Finally a race that went well!
The weather was much better than last year and I lined up near the front at the start. At 7 am we were off. I rode hard and managed to stick with the first riders to begin with. A bunch broke away and I ended with the first chasing bunch as we careered around the tight corners on the initial descents. Once we reached the flat we rode for about 30 minutes until we caught the front bunch. Unlike last year the pot-belly riders hadn’t made the cut and we had a nice bunch of perhaps 50 riders. Instead of spilling out on both sides of the road like previous years the bunch was well behaved and riding in it was enjoyable.
I was placed well for the turn off for the little cycle way and the bunch in front of me didn’t break apart. The second cycle way on the return down the valley also went smoothly and I passed the nasty bridge that got me last year without a problem. We then cruised down the valley until we got to the last climb up into Tannheimer Tal. My quads were trying to cramp as we began the climb which left me off the back of the bunch. After a bit of climbing they seemed to come right and I rode with a few others until the top. We then sped along the flats to the finish line.
I finished in 47th place overall (25th in my class) in a time of 3:16:42.18 (avg 39.61 km/h).
The weather was nice and sunny unlike last year’s rainy start.
Above left: Cris cycling at the beginning of the race. Above right: Cris near the finish line.
Strava told me this:
And I believed it.
Tannheim Rad Marathon 2013
Time: 3:16:42.18 Dst: 128.2 km Avg: 39.0 km/h Max: 76.3 km/h Ascent: 806 m Avg Heart: 168 bpm Max Heart: 195 bpm Place 47/675