World Cup Round 4, France

25/5/12

It was a long 10hr drive from the Czech Republic into the French hills, where Round 4 of the World Cup XC Series was to be held.  Travel is always that much harder when you are suffering with muscle fatigue, and an inevitable sleepless night following an all-out MTB race! We discovered pretty quickly just how scenic this part of the World was as we drove into the foothills of the French Alps.  With small ski villages, stunning lakes and rivers scattered across the hills, I reckon this was going to be one of the most photographed of our locations.

We had lined up some accommodation with our Anytime Fitness/Trek teammates, Bec Henderson and Dan McConnell, in a town called Ventron.  Bec did a super job in finding the place as it turned out to be a brand new apartment equipped with all the essentials, even a secure room to keep the bikes.  The highlight of the place though, had to be the shower which was bigger than the kitchen.

The day after arrival the heavens opened and unfortunately the beautiful countryside was no longer so bright.  I generally allow 2 days full recovery following an all-out MTB race, so I tapped out a 90min spin along the flattest terrain I could find.  This proved quite difficult with signs pointing in each direction all starting with “Col De…”  Actually the Tour De France has been known to travel through this area on a number of occasions, so the hills were certainly more than just speed humps!  I did eventually find a nice gradual incline to spin up, however once the rain turned into hail and then the slushy white stuff appeared, I thought it best to turn the Trek around and make my way back to the enticingly hot over-sized shower in our apartment.

The following day started out with below zero temperatures and the tops of the mountains could no longer be seen.  Usually if I can’t see the top of a mountain this is a good excuse not to ride there, however thinking the weekend’s racing could very well be a muddy one; I thought it best to trial the course in such conditions.  So, after a morning of chores including food shopping, bike cleaning and laundry, I headed out to the course to punch out a few laps.  The course turned out to be my favorite so far with a long climb that was steep in sections, followed by an equally long descent with many technical rocky sections, drop-offs and some tight cornering.  It was extremely challenging in the wet conditions and it took me a couple of laps to even attempt all the sections.  I was feeling a little down about my clumsiness on the slippery terrain until I came across Emily Batty out practicing who is a top 10 rider.  She was having even more trouble than me on some of the gnarly sections as she opted to walk them.  Emily was actually very lovely in offering her encouragement as we made our way around the course together.  It reconfirmed to me just how friendly and down to earth most of the riders are in this sport and why I have chosen to make it such a big part of my life!

In the days following my first attempt at course practice, the sun came out once more and the mud dried.  The course remained a technical one but all the sections were now ride-able.  The only problem I could see with it would be the lack of passing sections which I had discovered to be quite crucial when starting in the back third of the field.  I was just going to have to find some extra aggression from somewhere and just try to round up a few before starting on the climb!

The virus I had been struggling with for the most part of the trip had meant I’d missed a good block of training and therefore a fair drop in form.  How quickly one seems to lose fitness as compared to gaining it, is so frustrating!  This race was to be my last one in Europe before returning for the World Champs in September, so I was determined to give it everything and do what I could with the fitness I had.  I had learned also, that a good result in these World Cup races can have a lot to do with some good luck at the start and throughout the crucial moments as well as a positive mental approach.  So as much as preparing the body physically, I tried to prepare mentally throughout the final few days.

The Under 23’s raced on the Saturday in perfect conditions with temperatures in the low 20’s and a dry track.  Bec Henderson had been disappointed with her 13^th place the week before and was out to make amends.  She was aggressive from the start, leading out the start loop and then settled into a good rhythm.  She rode a smart race by backing off the pace in the first lap and then passing those that tired in the later stages.  It was awesome to see her pick up another podium result with 2^nd place!  The best placed Australian in the Under 23 men’s was Michael Crosbie with a 50^th.  This was a solid result considering there was a field of over 100.

There had been some heavy rain the night before our race, so I was undecided for tyre choice.  Once warm up time came about however the sun had been shining a good few hours and I decided on the faster dry weather tyres.  I opted to complete warm up on the wind-trainer just near the start line.  In previous races I had tried to ride out on the road for warm up, but with the huge crowds of people to negotiate this had proved quite difficult.  I had failed to see the TV crew set up a mere few metres from the wind-trainer and as I tried to get the heart rate up it was hard to concentrate with the camera pointed directly at me! I did try to sneak a few funny faces but not sure if these were aired for those back home.

At 11.30am on the dot, our race kicked off.  The start was the usual mayhem with those of us near the back wanting to force our way past a few wheel s at least.  As with every World Cup race so far, this one started with a crash. I was lucky to avoid most of the carnage around the start loop however as I looked up at the timing board I was disappointed to see that I had not made up any places.  Passing during the next section was going to be difficult!  It was hard to remain positive when I was forced off the bike due to congestion and had to run the whole first climb. This is where the leaders make a up a huge chunk of time and unless you have some “super legs” it is nearly impossible to make it up in the remaining laps.  My goal of a top 35 result was still quite achievable however and remained focused on passing as many as possible.

After the first couple of laps the riders started to space out more and passing became easier.  Lap 3 and 4 I actually got to enjoy riding the more technical sections with a clear run at them.  The course still required concentration the whole way around, however at least the added element of traffic to negotiate, had reduced.  I managed to pass the other 2 Australian girls in the next few laps and over the remainder of the race moved my way up from 63^rd to 50^th.  This certainly came short of my top 35 goal; however at least I can say I gave it 100% and did all I could on the day.

Anytime/Trek teammate Dan McConnell finished top Australian coming home in 21^st spot in the elite men’s race.  Chris Jongewaard and Lachlan Norris also rode well to finish in the top 40.

My World Cup campaign has come to a close now and I head back to Australia.  I am a little frustrated that I picked up sickness at such a crucial time and could not race the World’s best while being in peak form myself.  However, I guess preparation cannot always run smoothly and most people will have to deal with some sort of adversity along the way. It is easy to look back now at the things I should have done differently in order to get a better outcome, however I know that I did what I thought right at the time and gave it 100%

Overall I can’t be happier with my results over the 2011/12 Australian Season, having been undefeated all summer and convincingly winning the National Championship.  I certainly felt very proud to be wearing the National Champion’s jersey for these World Cups in Europe and will continue to do so back home in Oz!

I have had a huge amount of support from so many people it is hard to name and thank them all! In particular I want to thank my major sponsors Anytime Fitness / Trek MTB team and Momentum Energy.  Without your support this trip and my dream of competing on the World stage, would not have been possible.