Three weeks have passed since the last EWS round and we are still in the Alps, but this time in Italy at La Thuile. To be honest, I wasn't sure how things would go for me here. After Valloire, my body felt a bit drained and I got sick, so I had to stop my training for a week. Fortunately, I got fit in time for the race in La Thuile and was motivated to go full throttle again.
La Thuile was another typical spot for the Alps. There was this incredible view of the mountains that you just can't get enough of, even though the sun rarely came out and we didn't see much thanks to the rain and fog.
Thursday was the first of two practice days that allowed us to check out the five trails for the race and pick our best lines, using the super kappa should drive twice. The stages were about ten minutes long on average, which means that you have to manage your strength well and, above all, your arms mustn't be overstretched.
Probably the most important stage was definitely Stage 1/4, the super kappa. From the last lift station we had to climb up to 2600 meters and from there it went down to the city in one go. It was snowing at the top, which made training almost impossible and you could hardly see anything. Needless to say how cold it was up there. I did a couple of runs on the other stages and had a great time. The routes were a good mix of technical trails with flowy and fast sections. There was a bit of everything and so everyone had a lot of fun in training.
On Friday I tried to check out Stage 1/4 again. Most of the snow had melted, but this time you could hardly put your hand in front of your face because the fog was so dense. It was good to know what kind of terrain to expect, but training is different and so I had to ride the two stages almost blind. It would certainly have been better to go up later, but I still had four other stages to train and I didn't want to catch a cold again in the snow.
race day 1
The weather got better and so it was much easier to bear at the summit. The snow was gone and the wind was light. It was still raining so the course was extremely slippery. My run was pretty poor and I had to focus on where I was going rather than focus on going fast. The terrain was very demanding and as soon as you left the ideal line, you lost valuable time. It went into a very muddy section where it was important to maintain speed, followed by a short, steep climb. Then it was an extremely flowing trail for the last five minutes. But here, too, you always had to be concentrated and avoid mistakes. All in all it was a really demanding stage.
It went well, but good isn't good enough if you want to win races. I had a small crash, which wasn't too good for sure, but I was more annoyed that I was driving a little too conservatively. I played the same game as in Valloire and was just too passive on the bike. I was ninth after the stage but Damien Oton made up some time. I was pretty pissed, at least I didn't want to have to play tag.
Stage two was great fun. After going uphill for an hour, we started the stage. There were tons of curves all the way down to the finish line. It certainly wasn't a stage where you could have won the weekend, but you could definitely have lost it here. There were many slopes that were extremely slippery thanks to the rain. If you had slipped here, it would have gone down quite a bit. I did a good run and had a lot of fun despite the difficult conditions. Although the rear wheel came off quite often, I finished second and moved up a few places in the standings, which definitely gave me a little boost for the last stage of the day.
Stage three was great. At first the stage was super slippery and it was difficult to drive a clean line. Later we went into the forest and the ground there was extremely slippery. I felt good but it seemed like it was taking forever to get used to the conditions in the forest. The roots were wet, but it took some time before I realized that they weren't as slippery as expected. I finished fifth and was a bit disappointed. Rene Wildhaber set a very fast time and took the lead. I was seventh after day one and I knew my safe playing tactics wouldn't work here.
In the evening there was a good meal, I watched a film to relax a little and went to bed quite early, so that I'm in top shape for the next day.
race day 2
My body felt good and I was ready to give it my all.
Stage four was much wetter and rougher compared to the day before, making it even more strenuous. The upper stone section was super slippery and difficult to find your rhythm. I was riding much better than on Saturday but my chain fell off the last sprocket at the end of the stage and caught between the cassette and the frame. It was maddening but certainly not a surprise on such a tough stage. Nevertheless, I was closer to the leader than on Saturday. I knew I would have to crank it up a notch on the last two stages to keep in touch with the front runners, even though they were probably the most difficult stages for me.
Stage five had a lot of flow and some very fast sections. It was a typical stage for alpine terrain. Everything went perfectly and drove a good speed until suddenly someone decided to drive the track on their own and blocked me. I don't know who that person was, but he was driving in the middle of the track and even though I yelled for him to move, he didn't move. It definitely cost me a few seconds, but I still finished second behind Martin Maes, which means I'm fifth in the overall standings.
The last stage was one that was great fun from start to finish. There was some pedaling, mud and just a good mix of everything that makes a good stage. In my opinion it was the perfect enduro stage and La Thuile nailed it with the stage.
My run went well. I was a bit more careful and wanted to avoid a defect, but I still wanted to give 100 percent. I had fought hard for fifth place and didn't want to screw it up on the last stage. I got the best time on the stage and was super happy, even if I didn't manage to make up places.
Big congratulations to Damien for the win. He's another rider who manages to hold everything together and use his speed well...definitely a deserved win for him.
It seems I have trouble finding my rhythm from time to time. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's a little bit of pressure I put on myself but I have to stay calm. I'm feeling better from race to race and I feel like the tracks haven't really played in my favor until now. Some people ask me if I'm disappointed with how things are going so far, but I'm very happy with how things have gone in the last two races. It's a constant learning process. Of course there are a few frustrating moments, but overall things are going well. We're halfway through the season and I'm leading the Enduro World Series. The upcoming races are the ones I'm looking forward to the most and I think I have a very good chance there. So it's progressing!
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