPRINTING? Pass finish line Ufa

Post race

Ride a bit, regain concousness, breathe, let the dizzyness go away, try not to vomit, try not to fall off bike, see pixels ... Get back, hej Juhlia! Wipe snot away, puss puss ... Björn hands me a ... shot of something ... mmmmmm, Slovenian stuff :D (he just re-gifted with the best possible gift) BJÖRN, MY MAN! Chit chat, receive some good comments, hug Nikolas and apologize (man, he's huge) ... it's racing man! Talk to Simon about my running, it sucks, need to move hips forward, less stiff, thanks, will try! Chit chat some more, head home, move boxes, drink 1 glass of gin, 2 glasses of wine, rest Eventually get results - 7th place, 30s behing 3rd YESSS!!! Plan next day:

Also watch a video of Van der Poel running, just to get the feeling. Facebook Comment to JP: FUCKING AWESOME MEGAFUN FUCKING BRAAAAAAP BRAAAAP SKID SLIDE BRAAAAP POWER BOOOM AWESOMENESS PORN Comment to Batman: dude, try NOT crashing in front of me, like, crash like David in a wide section Batman: I will do my best to block you Sleep like a baby

To be continued ...

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Cykelcity Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[mosklubban]

CX in Eksjö. Awesome. #ckbarriär #ridleybikes #swecup #sjöängscrossen #theraceday #stageswattz (på/i Sjöängen)

[travelforone-blog]

Prelude to Malmöcrossen

The path to the OTHER highlight of the season All Photos by Heine J. Melgaard and Flying Monkeez

Introduction

Written at Kastrup airport, on my way to the last two races of this year. Gets a Carlsberg Juløl 0.5 for 55 DKK, mmmmmm, sweet caramel piss Also, this is important, shows the shift in mentality and state of physical condition ;) 3 weeks since Sjöängcrossen have been spent training hard for what was the 2nd highlight of the season - the local Malmöcrossen race. Which meant: - about 2 days of rest after the SM weekend and then hard training again (Coach: Same thing as last time? Me: Yes, of course, let's DO IT!! FML ... WHYYYY??) - [repeat] every day, wake up, tired, make breakfast (because hungry like the wolf), push stone hard, heavy legs to the office, get to office sweaty because the body has NOT recovered from the day before, work, get home, contemplate just stopping living, get my ass on the turbo, do a hard session (like, 4x10-40-20 at 500+W), gain concousness, eat something, stare at ceiling for 2h, fall asleep, maybe ... - Ocasionally, go out to the cricket bana in Ribban to do 15x60-120, after explaining to coworkers that (because I show up with a bike they have not seen before, later dissapear into the toalet and show up in full battle gear, adjusting my package in the bibs while talking to them ): I'm just gonna ride in circles for about 45 minutes and do 60 seconds intervals at 400W+. Huh? - And then there was the Soigneurcross #3 at Amager, AKA #therewillbemud. tl;dr - EPIC. (No, not the game, like ... monumental ...) Man, I loved the shit out of that game ...

[intermezzo] Soigneur CX #3 - Amager motocross track

Pre race

Get there with Ola and Winston (it's actually Henry, but somehow my mind says Winston), actually feel like a team, chit chat about stuff, bla bla bla in the car, you know, TEAM SPIRIT, nice change from going alone everywhere Arrive at scene, see CKX guys, say hi (feels a bit like gang war), chit chat, say hi to Barriär teammates Christian and Markus, Rikard shows up later ... First impression: where is the mud? Pre-ride the track, after half of lap - aha, there is mud. Meet Fredrik - Oh bless me Jesus? You have been blessed my child! Plan for the day - go all out, have fun, practice mud (there are not that many chances to ride in proper mud), see where the others are maybe adjust plan if needed. But fundamentally: this is just training, so fun, fun, pain, fun. Get to start, follow the hord, end up at the tail of the bunch, fuck

Race

Start, gravel in my eyes, WHYYYY, stuck behind everyone Remember, fun fun fun (just look at this face) Anyhow, first lap, suck at running the stairs, then yay, mud, power through, nail some mud ruts, mhm, this is fun Pass a blond girl. See Henry up front, gaining a bit on him ... Second lap, someone is bombing the inside of the second corner, defensive mode ON! (elbow out), person rams my elbow like big time, hmh, AH, it's the girl again (internal monologue: should I remove my elbow and let her pass? Would I do that to a dude? Hell NO! So ... if I do this to a girl, it's technically sexual discrimination. Ok. Elbow stays) She drops me in the stairs. and that was my daily dose of gender equality Second time into the mud - man, I am loving this Exiting a tight 180ish corner, I pedal into nothing narrowly avoiding smashing my jewels Ah, the chain is off. Try to put on chain ... Still trying to put on chain ... Fucking narrow wide ... everyone passing ... Ola passing ... never mind me, just putting on the chain ... nope, there is too much mud, chain will not stay on, chainring will not engage. On, what to do, WHAT TO DO FFS???? AH! Wash the bike :D Pickup bike, run 300m to pits, wash bike Remount, ride again, YAAAAY Feeling revitalized fucking nailing the corners and the mud, full braaaap mode (like, enter full speed, let the bike do the work, nail the rut, power down BOOOM, EL ON!) (trying to get a new catch phrase ...) Christian: Where were you dude? Me: I was washing my bike. Christian and Markus: WTF? Lession learned from chain exercise: do not stop pedalling, do not stop peadlling in mud Since I have no idea where I am I just power on, try to catch whoever I see 2 laps later, entering into same corner as before, chain off again loud NEEEEIIIIIIIIIII Same exercise, run to pits Meet Ola in the pits, he's washing his bike, he gave up because of chain issues Me: Fuck no, I paid for this shit, It's too much fun man! Point that thing at my bike. SSHSHHHHHHHHH, bike fixed again. Goo.... Even more fun in MUD, LIKE BRAAAP BRAAAAAAAAAP BRAAAAAAAAAAAAP (seriously, go to the braaaap page and click on the text, totally like that) Then 2 laps later, a slightly heavy remount after the bariers, bike stops Ah, I've managed to strip the tubular of the rim. Does not want to get back on You win this time, bike! YOU WIN THIS TIME!!!! Carry bike to pits, smile at a random danish photographer who tries to strike a conversation with me

Post race

Drink FREE BEER - I love Denmark, I LOVE DENMARK Cheer for Christian and Markus (like, really cheer)

Conslusion

EPIC!

(for reference, checkpoints that qualify the ride to be epic): - slow, but actually really fast [x] - Black & White (because of mud) [x] - suffer [x] - beer [x] - good company [x] - AWESOME video to summarize everything [x]

Also, Best comment ever from Juhlia: you look so hot running with your bike. Someone should photoshop Baywatch logo onto that video and add the music! - Training continues, last session is a week before the race with Henry, Old Man Stephan and Martin reconing the track, doing some fast laps - We ride a bit, I kinda go at my pace (not really hard because there are 5 days of suffer behind me), when I am done: hm, you are going kinda fast. Nääää. But numbers show good progress, legs are PANG PANG PANG! - Submit track feedback to both Phillip and JP (the masters), complain, of course - The week spent resting legs, fixing bike, drinking as little as possible (It's DECEMBER FFS)

Friday before Malmöcrossen

Leave work early to go and recon the track Arrive at venue, see people working, see some funny stuff going on with the track Comment on track features, get told to shut the fuck up and fuck off, you were not here helping, so STFU ... Actually, good point there! Internal monologue: You are correct, I am a dick, but I am SOOOOOOOO dropping you tomorrow MOTHERFUCKER. Apologises later, so do I, #totalbromancemoment Some Elites and Juniors show up, follow me around the track (hehe, funny) Chit chat a bit, go home, prepare everything for the race, chill, rest, go to bed early Can't sleep, too nervous, waaaaay too nervous ... FML

To be continued ...

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Cykelcity Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[travelforone-blog]

Svenska mästerskapen

Something we've all been waiting for Picture: self explanatory Jonas W

Date Location Discipline, club Result Distance driven 2016-10-08 Eksjö, Småland, Sweden Cykelcross, CK Barriär H30, 10/28 650 km

Disclaimer: in the post, I used pictures from Olle Claesson and Jonas W (just click on them to get to the source).

Pre-pre-race

Plan: 2 rest days, 1 hard session (went for 15x60-120), 1 rest day, Friday with some openers (had to google that one) Reality: For the most of it, nailed it, the hard session showed potential (highest power, lowest heartrate, I planned for 15x but Juhlia scared the shit out of me when she arrived through the door so I stopped at 12). Except for moving boxes for 3 hours on 2nd rest day. And 7h wait at a tire shop on the 3rd rest day. And drinking booze and wine after that because I was pissed off I spend 7 hours of my life waiting for fucking tires to be changed. 7 hours I will never get back. On the other hand, in retrospective, if I haven't waited, I couldn't have gone to Eksjö in the first place (because Ola's kid got sick) so I guess all good? Whatever ... (Fun fact - Gustav Win-Win waited at the exactly same spot the next day, for the same dude at the station #3 for 5 hours.) link

Pre-race

Pack shit in car in the morning, late 15 min, drive to Eksjo Forget bike cleaning stuff, turn around after 5 min FML Drive for 3 hours, 15 minutes to reach Eksjö, Get dressed, prepare to recon the track, observe Jenny, re-focus, recon the track with very low expectations (like, the most boring track ever) Ride a couple of laps - track is fun fun fun, YEEEHAAAA, fast, loose, sketchy AF, my kinda stuff ... Try mud tires, they grip like tractors but on the straight sections they are sloooooow Meet Björn, Stefan and Martin from CKX and have a very educated discussion about tires and other stuff Ride some more laps, man I am having FUN BRAAAAP BRAAAAAAP BRAAAAAAP (I am LITERALLY making those noises while riding and passing people) Wrap up, Yo Mike, don't drink too much beer today, or whiskey_ Ha, ha, inte idag, Björn, imorgon Wash bike, drive to Vanrdarhem, stay in front and ... well, try to figure out how to get in ... Eventually, figure it out, prep bike, shower, go to SB, have the loneliest, most boring dinner possible Get to bed early, can't sleep, nope, can't sleep at all, WHHYYYY????? FML Finally asleep at around 23:30 some NEW ARRIVALS MAKE SOO MUCH NOISE OMG FFS SHUT THE FUCK UP HOW MUCH LUGGAGE CAN YOU HAVE BOOOM TRASK SMASH Realize it's probably the Stockholm gang. Eh well ... Get up early after a shitty night and bad sleep, have breakfast, observe Jenny, continue eating breakfast FYI, if you haven't figured out who Jenny is: link Hit the track, track still loose, still LIT AF BOOOM BRAAAAAPP Change, warm up on the turbo fucking #pro Callup puts me on 3rd row, I got this?!? Ask if juniors start 30s before? they do ... Klas: Mike, did you hear that, they star... I JUST FUCKING ASKED DUDE :D

Clothes, Equipment

Merckx Eeklo, Stans Iron Cross wheels, Schwalbe X-One tubeless and AbsoluteBlack 38 oval chainring. Pressure sitll fuck I know, but just riiiight. Some kinda medium warm Grip Grap cross gloves (not sure if cyclo-cross or cross-season), no leg warmers but merino underwear, Lazer Z1 Yellow Camo helmet with matching neon yellow Sidi Drako shoes BOOM! Most importantly, some sweeet chamois and embro from The Race Day. Seriously, it was cold AF but me and Klas we're sporting naked legs and we we're on fire. But that stuff, it's the bomb. You definitelly will not regret it. Unless you forget to remove it before shower, then will, but you will also regret being born, so ...

Track

BRAAAAP BRAPAAAAAAPP BRAAAAAP

Hint: click on the text on the page, scroll down, repeat ...

Plan

5th or die trying

Race

Start, shoulder to shoulder, pushing, I am going all out, some dude's pushing me from the right, not having that, push back That did not sound right ... Start, AARRGGHGHSSS, CLIP IN, BOOOM, GOOOOOO, PEDAL, shift, PEDAL SOME MORE, AAARRRGGGHHH, KOMMER PÅ VENSTER, NO YOU'RE NOT, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, ARE YOU PUSHING ME??? FUCK NO ... ALLL OUT, GRAVEL IN MY EYES TASTE OF BLOOD IN MY MOUTH AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH By the line, I am in a good spot (do observe the elbows please) Coming into the second corner everyone seems slow and clumsy I GOT THIS Once the line forms I see I'm holding like 5th, 6th or something, don't have the ti tl;dt STFU BRAIN We are flying 50m later we hit the barriers, as I dismount a dude blocks me from lifting my bike so I slam my bike full speed into the barrier and stop 3-4 people pass, fuck Regain composure, hit the stairs, 2 more pass fuck fuck fuck Side note: I spend most of the time training on turbo, so my technique sucks balls ... or, hurts balls ahahahha First off camber BOOOM BRAAAAAP, dude in front of me is sketchy, drop him I am nailing this Descend, good, dude crashes in the climb after (Erik KARLSSON-LANDÉN?), pass him and drop him, textbook Stairs, good, remount shit, climb good, nailed it trough the forrest First off camber nailed, yellow-green-red dude (Daniel SVEGMAR, his name was Daniel, I think, I talked to him after Falun at the gas station) has a mechanical, pass him Lay it all down on the start-finish straight First lap done Fuck, this is gonna hurt ... Re-evaluate position, looking good, about 6th, 7th I think, goooooood See Rikard behind me, ok, let's try and keep it that way :D See Warren Bates just in front, that is good, see Mikael KIPPILÄ up there as well, looking good ... Chasing Mikael for a while (see what I did there, I try to mention people's names) (say it with the Law&Order voice: DUM ... DUM, the following took place between lap 2 and 6 of H30 SM on November 12th in Eksjö, Småland) BOOM, a dude from GBH comes flying past on the straight DAFUCK, where did he come from? And he crashes at the grassy slow corners I try to make my way around, no luck Try to keep up with him around the lap (not as easy as it sounds, he's a monstrously strong) WTF? The thing is, I do not know who he is, so I am like: who the fuck it this dude who keeps crashing in front of me?_ It's Erik again, FYI he came 2nd in GBH both days, apparently also famous MTBer Pass him before a technical section, good, now hold it on the straight, nope, here he comes again And he crashes again, goes way back in the pack hahaha, this is funny Uuuu, look, nature looks nice today And here comes Erik again. And he crashes again C'mon dude, just stay down ... Funny as it might have been, everytime he crashed the people in front kinda get a bit more away from us (Warren & co) I kinda tried and anticipate him crashing, so I can avoid, but still, you have to go from the ideal line, so there is a second or two lost everytime that happens Also, did you ever try to drop Erik on a straight? It hurts ... a lot By his 5th crash or so (who counted) Daniel makes his way back and passes us FUCK Keep it together, it's only half of the lap AAaaaaand the La lempre stanca dude (Gustav Wass) comes by FUUUUUUCK It's getting tight, they are riding away, fuuuuuuuuuuck, legs, c'mon legs: no JEBEMVAMMATERNOGE Enter start finish straight, hit the drops, sprint for my life, keep everyone behind YES FFFFFFFUUUUUUU Barely stop before the marshalls and not hit them

Post-race

Have no idea where I ended up, wander around pointlessly for a couple of seconds Then HIGH5s and hugs all around Klas comes in just behind, hugs and love Get changed, start cheering as Women start (GO INGRID GOOOOOOO) Crack open a Black IPA, cheer for women racing Observe Jenny's smooth style over rought terrain and Emma's sheer laying down of power Observe Ingrid's wide smile and that her right leg warmer slided down After the race, grab a burger and beer just in time for men elite start Down some more beers (you know, calories), do some proper cheering For the rest of the day drink beer, have pizza, almost win KM in Bowling with team Dick! Side note: Arvid can bowl, me, not that much Hit the bed at 22:30, you know, because I'm serious and I want to pre-ride the track the next morning

To be continued ...

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Cykelcity Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[travelforone-blog]

Musettecross

Support your local cross scene! Picture: In a dark place, Credits: Erik Jonsson

Go look at his pictures. GO!!

Date Location Discipline, club Result Distance driven 2016-10-09 Crime City, Sweden Cykelcross, CK Barriär 14/55 15 km

Pre-pre-race

I was sick all week, again. Sickness level: - not enough for a sick leave but enough to basically drag myself to work, grind trough the 8 hours on about 3-5 paracetamols, get home and die, repeat the next day Pills consumed: 2 packs paracetamol, 1 pack ibuprofen Alcohol consumed: 7 beers on Friday 14th, 3 beers on Saturday 15th. I figured I either get sick properly or get well (Slovenian philosophy). Also, birthday Time spent training: 0.0 hours

Pre-race

Wake up in the morning feelikg like shit (there must be a song with this title) Oh, this is gonna be good Plan: get to the venue at 10:15, get 3-5 laps in Reality: Get to the venue 10:45, get 1 lap in, no idea what pressure to run or how it rides at race pace Warm up on the turbo, pulse is about 20% higher than usual Say hi to people passing, cross it's getting really social these days ... Say hi to some more people, make it to the start, line up next to Angus and some other dude Ok, I got this then Christian squeezes himself next to me, blocks me and says: I wanna see how it is to start from the front. Also, I need to start the race. Why dont you just start it like a drag race and get away, you know, like out front? Later, he said it felt awesome to be up front and start and then everybody passed him like zoom zoom zoom

Track

I keep getting amazed how much Sibbarp has to offer and this time Erik and Phillip did a fucking amazing job - the lap I rode I was like - ok, this is an old classic and then BOOOM, what is this, fast grassy turns, a DROP, short sand run, double runup with room for spectators, I don't even know what that turny turn turn thing was but was fucking mental (after all that pain and cardio running up the hill you had to accelerate, and then do 5 slow, sharp turns) and then the grassy muddy up/down/up offcamber with the barriers following, mmmmmm, AWESOME TRACK, GOOD JOB BOYS KEEP EM COMING!!!

Last year race

Showed up for the race hangover, not good. Helped the organizers, cleaned the track, rode the track, did not really warm up, started, got the holeshot and after first half of lap lost 1 position. Then, every half lap I would lose one more position since I had nothing to attack, no energy. I could keep a constant easy pace (I would say 75% maybe), but could not really go for it. So I just cruised around and had fun, but was not at my best.

Plan

Have fun, maybe get the holeshot.

Equipment

Merckx Eeklo with sweet wheels build by Cykelcity. BLING BLING!

Race

Awkwars start passing Christian Got 2nd at the holeshot (somehow, I keep losing to Angus, #neverforgetraas2014) Get passed by 2 guys at the first straight, hmmmm Keep it stong, keep it strong One more passes me, ok Hold position by the time we hit the bridge, see the sand Plan: OK, take it easy, dismount early and run the sand, avoid getting blocked Get of the bike, run ... About 6 people storm pass me riding like crazy, sand flying everywhere WTF JUST HAPPENED Regain composure, get to the runup, Plan: ok, dismount before the first climb, so I do not get stuck behind somebody struggling Dismount, run Get passed 4 guys before I even hit the runup WHAT IS HAPPENING, THIS SHIT IS UNREAL Ok, kinda hold it together until the muddy climb/offcamber part Plan: ride the motherfucker, no more mr. nice guy Ride, get stuck in an awkward position behind a stalled rider, cannot dismount Seriously, cannot get of my bike Get passed by 5 more guys First lap over, fuck, I got work to do Second lap - storm the sand, good Attack the climb before the runup, good Run the offcamber, good, do ride it next time though, better Pass a couple of people, doing good Almost hit an old dude descending on the bike path uphill, wtf? Ride behind a Lunedi dude, he is loose AF, feels like riding behind a motocross bike Eventually, he gets a mechanical and drops out Gain some more places And then at some pint I see JP in front of me I think I'm gonna settle for this pace, he's looking strong Keep an eye at the split to others up front For about 2 laps I can see that there is a reasonable gap to the leaders, maybe something can be done? Then, I cannot see them anymore, eh well ... Legs start feeling tired, but JP also start getting a bit slower (or it feels like that, IDK) Try to pass him just before descending to the beach area He let's out a healthy MOTHERFUCKER, he counters, gets the position back I ride behind him for some more, apply psychological warfare Next lap, I attack after the sand, pass him before the runup climb, boom, make it Now I am dead, legs have nothing Pass some lapped people, shout: coming on the left, Lunedi dude: OH, hej Mike! :D Next lap, JP passes me again before the beach area I counter before the runup, try and carry some speed into the runup, ok, good, looking good Cannot grip the bike, foot slips in mud FUCKING BODYSLAM THE RUNUP And JP is still in front That was all folks, no more matches for me Oskar Palm is closing in GODDAMMIT Looking at the clock we pass the finishline at 56minutes, ok, 2 laps to go Next lap, he passes me at the runup, my legs feel like stones (Sing it like Justin: When you wanna run up but your legs just say nooo. Legs: What do you mean? In retrospect, this might have happened a lap before, I cant remember everything By the end of the lap the Staffanstorp dude passes me, in the uphimm asphalt part Ok, last lap, I got this, gonna lay it all on the line Nope, it's 1:00:something, race over W T F?

Post-race

Down a recovery whiskybourbon shot BECAUSE I AM FRUSTRATED Then get handed an oatly recovery drink and wonder what to do with it Chit chat a bit Apologize to Björn for no lapdance this time Juhlia says I looked fast and strong THAT IS ALL I WANTED, THANK YOU, MIKE HAS LEFT THE BUILDING Pack stuff in car, wash bike, go to IKEA, buy shit

Summary

Awesome track and race, mind was there, body was somewhere else, I had fun. Musette guys FTW!!!

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Cykelcity Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[travelforone-blog]

Hägstromska CX pokalen [1/3]

Tales from a roadtrip too far North Picture: David by Olle Claesson

Date Location Discipline, club Result Distance driven 2016-10-08 Falun, Sweden Cykelcross, CK Barriär 13/32 750 km (to venue)

Shout out to my man Björn for letting me crash at his Västerås crib, my man!

Pre-pre-race

Surptisingly, according to plan (in retrospect, NOT! Lack of sleep, some late nights, too much alcohol ...) Monday - rest Tuesday - Barriär training, focused on intervals and running, some technique - everything feels surprisingly goood, Phillip is monstruously strong Wednesday - did some other shit Thursday - Turbo training, intervals, booom (not really accordingto plan, but who can WHATEVER STFU LEGS) Friday - Work, drive, far, far north (details later)

Pre-race

Start from Malmö kl. 14:00, arrive to Västerås at 21:00, go to bed at 23:00, have some funky, FUNKY dreams (forrests, jungle, old building and ruins, horror, sex, weird shit I tell you...) Wake up 8:00 feeling like shit (no surprise after dreams like that ...). Also, 6h drive. Drive 1h 45 min to Falun: first 30 min YAAAAY, then yaaaay, then FFS WHY ARE WE DRIVING SO SLOW last 15 min KILL ME PLEASE Arrive at the venue, almost forget the horrible trip (details later), say hi to Olle Check the track, cheer for Valter (more like yell at him very loudly while running along side) Fucking AWESOME venue, military barracks, all centered around a park looking goood, music blasting, BBQ smeeling, cowbells YEAH My comment the day before when I found it on strava: It's a a 'twisty fucker' Get number, pin number on skinsuit on the car while stretching the skinsuit over the steering wheel (yup, #pro) Chitchat with David, warmup on turbo, hit the track Do a lap, the moment I put down some power in the first uphill - my ass hurts, like, whole ass. And lower back. And neck. Must be the car seats I guess ... Tire pressure also too high, bouncy on the fast grassy sections, lower the pressure Still bouncy, lower some more, a lap later, almost race pace - fuck, pressure too low, hitting the rim in corners Test out the barriers, hit balls really bad (like, not balls but the bone in between, pain went all the way up to the tip of my head) hmmm, body not in sync today, this was soooooooo much smoother on Tuesday (it actually felt natural on Tuesday). Today, very unnatural I'm sure it's gonna be ok during race, just don't think too much about it, don't over think it ... Head to car, final preparations, pump some more air into tires Head out to track, race pace, pressure too high, lower pressure (don't wanna bounce around too much) Psst, pssst, I guess this should do it Ride a couple of turns, couldn't really get the flow of the track, it has many turns (my count: the inner circle has a total of 18 turns, 9 each I guess with never more than 30m between them), there is also a turn where there are pine cones on the floor and they make me skid every time, fucking pine cones Eh well, I'm sure it's gonna be ok during the race, just don't over think it, don't stress about it, it's gonna be ok once the race starts Line up behind Juniors, chill, the dude next to me asks me - Hey, do we start at the same time? Nej, we start 30s after.

Clothes, Equipment

Merckx Eeklo with some sweet Stans Iron Cross wheels, Schwalbe X-One tubeless and AbsoluteBlack 38 oval chainring. Pressure fuck I know, too low definitely. Troy Lee Designs XC gloves, not thick enough but hardcore. Lazer Z1 Yellow Camo helmet BOOM!

Track

A couple of straight sections to lay down some wats, long stairs and turns, lots of turns on grass. It's all about the flow

Plan

Try to keep it top 10 and do not lose positions, chase David if possible, always counter attack or follow if people pass you, always close gaps, do not let a gap form

Race

Juniors start, I'm standing still, waiting, everyone else starts Turns out we started at the same time FUCK Go go go, try to save it ... Power up the gravel, rear tire skidding like crazy, WOAH THERE BRONCO Hit the pine corner, don't mess it up, don't mess it up - FUCK, sketchy as fuck, messed it up Ok, got this, get the rhythm, ok, David is 3-4 wheels up, ok, you got this, keep it up there Pass Oskar Palm 1/3 lap in we hit the stairs, bike carry technique is perfect, running up the stairs I get passed by 2 dudes, suck at remount, one more passes me FUCK Ok, keep it together, keep it flowing First lap seems to be going ok, keeping contact with the leaders, I have David in my sight (as a reference, you know, he's kinda fast) Hit the stairs in second lap, 2 juniors pass me (because I suck at running stairs AND at the remount after) I close the gap as soon as we hit the first corner, they suck at cornering, FUCK For the next 18 corners I ma stuck behind them A gap starts to form NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD Ok, attack in the uphill, pass the dude, yeah, YEAH Fail remount after barriers (total superman to the balls), get passed back Don't stress it, don't over think it Get passed by Oskar Palm Oh this is just turning out to be fucking WONDERFUL Pass the other guy again by the finishline, a gap to leaders is now obvious FUUUUCK Get passed up the stairs by the same dude, another catches up, passes, sketchy as fuck, one corner sketchy, another, BOOOM, faceplants, makes it big on Instagram Another dude catches up, passes us very aggressively, crashes, I can't pass him, he maintains position and rides away FUUUUUUCK Try to push it uphill, ok, seems to be working, SLAM THOSE BALLS after barriers, lose everything This is getting frustrating Try to push it in technical section, lose all at the stairs Hear myself breathe, think to self - That is some heavy breathing, maybe I should slow down? This can't be good for you Miha, you sound you're choking. Why are you doing this? THIS IS GETTING FRUSTRATING David is out of sight, yup, that's it, so much for closing that gap Lap whatever, I'm not counting, would be nice to have a lap counter by the finishline, you know, JUST TO BE NICE SO WE DONT HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR WATCHES AND CALCULATE: AHA, 27 MINUTES PASSED AND I DID FUCK I KNOW MANY LAPS, AND THE LEADER IS RIDING AT 115% OF MY SPEED SO I AM SURE I WILL DO ABOUT 3.67231 LAPS MORE BECAUSE MATH SO YEAH FUCK OFF AND JUST COUNT LAPS DOWN FROM WHATEVER YOU CALCULATE. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE FFS. Also, I suck at math ... Mmmm, do I smell burgers? A dude joins, passes, rides away, he had pink and black kit MIHA WTF Intermezzo: every fucking race I make those horrible faces of pain and anger, but here, I'm calm as an angel on top of a fucking punchy power climb where I SHOULD be hitting the floor with my jaw cramping my neck muscles: Credit: Niclas Brus DONT STRESS IT, DONT STRESS IT, just start pushing it nice and flowy This is the result of this calming just let it flow, don't stress mantra: - pine corner: not again fucking pine corner, just don't fuck it up, take it carefully => fuck, loose, sliding around, standing still by the end of the corner, no exit speed into the coming climb - perfect bike carry technique up the stairs, no speed running up those stairs, please don't pass me, please don't pass me, please make the remount don't hit your balls, don't hit your balls, double stepping and shit to be safe, not clipping in, get stuck in the loose gravel, no speed at all, noooooo, literally the worst remounts in my life - no flow through the corners, too slow in, too slow out, no aggressive acceleration in between => tense up, no damping in arms, by the end of the corner I am basically standing still - attack in uphill => actually, this is the only thing working - smooth over barriers => soooo tired from the attack uphill that I only think: not the barriers again, shit I'm gonna suck so bad, please don't suck, and indeed, I do, with slammed balls. Every ... fucking ... lap ... End of before last lap get passed by 2 dudes just before finish -> they are like Excuse us, and I am like: Sure, go ahead ease off and let them pass FFS WHYYYYY DID YOU JUST DO THAT? Keep the guys wheel troughout the lap, never really had the chance to pass him, never really tried actually finish race meh

Post-race

Chat with Walter, high5 some people, spin down, change Talk to David, rant a bit, rant some more (details later) Fill up tank of car, meet two cyclists at the gas station, chat a bit, they aks: What happened? I got frustrated ... Drive 1h 45min to Västerås, conteplate: pasta or pizza, pasta or pizza .... pasta. With tuna. And 3.5% beer. Make pasta, watch Sven Nys documentary, feel better because he also got a 13th place at his worst race of the season Visualize, introspection, mental preparation, fucking zen

Analysis of race performance

Mental exhaustion due to 8h of driving, bad sleep and in lack of good quality rest during week leading to the race resulted in mind being unstable and lacking focus during the race, mental strength to push myself was lost to severe frustration causing stiffness, lack of coordination, feeling and overall flow. Estimated loss of performance due to mental exhaustion: 3% Estimated loss of performance due to physical exhaustion: 1%

To be continued ...

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Cykelcity Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[travelforone-blog]

Lyngby CC Sørgenfriløb

How I chased the winning break but got dropped like a bomb. Picture: Full speed ahead. Credits: Simon Ebbe Hastings Hedman

Date Location Discipline, club Result 2016-09-12 Trørød, Denmark Linieløb, CK Ringen 23/38 щ（ﾟДﾟщ）

Pre-pre-race

Last race of the road season. Yup, last. First, changed Båstad GP for Soigneur CX, then change Soigneur CX for this. Best ... decision ... EVER! Week plans [and reality] - Monday, rest [feel like shit, everything hurts, I feel sick, feverish, fuck] - Tuesday - Musette ride, fast group (get some bang, bang) [nope, changed to chilling in a park and half-ass a gym session, drank a beer] - Wednesday - Seasong finale of Onsdagsspurten [that went well, used it as a practice, did well the ones I wanted, skipped the afterbike] - Thursday - Romantic dinner with Juhlia [Romantic dinner with Juhlia, includes minute quantities alcohol] - Friday - Some laps on Sibbarp course (hangover laps on the CX course, set PB, then got drunk AF) - Saturday - easy distans [hangover whole day, cycle to office get laptop charger] So, week totally according to plan. Awesome. Also, fun fact - my pump shows cca 1-1.5 bar less than actual pressure, so all that time I was complaining the 28 Vittoria Corsa Graphene on my Fulcrum Racing Zeros are bouncy and slow - well, there you have it, I was running like 6.5 bar in a 28 tire. FUCK YOU PUMP, FUCK ... YOU!

Pre-race

Samling at klub kl. 11, I arrive 15 min early, then Emil and Thomas, one after eachother but totally clueless they were coming together, 10:59 Christian arrives, on time. Good job, Christian! Get into the bus, drive to Denmark I'm just gonna say Thomas has a particular way of driving (he calls it Italian), which is kinda cool, reminds me of my style. The other thing I noticed is that (also similar to me) when things don't go as planned (I think we were a bit ... a tiny bit ... lost at some point) he starts flooring it. Just power through, show dedication, never show weakness Well, we arrived to the venue with plenty of time, so all good. Except Emil was sick from driving. Sign up, meet Glenn, Jonathan and Marcus, discuss strategy: attack, counter attack, control position, work, work, work, leadout Emil or me for sprint. OK Change clothes, warmup. Talk to Daniel and Fredrik - Fredrik says to be active, not re-active, Daniel says I look strong. BOOM, peppad. Simon shows up, was late because caught up behind Kongevejsløbet 2016 or, DM rulleski, lang distance, fri og klassisk stil

Clothes, Equipment, bla bla bla

Whatever, clothes are getting worned out, so is equipment, it's gonna cost millions to fix for next season. I puts some TheRaceDay Pre-Race shine on, BOOOM, instant pro look, also, flies stick to me like I'm glue. I'm getting tired ...

Track

11km lap, half of it downhill, half of it uphill, about 70m vertical over 5km, some punchy sections but nothing serious (yeah, wait 80km of racing and say that again). Seemed way more epic when the official route shown the vertical number 200 -> 10x200m = 2000m of climbing. FUCKING EPIC. It was feet. FEET.

Plan

Either make Ringen win or ruin it for everyone else, I guess. AARRGGHHH.

Race

First lap I am all over the place, front, back, left, right, ufa, ufa, ufa Second lap, a break is going so Ringen forms a chasing group up front I overhead: 10s delay We pull, we work, we change, boom, fucking Sky yo! It is not THAT hard, but we chase HARD Jonte makes an appearance, then not anymore After a lap of chasing I overhear the announcer: 13 seconds FML The bouncy Amager dude joins in, at some point ends up on cycle path, rejoins Get told off by Emil because he's always accelerating when taking lead About a half lap later in the uphill we kinda give up (also, Christian takes a monster pull up the hill as Glenn shouts: Vi har 7 mil till för helvete), drops everyone, hehe I think to myself fuck, I'm dead, this will not end well We calm down, everything calms down so Emil goes BOOM, ATTACK He's chasing the break, he dissapears in the distance For us, business as usual: either control the front, or chase down attach attempts and try to kill them After a lap Emil is caught, he says he thought the guys were closer, he thought he saw them up front, but he actually caught some Juniors, then gave up I somehow end up about 3s in front of the peloton with a dude from Christiania, he's not very useful, but I notice he has headphones in his back pocket (funny thought: haha, team radio must be playing reggae) At some point Glenn moves to the side and says: HA, 25e är också en placering! while waving his hand dramatically I go back to talk to Glenn and ask - hey, what do we do? He says (mellowed down for PC): well, we got Simon and Christian up front killing eachother and being silly boys (be boys), so we just sit back and try to control the rest of the race I look up front: Simon is doing monster pulls, Christian as well, and well, they are kinda doing a good job at tiring eachother out while everyone else is just sitting on their wheels Mhm, let's just control the race BTW, Where are Jonte and Marcus? Theory intermezzo My theory on how to defend and control: Hang about 5-10 spots down from the lead observing cyclist how they move. If you see one kinda preparing to go, stick to his wheel and follow. You should not be in the middle of the pack, of course. When the cyclist goes, you follow, so long that he gets tired, asks for a shift and you go - naaaah, not gonna happen. Then you slow down and you're cought by the peloton. Accelerate to maintain position, repeat exercise. - Problem 1 - you can't chase them all down, so your teammates are supposed to do the same, especially if you're just at the front recovering and pacing the peloton. - Problem 2 - you cannot chase if you're in the middle of the pack because you have nowhere to go - Also - one cannot counter from the head of the peloton, you just don't have the speed, one MUST FOLLOW AND ANTICIPATE THE ATTACK End of intermezzo Pass a parked marshall car, people taking care of a girl who was ... hit by a bike? At some point going uphill I am caught in the middle of the peloton and the bouncy Amager dude goes, with another strong dude following AND THERE IS NO RINGEN FOLLOWING FUCK FUUUUUCK RINGEN, WHAT ... THE ... FUCK???? Eh well ... #fail Thought - Where is Jonte and Marcus? Moments later, back at it - I follow a cyclist's attack (I am not sure which club, but I could totally see his butt cracktrough his bibs #nohomo) and at some point he gives up, I kinda push a bit more and BOOM, I have a gap and an ABC dude shows up and says - hey, wanna go? SURE! MHM, YEAH, IDK 30 seconds later - Sorry, my legs are dead, not gonna happen I look back - NOBODY IS CHASING about 5 lead and NOBODY IS CHASING? WAAAAIT FOR ME, I AM COMING enter 10 minutes of PAIN, FUCKING PAIN We are chasing the Amager dude and another one (who almost took me down going from the peloton, stupid fuck) OMG, THE HORROR, IT ... HURTS ... SO ... MUCH ... SLAYER ... Just following the dude I am spending about 300-350 wats - TAKING HIs FUCKING WHEEL Anyhow, I do my share of work (his comment: a little is better than nothing ;) ;) ;) We are gaining on the two guys, MUST DO THIS, THIS IS IT, I AM IN A BREAK, WWOOOOHOOOOO Going uphill he says - hang in there, I need you on the downhill (ha ha) By the end of the climb a minor cramp, and another ... start fading back ... noooooo PUSH PUSH PUSH FUCKING GOOOOOOO .... nope My head says GO, but my legs say NO With about 30m to the break I am dropped like a bomb ... woop wooop wooooop He joines the break, I contemplate the weather, will it rain? It does look like rain ... (There they are, the break that got away - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place of the race) Credits: Simon Ebbe Hastings Hedman Fade back, try to see if there is a peloton coming by anytime soon Two kids come flying by, I join Again, the dude with transparent bibs FML I try to contribute (every 3rd turn), after about 3/4 of the lap I give up, I have NOTHING IN MY LEGS, NADA, ZERO, NULA Fade back, get passed by another small group Another group comes flying by Then the peloton comes by, I join the fun Pass start/finish line, see Simon and Emil standing on the side, think - oh, I should drop my bottle, you know, last lap and shit, and they are there so what better place to do it than now - BOOM, bottle flys to the left, hits Emil in the ankle 5 km later - fuck, I am thirsty, that bottle was NOT empty, WTF did I do that for? Anyhow, last lap, attacks, chasing, I mean, we're fighting for what, 25th? Glenn says he'll try to position and lead me out if he has the legs Glenn tries first time, cramps, recovers, tries again, cramps again Glenn has no legs Ok, I still got Christian, let's see how it goes BTW, where are Jonte and Marcus? Christian does a monster pull up the hill, kills himself like 1km to go WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT FOR, CHRISTIAN? Anyhow, kinda follow on the 8th wheel, get blocked in the last turn, lost all speed, sprint but not really, whatever Eh well ...

Post-race

Chit chat, tell the ABC guy - next time, next time dude! (Later I learn he won, with the Amager dude 2nd) Learn I I was dropped from the winning break FML

Summary

The good - It was a good day for racing bikes The bad - I need to work on my breakaway / chasing / digging deep / hurting like never before for longer periods of time stamina. Also, I think the hangovers did not help, na ha The ugly - The season is OVER, (Christian: only 7 months to next race), nooooooo

So, what did I learn this time?

I WAS DROPPED FROM THE WINNING BREAK Let that sink in ...

I WAS DROPPED FROM THE WINNING BREAK And, obligatory DON'T GET WASTED AF BEFORE RACES ... STUPID ... FUCK!

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Musette Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[travelforone-blog]

ABC Løbet, Sengeløse, Denmark

How it took me a lap to remember I've been here before - sweet flatish race with 5 long laps and moderate(ish) sidewinds, all the time. Picture: Wait, do I SMELL PULLED PORK???. Credits: Tommy Kjærulff Eriksen

Date Location Discipline, club Result 2016-09-11 #neverforget Sengeløse, Denmark Linieløb, CK Ringen 27/38 ヽ(´ー｀)ノ

Pre-pre-race

See Tissø race

Pre-race

Ok, here we go again, first race in C Team mates: Glenn, Simon, Emil, Christian, Andreas (Jonte out due to inflamation of his jaw) (our comment: Yeah, that's because he talks too much) Big breakfast consisting of: polenta, eggs, pasta, coffee Meet Emil on the road to the club, the rest of the gang at the club including the #tiomilklockantio gang heading out Pack the klubbuss, wait for Christian because he's late, again, head out I mention I did bring a speaker this time (klubbuss radio is kaput) but no-one shows any interest Driving to location notice strong kantvind, like, serious kant and head wind. Like totally serious winds. We arrive and parking is the most metal parking spot to date: Kæledyrskrematorium Conversation: What ... the ... fuck is kaled...krematorium? House pet crematorium. WOAH, METAL \m/ Cycling to indskrivning pass Anders lying in the grass, collectively say 'Hi Anders' and think to myself: fuck, that does not look good Sign up, notice I cannot sign up, talk to the marshall, after some back and forward (aaaaa, a ZETA K, yes, ZIII, ZETA ... ZIIII whatever) sign up for C, boom! Anders comes by, says Hi! and that it's kantvind all around, nowwhere to rest, just work ... ehhh FML Change clothes, try to make someone warm up, nobody actually interested Discuss tactics - attack, counter attack, chase, work if nobody is working, chase, lead-out Emil in the sprint. Got it! Wait, what does Simon do? Simon is a free agent. And takes a picture from time to time :P Side note: Emil is picked to be the sprinter because he 1. is former elite and 2. he has 12hundra watt sprint. Put some browning warmup thing from Glenn on my legs to feel more #pro Go and warmup, windy as hell, pedal up and down, get some feeling into legs, notice bike is bouncy Realize the back wheel is seriously off ballance (sealant, yes?), Go to van, change tube - best warmup ever, changing tube under pressure with 20 min to start Cycle some more, go to the start, not really knowing what to do with myself I kinda hang around team support cars waiting to ride behind A and B Calm down, concentrate, Listen to nice, calm interview coming from the stereo SCREAMING LOUD ANNOUNCER TELLING IT'S LESS THAN A MINUTE TO B START Calm, sooothing interview continues, breathe, repeat the plan, breathe, focus 10 SECONDS TO GO, NIO, O&A, H###U, SEX, FEM, FJ$#A, TREJ, TVOÅ, KÅÅØØØRR Smooth sexy danish voice taking about childhood (fuck I know, I don't speak danish) B goes, We line up C KLASSE #@##@##@ START The announcer sure is agressive today Notice the announcer is Simon's girlfriend Eva, all shy and timid Line up for start, make funny faces to Eva while she's shouting at us Sebastian from Klubben Cyklisten touches my shoe with his front wheel I say OPA, he says - yeah, at least a watt right there - I say: nah, just looks bad on pictures ;) Somo more funny faces and wav@@#$#@ C KLASSE #@##@##@ STARTing and off we go

Clothes

Ringen kit, elastic on legs getting looser and looser, still, I washed it like fucking sensitive silk setting, colorful socks I won at GBH cross last year ... Wait, maybe my legs are getting smaller? Well, jsut pull bibs more up, show some more thigh, make legs look longer

Equipment:

Merida with FFWD wheels, 8 bar front & back Continental GP 4000 II, just washed and lubed. Notice tires are giving in, some weird cracks and patterns on the side, some cuts, flattish center section shows a whole season of racing. It's gonna hold, yolo 2 bottles of my own energy drink - half scoop maltodextryn, half of magnesium pill, pinch of salt, small scoop of aminoacids, coffeine tablet. 3 Zipvit gels in the pocket to be taken at km. 20, 40 and 60

Track

Mostly flat 17km lap with 3 long motvind / kantvind sections, some narrow roads where attacking could be good, some wide open medvind sections for all-out peloton stretching and echolons. Yup, No rest for the weary.

Plan

Attack, chase, defend if our guy is attacking, counter, work, work, work, leadout Emil. Basically, think of Astana at Vuelta 2015, yeah? Also, keep an eye on the winner from Tissø (bouncy Amager dude), FBL nr. 77 (or maybe 21, I dont remember). If they look strong - chase them down.

Race

We start and after the first straight - hmm, this looks familiar Keep to the front, be aware where my teammates are First couple of corners - yup, I've raced this course before Ok, Glenn is there, Emil is there, falling a bit back, accelerate First kantvind - fuck yeah I rememmber this from last year, it's the race where I was dropped hehehehe Remember everything from last year as it was yesterday --- Notes from last year --- Second race of the weekend and the legs were sore at the start. It was very windy, so it was clear sidewind will be a problem. In D it was Markus and Ola with me, plan was again top 15. Keeping to the front of the peloton was a priority because of winds and breaks which I managed OK. But there was a break at some point that I haven't noticed and the peloton split in 2. After that, I tried a couple of times to successfully come to the front of the peloton, but I also managed to stay there too long and end up pulling the group. This was not good, because nobody wants to help you pull at a race. So the last lap I really pushed to the front before the first windy section, which was good but then ended being up in front directly into headwind, which was bad. The same happened on the second, fast, uphill windy section and again I ended up pulling the group. This killed my legs and most of the guys accelerated and passed me. I tried to re-join, but I had nothing in my legs, so I just cruised to the finishline. "If peloton breaks, the group will probably not want to chase the peloton --- Lessions learned from last year --- If you want to chase the peloton or break, you have to do it yourself Don't pull the group, let other people do the work Again, you have no friends in the peloton Stay in the front, but not too in front --- Ok, with that total recall, it's time to GET IT ON DISCLAIMER: I might have the order of some events wrong because is was action packed all the time, but everything totally happened ... Glenn goes on an attack, a couple follow Hold back, see what happens Some more start going, everyone starts going, accelerate Keep the pace high, drop the pace a bit, Emil goes Pace peloton, some go, Simon goes WTF? Everyone goes, accelerate Some weird movement in the peloton while I'm passing on the left and I get run off the road, keep it steady, oooopala and we're back on the road, yeah, #crossiscoming Kantvind section - chase millimeters of asphalt, don't get dropped, don't get dropped This was easier than expected A couple more attacks, slightly fallen behind, work on moving up Just before the finish of first lap Emil attacks, no one goes Emil keeps going into the long kanvind section, I think FBL (might be some other dudes) counter, Emil is cought by the end of straight We almost hit a van coming around the corner Kantvind section small gaps form, so I have to pass some people, offer Hanna a ride along (Glenns pro superfast girlfriend) Where is Christian? Entering into narrow roads I sit like 5th in the bunch, with Glenn 1st when I see an Amager and an ABC dude attacking up front We pass a guy standing by the side of the road - he reminds me of my father I see an Amager and 2 ABC dudes blocking the peloton behing Glenn Wiggle my way to the left trough the opening behind one of them and GO GO GO ATTACK ON THE LEFT I GOT THIS, I WILL BRIDGE, I WILL MAKE IT INTO THE BREAK AND IT'S FUCKING WINNING TIME YEEEAHHHH Shit, this is not going as fast as I thought SHIT, THIS HURTS, ah, good, after this turn there will be medvind left turn FUCKING KANTVIND NOOOOO OK, you started this, YOU FUCKING FINISH THIS, NO BACKING DOWN also, the whole peloton is watching you fail, lol DIG DEEP, DIIIIIIG, SLAYER, SLAYER Watts are high, watts are ... dropping? FUUUUUUCK MADE IT, YES, FUCKING YESSSS I'm dead FML Can't take the turn, can't take the second turn Receive trash talk from the Amager dude which I translate to: asshole, you come over here, join our break and then don't share work (answer in my head): D'OH, I JST FUCKINNG BRDGED AN I AM DEAD AND HSIT, YOU FKIN TRY BRIGDING LIKE THIS BRO YEAH actual answer: shake head Next turn I'm good, so I contribute Same dude says (my interpretation): I am sorry kind sir, I did not mean to be rude before, it's just I am under a lot of pressure right now, my teammate won yesterday so I am trying to do the same, you contribution is well appreciated. My answer: shake head Turns out they are not really well coordinated, take monster pulls, I look back - we're NOT gaining ground while the peloton seems to be chillin' Eh, fuck this, I'm not gonna kill meyself over this, think of the team, think of Emil's leadout Fade away, rejoin the peloton Receive kudos from teammates: Good job! ... Nice bridging! ... That looked awesome ... Come, follow, don't fade Fuck fuck fuck need to pickup speed Sebastian from Klubben Ciklisten: So, you guys have one in the utbrytning? Nah, he's right here. YEAH, I missed you guys too much 10 min later the peloton absorbs the breakaway Pass the dude that looks like my father, now shirtless? Turn into medvind and it's attack, attack, attack I chase, bridge, realize I chased down Emil, apologize, join the attack There is some shouting I interpret as GOOOOO so I just keep going hard, yolo We don't achieve anything Andreas makes one or two strong apperances BTW, where's Christian? There is some attacking and chasing later on, including Simon chasing Emil and Andreas chasing Glenn and me chasing Andreas I think lap 4/5 is the same, attacks in kantvind, mellow down in motvind, random accelerations here and there, just keep it up in front, don't let anyone go Sebastian from Cyklisten goes, nobody follows He's cought about 10 min later, strong effort Also, Simon does a monster pull (later comments: yeah, no heavy pulling, #neverforget Roskilde?) We lap Christian (later tells he had a puncture from hitting a hole, also that I've junxed him because I've pointed out some cracks in his tire. But seriously, he hit a hole, I do not have magic puncture powers ...)

Enter last lap

Photo credits:Tommy Kjærulff Eriksen About 1/3 into the lap a dude goes, nobody chases (thinking - he has no chance) About 5 min later a FBL dude goes, nobody chases (thinking - he also has no chance?) There are some attempts of chasing about 10km to go, but we're not really gaining anything Enter small roads about 8km to go and I decide - ok, that's it, FBL dude is mine 2 min later I catch up to him I mark to change, nobody wants to chase the OTHER dude Ok, seriously, NOBODY? THERE IS A DUDE UP FRONT and WE'RE NOT GAINING ON HIM ... PIIIIIIIZDA RINGEN! Enter into big roads 5 km to go and I WORK, I PULL, I AM A DIESEL, SLAYER Glenn gives a solid pull, but that's pretty much it, nobody else ... I get the turn again, puuuuul, 400W, 450W, keep it up, minor cramp left calf, 400W MUST ... CHASE ... DUDE ... NEED TO SERVE THE GREATER GOAL ... Everytime anyone else takes the lead we slow down and they're not even teammates, WTF? Anyhow, by now it's clear we're not gonna catch him (or at least no one wants to catch him) Enter finish straight - find Emil, give shelter Emil says: I got your wheel Good! Shelter Emil on the left, see Glenn up front, think - maybe if we move a bit, I take Glenn's wheel, he goes, I go, he moves, I continue, I move Emil goes ... Emil passes me on the left and moves up. HM, OK? Ok, this does not compute, I move up to the front on the left and think - well, there is the Lunedi dude, and the Amager dude, now I sure can't leadout Emil from here, but I can try and mess with the two dudes, start the sprint early, Glenn has Emil, all good ... Move to the front and accelerate Pull as hard as possible and when legs give out, move away to the right Glenn rolls to my side - oooops Cruise over the finish line, close the zipper on jersey, hands off the handlebars, feeling pround of a job well done Except maybe for the leadout ...

Post-race

Tell everyone this was the BEST ... RACE ... EVER, receive weird looks High5 fellow C riders while unwinding legs Try to get some pulled pork, no cash ... FML Change clothes, pack up and go home Now the buss wants the speaker, so we listen: Swedish hip hop, Dillon Francis, The Weeknd, Grimes, some more Swedish hip hop and just as we drive to border control I play some Smoked pork and Body Count's in the house by Body Count. Decide to race C next weekend as well, CX can wait THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN, THIS IS THE SHIT! Have a well deserved beer on the balcony

Summary

The good - I can race and finish in C The bad - I totally messed up Emil's sprint leadout The ugly - not this time, baby, not this time

So, what did I learn this time?

Racing as a team is awesome Talk more to the teammates, there were some things off due to lack of communication Bridges and breakways hurt like a motherfucker. There is no nicer way of saying it.

These help me do what I love, go pay them a visit: Musette Pcyclopat absoluteBLACK 184 RACEDAY

[mosklubban]

Them colors, you just gotta love the fall.🍂🍁🚴 #crossishere #kompiscrossen #theraceday #ridleybikes #ckbarriär (på/i KTH Maskin)