Hmmm, what to say? Last year was much better.
Leonie and I drove to Lienz on Friday evening. On Saturday we did a couple of klettersteige, and on Sunday we did the Dolomittenrundfahrt. I was pretty happy and a bit surprised how the race went last year. I got 23rd place in my category. This year it was a little different. Let’s start with some nice pictures of the klettersteige.
Above: Leonie and I went and did a couple of klettersteige before the race. Here I am at the start of the Pirknerklamm.
Above: The route was nice, just above the river.
Above left: The route was officially closed due to damage after flooding or something but we decided to check it out anyway thinking we would turn around if it was dubious. Above right: Leonie finds bits like this a bit spooky but she did well.
Above left: Definitely a nice route up the river. Above right: We had to climb out of the klamm at the end of the first section past a big waterfall.
Above left: The second was more open. Leonie tries to keep her feet dry on the river crossing. Above middle: The second section was scenic like the first. Above right: We tried another klettersteig after the first near a small town.
We both started in the elite block again. Last year the race went from zero to full speed at the gun. This year they neutralised the start a little and the pace wasn’t so extreme. We still had a police escort at the front but no police helicopter this time.
There was a crash in the bunch in front of me not long after the start but I managed to avoid getting tangled up amongst the cyclists and continued. I wanted to get a good bunch so rode up near to the front at the beginning of the first climb and cycled as hard as I could. This worked quite well for about half of the ascent and I passed many people. It didn’t work so well for the second half and a few people passed me and many people got away up the road.
At the top of the climb I hooked onto the back of a bunch and stuck with them for quite a while but I wasn’t feeling particularly springy and fresh and I realised I wasn’t going to be able to hang about with them for the entire race.
I kept up for a bit along the rolling course but then slipped back to another bunch. This continued for much of the race until I had slipped a long way back down the field. I was feeling even less springy by now. The climbing is essentially over around 80km and around the time we reached the valley back to Lienz a bigger bunch caught up again and I hung on to that. We made a good pace down the valley. I didn’t bother sprinting at the finish.
Unlike last year I didn’t go back to get my camera as I was pretty sure Leonie wouldn’t be far away. In fact, during the race I was expecting her to come flying by in one of the bunches. I was right, she rolled across the finish line about 10 minutes later. Far too close behind me for comfort! Probably she’ll be faster than me next year.
We took some posy photos at the finish line and complained a bit how we both had bad races. We headed back to the camp site and got ready to laze until Leonie found out that she had got 3rd place in her category. Hmmm…
Above: Leonie at the prize giving.
Above: Leonie did extremely well getting 3rd place in her category.
Above: Leonie posing with her trophy.
After the prize giving we did some premium lazing.
Strava…
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