The season is largely over. Time to give you a review of the Endura AlpenTraum. After all, I was able to win this race last year. Things didn't go quite so well this year, but looking back a few weeks...
I felt pretty taken by surprise, when I entered the starting grid exactly 30 seconds before the start of the Endura AlpenTraum in Sonthofen without a number and not fully dressed. Due to the lack of long training sessions, I had actually decided early in the season to start on the short course, but logistically this would not have been possible. So there I stood, fumbling with the rubber gloves, in the light rain in the dark.
By the time the number was provisionally fastened and everything was halfway right, the 800 starters had long since set off and I started catching up on the Jochpass. Only at the Gaicht Pass did they catch up to the top. It was raining and on the descent you really froze. Through the Lechtal it got a little warmer again. And quicker, because the first Beraldo attack had already started long ago - Bertuola drove solo in front very early (when I was still stuck in a traffic jam somewhere).
A constant pace was then set at the Hahntennjoch until Cunico attacked. At first there was no reaction in the field, but then Ludewig blew up the still large group with his tracking work.
I, too, was left behind and couldn't react as quickly: Lude in front, the 3 other Beraldos and my teammate Roman Herrmann - I was at full speed on the rear wheel of the two NetApp Endura pros Schwarzmann and Schillinger - behind them gaping emptiness.
In front of Bschlabs we rolled up again, I couldn't have driven that fast any longer. It was at this point that I realized that things weren't going normally. The legs were closed, didn't open either, the pulse was much higher than normal. But I was still there and struggled over the pass in the group of favourites. I was really scared on the descent, it was extremely slippery - wet and freezing cold. But Imst was soon reached and a few drivers came up from behind.
So we drove to Landeck, while Bertuola was already 4 minutes ahead. Through Landeck, the cheering of the drivers warming up for the short distance motivated them, while Ludewig and the two NetApp pros continued to follow suit. The Beraldos didn't like that at all and they disrupted the tracking work, which made it very arrhythmic. I suffered like a dog during the many starts – I just had no power on the straight. So it was on to the ascent to the Pillerhöhe: Schillinger with a very high pace and immediately everything crumbled at the back, except for the group of eight like on the Hahntennjoch.
For me, the Piller was already an execution - constant 1450 to 1500 hm/hour ascent speed - my battery was empty, so I could eat bars and gels as much as I wanted. In general, I just ate the whole day, it felt like everything was just going by without giving me any strength again. From Prutz it was hectic again - including two stops at the Almabtrieb. Again and again, one of us drove a little ahead to undress, to defecate or to accept food - as did Jörg Ludewig shortly before Pfunds. But the advance turned out to be the latest when Cunico counterattacked camouflaged Attack and from there the race was finally opened.
The new race situation: Bertuola with 5 minutes behind Lude, Cunico, Hornetz and Schillinger - behind them Herrmann, Schwarzmann and Zen - behind me with Thomas Gschnitzer without a chance - at least for us the race went smoothly. I couldn't even help Thomas, I was so floored. In his slipstream I stuffed at least 5 bars and 2 allins into the figure - to somehow stay strong. It made me cry and in this situation I would have been happy to reach Sulden at all (on the direct route - without Umbrail and Stifser Joch mind you).
We returned to the Labe in Nauders, I stuffed what was possible into my jersey, because my provisions in various cars had long been used up. Othmar Peer was also there at the Labe, asked us briefly about the course of the race and explained the race situation to us. Curious: Zen had left Herrmann and Schwarzmann and drove the 2 minutes to the front alone via the straight at Lake Reschen, which in the meantime had been caught by Bertuola again. So there were now six men at the top, behind them Herrmann with Schwarzmann and behind them me and Tom Gschnitzer.
To our both surprise, we were almost able to catch up with Herrmann and Schwarzmann on the Reschen descent, which gave me new motivation. The merger then took place in Münstertal and from the beginning of Umbrail there was another selection – Roman Herrmann and I ahead and, as so often this year, Roman and I showed perfect teamwork. It was stronger and hoping someone else would break in from the front, I rode it all from the front against the light breeze that was getting stronger at the top.
Well looked after and informed by our supervisors, we were able to catch up on the torn-off Bertuola and Schillinger by 3 minutes before the Umbrail. Cunico and Zen had long since separated, followed by Lude and Hornetz. My strength was enough up to the Stilfser Joch and 2 minutes behind I sent Roman downhill to catch up with the other two before Solda. For me it was finally all gone from here, I curved down the descent, turned back at the Labe and drove up the steep ramps to Solda in a relaxed manner - at 39/28 it was torture in itself, but I didn't care.
Just under 9 hours and actually with an amazingly good time, I reached the new finish at the tennis hall in eighth place. The distance was 3 kilometers shorter and unfortunately Roman lacked the time to intercept Bertuola and Schillinger. Nevertheless, a bomb performance from him! The other team riders also did great work - Klaus Baetz was 17th overall and 3rd AK, Helmut Geditz 2nd AK and in the team ranking there was a victory for the Kirchmair Cycling Team ahead of Team Alpecin!
For me, the sportingly ambitious season is now over - and maybe it's high time. I wasn't quite able to keep Ötzi's form, but I also see it as difficult for us to drive the Ötzi and the Endura to victory. Only the Beraldo boys have this claim or the class - for people like Nösig, Lude or me that is simply not possible next to job and obligations.
In the end I'm satisfied with the Endura, but I would have expected more. The legs were then rock hard, the seat meat completely battered and highly overdue. I also had to make up for my sleep deficit from the previous two weeks.
As the saying goes: after the season is before the season and the preparations and planning are in full swing! Now it's time to put on some winter fat as quickly as possible, recover and then start preparing for the season as soon as possible. In 2015 I will also attack sportively again, that's for sure!
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