Wowww!! Loads have happened this weekend!!
Enjoyed getting involved with the citizens of La Bresse, helping preparing ther event. Thursday publicity and Friday and Sat on the course, allowing public to cross the course when no riders coming. Got a STAFF long sleeve, free ticket and plenty of catering. Really helpful everyone. Funny not many English speakers and happy also meeting a few Spanish riders.
Saturday couldn't have a nice spot where I was but male sub 23 were really fast. Very hot day. Saturday night big storm and |Sunday was wet. Poor 9am male juniors. I was in a technical slippery downhill section and loads of crashes. Enjoyed ale ale ale ale to the Spanish 3 riders from Murcia. Then the first big event.: elite female. The day was sunny and the course dried. Got to know different parts of the course. Amazing cleverly designed, pure technical, hard, demanding...perfect! Withing thw village and on the slope of the closest hill. Winner Gunn-Rita DAHLE FLESJAA, at 39!! Annie Last was 8th. Well done!
Elite male...they are horses! It's imposible to ride faster!! Anytime Absalon passed by the crowd went crazy. He crashed at the last downhill tech part but had some seconds still ahead of Kulhavy. Hermida is not Hermida yet. He normally suffers at the start and then remains 4th to 6th... but for the last 2 races 10th and 11th. Good start but then from second lap he was suffering a lot. I could see it written on his face. Not a good result but funny guy! The other strong Spaniard, Sergio Mantecón, who was 9th previous round told me he went too fast uphill and had no oxigen for the downhill and crashed twice in the same lap. |From then on he remained more or less same positions. He finished 16th.
Elite male results:http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template3/layout.asp?MenuId=MTUyMTM&LangId=1
Elite female:
http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOF ... M&LangId=1Taken some pics and vids that I'll upload another day.
The other side of the weekend is on Thursday, after lunch with STAFF my bag was stolen, together with my mobile phone, key cars, roofbox keys, cash, Spanish cards, winter gloves, spd shoes, off road MTB lights (the cheap ones), canon camera, garmin GPS with UK 1:50 maps and heart rate monitor strap ouch ouch ouch!!! pump, multitool etc...That was an horrendous Thursday evening. From Renault garage services they opened my van and, as I had parked 5km away on top of a hill in the forest by the lake we thought it'd be better to move it down La Bresse to Renault garage. AT least I haad a place to sleep and plenty of food. Thursday evening was the time to sneak in the course. Friday also busy sorting out bitys and bobs in internet, cards, etc...Bought a new cheap cam 5 min. before closing shop on Sat. evening and new MTB shoes, mitts, pump and cleats at the only MTB shop there (and not cheap). Hope tomorrow I can ride.
Now awaiting for the keys of the van (Wednesday prob.) and on Friday I'm at Chamonix.
Anyway, just before Boardman riders left they gave me a spare rear hanger without hesitating. The one I had in my bike after snapping it in the last race was an emergency solution and couldn't change to biggest cog. I'll explain later the history of Halfords and rear hanger. These guys are the most stupid guys ever known.