The weather was changing from sun to pouring rain on the way to Stockholm and I was thrown between hope and despair when thinking of the race! The sun was out as we started, at least something good!
The Lida Loop race has a tough start, straight up a short steep ski slope, so your heart rate will hit max from the word go. Then the big field has to narrow down on to the gravel road, so it is very important to get a good start. I could see Emmy just in front but I did not know that Angelica was in front until I passed her, just for her to pass me a bit later. We were together for a bit and we could see Emmy now and then.
It started raining as we hit the technical sections and the roots felt like ice patches under my bike, got some flash backs from the rainy day at Sani coming down Oumkamas… I had to concentrate more on just getting over the boulders (yes we have them in the forest in Sweden…) and the roots then to push hard and race. I lost the others here and after the first loop going out on the second I was already 1,5 min behind Angelica and just under a minute behind Emmy. The second loop was the most technical one and by now it had started thunder and we had some lightning just above us, a bit scary at times, and the rain was just pouring down. I lost a lot of time on this part, I would have loved this section in dry conditions!! I got a bit surprised when I went over a ditch and my bike sank down to my knees and I had to pull it up, it got stuck in the mud!
The third and last loop was more rideble and I felt that I could push a bit again, I definitely had some power left in the legs and could pass a lot of the guys that had passed me on the technical sections.
I guess I have to train more in the mud, it is just not raining enough in South Africa (during the summer…)
At least I got another podium position behind Angelica who won and Emmy in second place.
Now I’ve got a few weeks of hard training waiting in preparation for the Marathon World Champs on the 29th of June in Austria! Looking forward to that!
