I am finally back home in Falun, and it feels soooooo nice to be back here to relax a bit, but as usual when you relax your body feels that it is time to get sick… It is not bad, just a bit of a sore throat, probably just the body telling me to take it very easy now, especially since I did 12 races in 18 days in 3 different countries and 2 different continents…. It might not be the racing your body takes strain from but all the travelling.
So since I last wrote I’ve done 3 more races. I only had 2 days in Sweden before the next race. It was a 2 day stage race and the overall was part of the national series. The first day was a road race, it was only 56km tho, but for the first time I did not complain about having a short race, it was 6 degrees when we started and I was super cold, I even raced with my winter gloves!!!! I just wanted it over and done with. It felt like everyone was a bit off this morning, it was a few attacks and break aways but nothing that lasted until the last 5 km when a junior triathlete (she did her first road race ever!!) broke away and no one chased since no one knew her… and she stayed away and won. I got second in the sprint so got third in the race.
Day 2 was a 30km time trail, my favourite thing!! The weather was a lot better, sunny and about 15 degrees (I know you South Africans are thinking, what is that better???? Yes, for us Swedes it is….:-))
I did an alright race, did not get up to the speed I normally keep but was also a long time since I did a 30 km TT, it is always hard to know how hard to start not to get too tired in the end. I was in the lead at the turnaround point but lost time at the end. Finished second, 19 seconds after Malin (same girl that beat me in the first TT of this season). So also finished second overall and that meant that me and Malin have the same points in the national series so far, but she has more wins so she gets the jersey.
After the stage race I got one day of rest before the last race this hectic schedule. It was “Kinnekulleloppet” We start at the bottom of a long and steep climb and then go on to do a lap of 11km that includes this hill, the finish is at the top. It is one of the hardest races in the country. Our champs was on this course last year.
Once again I had to say that it was too cold to race, about 10 degrees and overcast, I was cold and had nothing in my legs or my body and I just wanted to go home… I actually wonder why I started that day… Think that sore throat was starting that morning as well, and 3 of my team mates from the China trip was in bed with a cold….
The ladies started with the junior men and that was good since we were only 11!!! The second time up we were only 2 left in the bunch (that is how hard that hill is…), I lost the bunch at the top but got back, next time both me and Sara lost the bunch but we got back again. After that it was a break away from the juniors and no one chased so we could sit with them, even tho it was still hard for me every time up the climb. After the 7th time, when we had one lap to go, I lost the bunch again and they went too fast this time for me to get back and Sara managed to stay, so I got second about one minute behind her. The next girl was about 20 minutes behind us!!
Time trailing
Prize giving after the 2day stage race
Going up the hill with the juniors
Prize giving after Kinnekulleloppet