The trip to Czech republic was not so successful, even though everything you do is an experienceJ Sara Mustonen, another Swedish girl, and me flew to Berlin and drove from there to Krasna Lipa. Sara has had problems with a knee the last few weeks so it might have been to hard to start with a stage race, she had to drop out on the second day. I had a hard time the first and second day, my form was no where to be seen… The third day was a TT in the morning and a RR in the afternoon, this day went better even though I did not feel on top of the world. The fourth and last day started with rain from the start, it made the roads very slippery. I felt that it was going better then the last days until we came to a steep hill and I lost the bunch, me and some other girls were chasing the bunch, we could see it, and in a very steep slippery downhill I came with too much speed in a corner and felt that I would not be able do slow the bike down enough to manage the corner and I went straight and fell. I hit my shoulder but it felt ok at first. I got up and carried on for another 20 kilometres, I could see the bunch, but could not really reach them, I also felt that my shoulder was hurting too much so I stopped. I was trying to see my back up vehicle but another car told me that it had crashed. 

When I fell it was announced in the race radio and my vehicle wanted to get to me as fast as possible, so they passed the other cars and girls and it got a bit chaotic when the driver saw a car that was parked. So instead of stopping and get a girl in the back of the car or smashing the car in front he turned off the road and in to the forest, there he hit a cut off tree and turned. The car and the extra bikes on the roof was only dust, it could not drive for another meter. Everyone was lucky and did not get hurt at all! Sara was the only one with a safety belt on and it might have saved her life since her side was the first to hit the ground. 

So a bit stiff and shaken we could start our journey back to Sweden. When I was back home I went to the emergency room to check my shoulder. Nothing was broken but it was a rupture in the tendon in the collar bone joint. It will heal by it self but it can hurt a lot. The only thing that I can do now is to hope that it will be ok for Sunday when I leave for Germany and the next stage race!

Red sun ladies team: Petra, Daniele, Sigrid, Inge, Masha, Jennie, Sara