Ok the day started raining, like the previous night. It was cold and dark and the had no much motivation to race under those conditions. While I was getting ready I felt better and once in the arena talking to Spanish pro riders and a couple from Venezuela all doubts vanished. Time to race!!
First elite male riders 84km in mud. 2 min later my cat and 13 min later elite female doing 63km. It was like an stampede on flat easy terrain. I took it easy, maybe very easy. Since the very beginning bikes and riders soaked in dirty water. First climb and started to pick up riders with bike problems or going slower. Then first downhill I had previously done on Ralphs and rubena scylla (lower profile than Ralphs) and now riding on mud x bonty. Really complicated and technical, but still rideable except a few impossible parts. That was an hilarious recording! Sooo much fun!. SO after these first 15 km I started to ride better, then km 20 or so first feeding area. You were offered dried fruits, dark chocolate, slices of bread with foie or cheese, bananas, oranges coffee or tea and water and some good conversation. Second downhill was fast! And the mud in my eyes was painful and had to slow down I couldn't see very well. Spanish top rider Sergio Mantecon crashed for the same reason and had to abandon the race. From 40k to 60k felt a bit weak, no much food and or water...all the mud here and there, still raining...course was a nightmare to ride, pushing bikes in the flat. Sometimes rear wheel didn't roll for the amount of mud stuck, a couple of times found like little apples that had drop to the ground also around my bike stuck in mud hahahaha!! I noticed also my tyres had more air?? and riding very uncomfortable. It was in fact my fork hardly moved ! Ok, no prob, kept riding..my target of under 6hours, then changed the day before to under 7 would turn impossible. Last part felt stronger, overtaking other riders and laughing loads when looking at their muddy cake faces
So ok..what happened the last kilometre? There was the last steep, rocky and muddy downhill part and done. So I thought it's gonna be funny with nearly rigid forks hahha! Then rear wheel punctured by rock and milk wouldn't block it. 10 metres later I crashed and couldn't find the camera attached to the right of the frame with great footage. Then I started to look for it in the bushes, other riders stopped for some seconds as weel, went up an down, blaming and searing, coursing everything haha!! I was really pissed. I slapped the sign post of 1 km to finish...Then after 50 minutes or so the motorbuike closing the race came and had to resign and finish the race. Then I saw the cam still attached to the other side of the frame and glued with mud hahah!! Hilarious! Aleee ok ok, let's finish this hah!! Glad last 2 hours stopped rain. Finished the last but I could've been mid pack or so. Loads of riders didn't finish!
Bike in worse than ever condition, just the opposite before start that my bike felt faster even than brand new.
My neighbourgs came to take pics, they had given me the day before cake, coffee, offered me shower that was impossible to refuse and washed, ironed and folded some dirty clothes!
The same Sunday left for the ferry to UK, slept on way...I'll never forget this race. It's been the hardest one so far.
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