Field report by Marion Wittler / TEAM GREEN'N FIT
On the weekend of September 23rd to 25th, the Rothaus Riderman in Bad Dürrheim took place, in my opinion, the most beautiful race of the GCC series. The Black Forest is not exactly around the corner, but the long journey from OWL is worthwhile for three stages: The weather promised to give everything again, and so nothing stood in the way of an attractive cycling weekend.
Stage 1: Individual Time Trial, 16km - 200 meters in altitude
Due to work, I was only able to set off on Friday morning. My start time for the first stage was scheduled at 16:15. So start early so as not to get stressed. Nevertheless, it was more or less out of the car onto the bike – but we take it as it comes. I felt a little queasy when I saw the material with which the majority of the starters climbed the ramp... time machines, discs, time trial helmets, time trial suits... always looks mighty impressive. And the starting list gave me a lot of respect... quite a few Bundesliga riders were at the start - many unknown names from the Netherlands, Belgium or Switzerland, among others. For my part, I'm always happy when I don't fall down the ramp and so I accepted the time trial as a necessary evil - two nice stages should follow. So grit your teeth and through. The time was ok, but I wasn't really satisfied. After all, it was enough for the 2nd place in my AK (16th overall) and I could look forward to the following two days.
[blog style=”def” cols=”2″ display=”specific” specific=”55208″ posts_per_page=”0″ offset=”0″ pagination=”no” ad_id=”0″ ad_count=”3″ ad_repeat=”yes”]Stage 2: 110 km - 1700 meters in altitude
Sleep in first! Grateful starting times always create a holiday feeling at the Rothaus Riderman. The weather did the rest! So at 12:30 we went in a good mood on the track. With the starting field, I had no illusions that I could assert myself in the front women's field, and so I saw the situation as quite relaxed. Drive what you can and arrive safely was the motto. I've known since Ötzi at the latest that my mountain form isn't bad, so I wasn't worried about it. And: it worked. Good group caught, the climbs were driven moderately so that there were still a few grains left for any attacks. Was really fun! And then the big surprise: It was actually enough for 6th place overall and victory in my AK. So I was allowed to put on the leader jersey of the AK Master II in the evening. I was admittedly a bit surprised. Unfortunately, my tick is such that the ease with which I started the race was gone... I had the feeling that I had to confirm that now... How can you cause yourself such unnecessary stress?
Stage 3: 87 km - 1150 meters in altitude
The night was restless... somehow I couldn't sleep well... but sleep is also overrated... so at 11:00 a.m. we set off for the last stage - again with wonderful weather, but for me a little less relaxed than the day before. And yet it worked again. Found a good group again, didn't burn out on the climbs again - everything was done right. In the end, I was rewarded with 7th place overall and again AK 1 - jersey successfully defended in the overall ranking.
And finally ... It went better than I had hoped and I am completely satisfied! Manuela was also able to defend her yellow jersey more than confidently despite a threatening flu infection. Chapeau!
Only Jonathan was unlucky, as he had to give up the race on the first stage due to a technical defect. I'm sure next year he will demand revenge! And regardless of the results, it's always nice to meet fellow cyclists from nice teams, like the girls from Moskovs and Team Paintrain! Guys, you make cycling a lot of fun!
Thanks to our sponsors, who, as always, sent us well equipped into the race! Cycle your way! See you at the season finale in Münster!