WEEK 18, 2005:
FANTASTIC VICTORY IN
The exquisite taste of revenge in the World Cup in
I don’t often shed tears of joy after crossing the finish-line, but today was
particularly eventful, with both my own revenge for the last race, plus an
amazingly good result for Lene. Lene’s fantastic results give both of us much of
the motivation, self-confidence and happiness which is invaluable to us for
everything that’s in store for the next months. The support and help I’ve been
able to give to Lene through the winter has really paid off, and it makes me
very happy.
Lene is already proving that she is capable of holding her own amongst the world
elite, and she will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. She works
hard, is goal-oriented, and has the right attitude and a passion for
mountain-biking. Her results today have given her a trump card for getting into
an international professional team in the course of the year. For this season
she has already got a few personal sponsors, in addition to a contract with
It felt especially good today to be back at the top. Once again Kenneth and I
were confirmed in our preparations, consisting of minor adjustments every day,
plus the same set-up and program for the last week before an important race. Our
recipe for success still yields gold and still stands true. I had a good feeling
in my muscles today, and my legs were completely different from the World Cup
opening in Spa a fortnight ago. The third round of the World Cup is in three
weeks, starting in Houffalize in
HIGH STANDARD IN MTB
Since I’ve won a great deal through the past two seasons, I have repeatedly been
asked questions about the present standard in mountain-biking. I’ll just give
you a small comparison that can maybe describe a few of the difference between
mountain-biking and road-racing, and that can also perhaps explain a bit about
the standard. Nicole Cooke, from
This year Nicole has decided to race off-road as well, even though her main focus still is on road-racing. She won the road World Cup, Fleche Wallonne, which I also took part in (I came in as number 11) five days before the first off-road World Cup this season. Nicole did a good job at Spa and came in as number 13, but today she was number 29. This comparison shows firstly that mountain-biking, contra road-racing, are two completely different disciplines, even though both involve a bicycle. One must work hard, training specifically for skills needed in one’s chosen discipline, and be professional at all levels in order to be able to make a mark amongst the world elite. And that’s the case whether one’s talking about road-racing or mountain-biking.
I would go as far as to claim that there is a greater difference between road-racing and mountain-biking than there is between cross-country skiing and biathlon (cross-country skiing combined with target-shooting). In mountain-biking we ride a completely different bike, where the frame, wheel-size and most of the kit is different. The terrain consists of anything but asphalt, the distances we travel are different, and in mountain-biking there is little focus on cooperation between riders within the same team. In on-road racing the intensity varies very much, depending on whether one’s climbing or descending hills, making a break, what sort of team tasks one has been given for the race, in addition to team goals. Technique, concentration, focus and average speed are all different compared to road-racing.
On a round course, like I ride, the race takes around two hours, meaning that one’s giving one’s max (up towards one’s lactic acid threshold) and more throughout the race. If I had gone for road-racing instead, I would have trained in a very different way from what I do today in order to be best in the world in my sport. This is a short version of the difference between road-racing and mountain-biking, but maybe enough to help the reader understand that a comparison between these two very different disciplines is irrelevant.
NEW CARBON FRAME
Today I raced on the brand new carbon frame from
The day in the saddle was exciting from beginning to end. Marie-Helene Premont was in front through the whole first round, with Spanish Fulana and me hanging on her back wheel. I took the lead a good kilometre before the second round, and had six seconds’ lead on Premont as I started on the second round. Then I proceeded to gradually increase my lead through the race, but for a long time my lead was a consistent 20-25 seconds, and that’s not much of a margin, especially on such a flat and quick round as this one in Madrid.
At the most I had a lead of 56 seconds to Canadian Premont but didn’t feel safe before I rolled into the stadium and once again experienced a fantastic welcome from tens of thousands of Spaniards. At the men’s race this afternoon a good 40.000 Spaniards had made their way to the park, Casa di Campa, where the World Cup was held. We did the same course last year, which was the opening race of the World Cup series for the 2004 season.
TWO WHOLE DAYS AT HOME
And now I’m looking forward to two days at home on the sunny coast of
We’ve enjoyed summer and sun
here in
EXERCISE TRIP OF THE WEEK: I
raced Kenneth on the race-course here in
DINNER OF THE WEEK: Mexican evening this evening together with the whole of the
Multivan Merida Biking Team.
ADVICE OF THE WEEK: It’s important to get enough sleep when one has a tight
schedule and action-packed days like we’re going to be having at home.
Sufficient sleep will be one of my main focuses for the week, in order to get
the most possible out of what we plan to do.
Cyclist’s greetings from Gunn-Rita
Multivan Merida Biking Team