I stopped translating all my reports in English but if you are keen to know what I am up to and what I achieved let me know and I will do it again!
Rütlischwur Gedenklauf
Today was the first race of the Zentralschweizer Berglauf series. Because of the bad weather forecast the race route was shortened to 6.1 km and around 380 m of climbing instead of 9.5 km and 1180 m of climbing. I was not too unhappy about that spontaneous decision from the race organizers as my legs didn’t feel very good. Together with other race athletes I made my way down to the lake where the race was started. Right from the beginning we did those 380 m of climbing. Unfortunately there was no opportunity for refreshment and it was really hot during this uphill part. Somehow I still managed to finish the race but I certainly wouldn’t say that I was feeling great. I hope my legs will recover until next week for the next race.
Blüemlisalp race 2022
Today was my first 10 mile race. Unfortunately I couldn’t train a lot since my last running competition because my calves felt quite sore and I was also sick after my last race. This was the reason why I was only able to do one running session during the last two weeks. The weather forecast for today was quite hot and humid but luckily the race organizers had organized a lot of refreshment points on the race course. Of course I was using all of them which led to soaking running pants which I nearly lost because of that. I probably looked funny to the spectators how I tried to hold my pants while running fast but at least no other runner could see my struggles because I had a big lead on them.
The first 5 km I was running with some other men but after a short downhill I was on my own. At 8 km there was an intermediate sprint which I won. In the end I finished the race in 1:16 h and therefore set the second fastest time that was ever run by a women on this course. I had nearly a two minute lead to the second placed women. All in all it was a superb race and I had fantastic legs.
Nidwaldner Lauf 2022
Usually it is not a good idea to go for a 5h bike ride the day before a 10 km run competition, nevertheless that is what I ended up doing. Of course I also went on a short bike ride the day of the race. Why did I do it like this? This race was planned to be a training race from the beginning on. I did not have huge competitiors. Initially I wanted to do the race together with my sister but due to health problems she had to start in the short distance of 3.94 km. So when my 10 km race started we were only about 20 runners (men and women combined). I managed to get a good start position and once the speed got increased I was in the front group with two other men. Only one men was in front of us and the rest behind. I stayed in this group until the last 1.5 km to go, then I had to take out some speed and went on alone. I did not get passed by any other men and got forth overall with the men. I also run a new 10 km best time – 35.37 min – with this suptoptimal race preparation!
Crit Erfurt 2022
The second fixed-gear race was scheduled for this weekend. This time my journey took me to Erfurt, Germany where my team „Superkool“ organised the race. During the warm-up I could familiarize myself with the course and test out my new handlebar. I noticed that the course suits me and was looking forward to the actual race. We were only six women on the startline. But because my legs did not feel fresh I knew that I had to do something and not wait for a final sprint to the finishline. So in the second out of 25 laps I attacked the field. Nobady was able to follow me which quickly allowed me to open up a gap of 10 sec. This gap got bigger and bigger until I lapped the whole bunch midway through the race. I stayed in the bunch for two laps until I decided to go again. Like the first time, nobody was able to follow. It was though to be alone in the front for the second time because it was really windy. Neverthless, I also knew it would be a good training. So I finished the race alone in the front with an advantage of one lap.
Last man/last women standing Berlin 2022
Actually I did not really have time to do a short trip to Berlin for a bike race. But this was something that I had planned a long time ago. So nevertheless, I did it. By night train I arrived in Berlin. I had slept pretty bad. By bicycle I arrived at the place where my team was staying. After eating breakfaster together we went off to the Kollektiv Bikefair. After a short while we had seen everything there was so see but still stayed. At midafternoon we went to the race location, a go kart track. During a short warm-up we had the chance to get to know the course. Unfortunately I managed to crash. I had probably some dirt on the tire. After the warm-up the woman had to wait for six hours until their race would start. Luckily I could stay in the team bus in the meantime and try to sleep. Then finally, it was race time. Because there weren’t that many woman on the startlist, everyone progressed to the finals. My race did not go very well because I wasn’t able to click into the pedal immediately. A couple of minutes I also went down. In the end though it got better. Then it was time for the semifinals, where the fastest four riders from each heat would progress to the finals. I managed to stay on the bike and got qualified. The finals then went terrible again. To summarize: a bad start, followed by a crash, a lonely ride back to the leading pack, a crash, finish. So I ended on the fifth place. Not really what I was aiming for but probably the best I could do with the tired stay that I was in.
Cross Luzärn 2022
My second cross-country race of my career took place today. Once again I rode to the race location on my bicycle. With me in my baggage I had two pairs of shoes: the trailrunning and the nail shoes. Because the day before was rainy the running track was really slippery today. That is why I decided to start in my nail shoes. Of course I still haven’t done any training in them but I decided to try it out anyway. Unfortunately I had stomach cramps in the morning and quite empty legs. Additionally, I knew that some really good runners would be on the starting line.
My sister and a friend of mine were at the race to support me. The first two out of six laps I was able to lead the womens field. Then two women passed me. I tried to follow them but the track got muddier and muddier and I had more and more trouble to deal with the parcour. But I managed to defend my third position till the end. I am happy about my solid performance in this technical race. The next cross country race is planned to be the Swiss Champs in Regensdorf in a couple of weeks.
STB Bern Cross 2022
Once again I thought I will do something crazy which is why I decided to take part in a cross running race. Of course I now nothing about cross-country running and if so than more about the bike version (cyclocross)… But because I got a free start ticket for that race I decided to buy some appropriate shoes. I tried out these nail shoes once before the competition but was not really convinced about them. So at the race day I decided to run in my usual trail running shoes instead. The morning of the race was a bit stressful because I went on a 2-hour ride before the race. But luckily I made it to the startline in time.
The course distance was 6km and lasted four laps. We were 16 women and 5 man at the startline. My start went really well which is why I could immetiately be at the front of the women’s peleton directly behind the men. But after half a lap four of these men increased their speed and I was left behind with one other men and Céline Aebi. At that point the rest of the women were already far behind us. So the rest of the race I run together with Céline. Than on the last lap Céline increased her speed and I had to let her go. But because the third women was still very far behind I could finish my race without any problems and became second overall.
Silvesterrun Zurich
Because the race could not take place last year due to Corona I got the free starting place for this years edition. I probably would not have started otherwise because I am not living nearby anymore. So after lunch I got on the train to Zurich. Unfortunately the organizers but myself in the second starting block which is for the slow runners aiming to have a race time between 40-50 min. This despite writing on the inscription that I want to start in the fast block. Because of two other times where I already participated in this race I knew, that I would need less than 35 min for the 8.5 km circuit. Nevertheless, I could not change the starting block and started there. Immediately I noticed that there were only about seven other runners who were fast so I could not really profit from a lot of wind protection. In the thrid from three rounds 99.9% of the runners were still in the second loop. This meant that it was really hard to pass them and slowed one down by a lot. In the end I become fifth in my category (the other four all started in the faster starting block) and 11. overall. I am everything but happy about that race and I was even slower than two years ago!
Gurtenclassic shortrace
Once again I did not feel great in the morning of the race. My calves were despite a massage the day before completely sore and were hurting during every step that I took. Additionally, my right knee has been really painful for the last couple of days because a tendon overstrained. The combination of both meant that I could hardly move. But of course I went to the startline nevertheless. I knew that two really strong girls would start as well. But this time I was able to follow Céline Aebi until the last km. There my body was in so much pain, that I just could not increase my pace further despite not feeling exhausted physically. In the end I came third overall.
Trailrun Hasel-Heiligkreuz-First
The second part of my double race weekend was on the way. Unfortunately, my tibial tendon was hurting once again since the last running race but nevertheless I decided to take on the race. My parents also came to the race as a support crew. The warm-up felt okay apart from my legs which felt a bit exhausted from yesterdays Crit race. At the start I noticed one woman in particular which I thought would be a though contender. Soon however I noticed that not she but another women would be my biggest opponent. She was close on my heel from begin on and between us were only about 50m.
After the first third of the race she overtook me and I told her, that she had an open shoe lace. She told me that she already knew that and went on. I stayed directly behind her in her slip stream. We took turns with the leading and after a while one men from behind joined us. On the last km of the race my energy level dropped but that was exactly where my father was standing for the support. He gave me something to drink and to cool down. But nothing helped and I was exhausted, my pace was so slow by that point that my father could walk next to me. The gap to the other women went bigger and bigger and there was nothing I could do to stop that. But I knew from last years race, that the last 500m were going to be brutal and that the race was only finished at the finish line. On the last 200m I saw my mother who cheered me on. I mobilized all the power I had left and increased my speed. Then on the last 20m I overtook the women and sprinted to the line.
I won the race by three seconds and came first woman overall. With a winning time of 46:20min I got the jackpot of 200fr which was given to the fastest women and men who also were faster than the winning time from the last ten editions. I already managed to break that time limit last year but there three other women also beat that time but were even faster than me. So despite needing 30sec more than last year, this time I didn’t go home empty handed.
Conclusion: I won five out of five races which I started from the “Zentralscheizer Berglaufmeisterschaft”.
Crit Race Dübendorf
Finally it was time for another fixed-gear crit race. Once more my race preparation was far from perfect like so often this year. The day before I was once more involved with moving houses and all day long on my feet. In the morning of the race I had a two-hour train journey ahead of me back to my WG room in Zurich. The best thing about the whole thing though was, that the race location was less than two kms away from my flat in Zurich. So I could ride there on my fixed gear bicycle.
We did the warm-up directly on the racecourse. The profile of the race wasn’t too exciting but really fast. The women hat the pleasure to ride with the men. At the start of the race the officials decided that every person who gets lapped is allowed to continue but should make space for the overtaking riders.
There were only four women at the start line, two of them from Italy. I already new them from other races. My start was pretty much perfect. From lap to lap though I got further and further back in the leading group but was still there. I was the only female rider in that ten-men group. After a while I lapped my first opponents. Unfortunately I never new how many laps I still had to do I only knew that in the end we would do 40 laps + 1 lap. After I lapped every woman at least twice my initial plan was to just stay in her group and finish the race a bit more easy. This plan didn’t go according to plan because when we lapped that group they were really slow because they had to break down so that we could pass them. After another two laps my energy dropped quite a bit and I decided to let the others go and finish the race on my own. It was only three more laps and no other rider passed me from behind. So in the end it would not have made a difference If I had stayed in that leading group or not because at the finish line I probably would have gotten the same result in the overall classement with the men.
I won the women race by a big margin.
Swiss Champs Trailrun, Malleray
It already came close to a wunder that I decided to take on this race. Approximately two weeks ago I had to do the Covid vaccination. Unfortunately this didn’t go well with my body because I had already been infected twice so far. I was often feeling sick before the vaccine but after it, it got then times worse. For nearly a week the only thing I could do was lie down, I didn’t even have any appetite left. Since Monday though I slowly started to feel better and decided to start this race eventhough this meant to miss out on another race of the „Zentralschweizer Berglaufmeisterschaft“.
At 9:30 o’clock the race started and I managed to get a good position at the front. But the longer the race went on, the worse my legs felt until the point, where my goal changed from being fast to just get to the finish line somehow without walking. I got passed by about 40 runners many of them females. I got passed from runners whom I usually distance by a lot. This was mentally really hard to manage but nevertheless I got to the finishline.
Next week a double race weekend is ahead. After that I probably need a season brake to recharge a weak body.
Trailrun Mösere
The fourth race from the serie “Zentralschweizer Berglaufmeisterschaft» was on the schedule. Unfortunately, I am still feeling sick most of the time. So in the morning of the race, I felt like I needed to vomit all the time. That was why my warm—up ended up really short and I went to the starting line with a bad feeling. During the first 3kms I was in the front with a couple of men. Then at km 3.3 we had the first drink station, and I was seriously considering to just give up. But I knew my parents would wait at the finish line and my boyfriend would wait somewhere on the course with his bicycle. So I kept going even though my legs felt completely empty. Then I noticed that another women was coming from behind and was starting to make up time. Somehow though I managed to keep the distance to her and finished the race as first women overall with a time of 1:05 for the 11.58km and approximately 900 meters of climbing.
I am not yet sure which running race will be next for me because the Swiss Championship in Trailrunning is going to take place at the same day as the “Wildspitzlauf”.
Swiss Light Marathon 10km
Once again I had to start the race with period cramps. That I was feeling ill since nearly three weeks wasn’t helping either. Nevertheless I picked up my starting number in the morning by bicycle. Then in the afternoon the race started. Unfortunately it was really hot but the organizers organized many cool-down stations and drinks so in the end it was okay. For the first three km’s I was first women but then I got passed by another one. From there on I tried to keep going at a constant rate and was able to do that thanks to another runner who was running directly in front of me until the finish line. In the end I finished second women overall and if you include all the men I came 11. So considering that I was doing the race without actually training for it, it was a really nice performance.
Eastsiders Crit Strasbourg 2021
At first I thought I wouldn’t make it to the start line because my first train connection was late and then even had to do an emergency stop. But luckily it all worked out in the end and I made it safely to Strasbourg. Per chance I met two other people who were also headed to the same Crit Race. Together we rode our bikes the approximatly 10km distance to the starting location. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great so we got wet and dirty at the time we arrived.
At the race course I got informed that there is only one other girl riding with me, all the other were men. So we did the qualification race together with the men. I was soo fast in the qualifiying that I even made it into the mens A final. The other women wasn’t fast enough so she had to ride the B final.
The A final was 33km long and we had an overage speed of 43km/h on our fixed gear bicycles! Despite having a really bad start because I had trouble in getting into my pedals I managed to get back into the group. During the first half of the course I had some good positions at the front of the group but then the rider in front of me droped back and left a gap. I thought the game was over but somehow I made it back. In the end I finished within the top 10 men riders and this despite not sprinting till the end. Because I was first women anyway so I thought I don’t risk anything. The riding technique of the men was terrible anyway.
Trailrunning Rigi 2021
It was a short night between the crit race and the trailrunning competition. It is not that easy to fall asleep with all that adrenaline pumping through your body. Luckily my legs didn’t feel too bad so I was rather optimistic starting into the race. I was at the front of the race from km zero on and could hide myself a bit in the slipstream of the men runners. But around midway through the race I started to notice two other girls a couple of meters behind me. I was hoping that these two rivals would not get any closer so I tried to keep up my pace. Finally the end of the race was in sight or at least I thought it was the finish. Actually it was only the last drink station. So the last meters of the race were quite though but I managed to finish as first women overall with a lead of about a minute to the next women and about five minutes quicker than the second best women in my category.
conclusion: third race, third overall victory.
ZuriCrit Hardturm 2021
The evening before the race I got my new bike and team jersey. This allowed me to try out the new equipement the following morning. A couple of hours later it was already time for the qualification heat. At first everything seemed to go on plan. I was at the front with two, three other girls and got to know the race course lap by lap. But then suddenly a big noise was coming from my back wheel and I though I had gotten a puncture because the back wheel started to feel unsteady. I indicated that I would stop the race and pulled out. There I noticed that I still had air in my tyre. My supporter then found out that my saddle holder must have been lose and went down and that my front wheel was brought in the wrong way around (not my fault). It all didn’t matter too much because once again all women progressed to the final.
In the final I had to start in the second raw due to my bad performance in qualification. From the begin on the pace was high and the two team collegues tried to pull a gap. I managed to jump across and was in the lead with three other riders. The team work in our group was far from perfect. One of the Italian rider slowed us down because she wanted to get her teammate back. The other Italian refused to do any work and then there was the girl from the Netherlands. Whenever she was in the front, the pace was rapid. I tried lap for lap to pull myself apart from the others but they didn’t let me go and win again (The girl from the Netherlands was the only one who didn’t know me).
In the end I finished the race in my leading pack and got forth. It was once again a really cool atmoshpere at the race and I’m looking forward to ride more fixed-gear races. (next one is coming up soon 😉 )
Trailrace Rugghubel 2021
One year ago I did my first ever trail running race at the Rugghubel race. Today, the same race was happening again. My own expectations were a lot bigger than last year that’s why my secret goal for this race was the course record. (that would mean to run 10min faster than last year). If you win the course record you would get around 300fr. So I started the race in the front and was only running with male competetors, all the women were way behind me. Unfortunately though I got some side stitch at the beginning and after that my period cramps started to get bad. Somehow I managed to ignore these issues and pushed on. After a while I was on my own because the best man were ahead of me and nobady came from behind. On the last two kms I noticed that it would get really hard, if not impossible to brake the record. I diminished my pace and settled in a comfortable ryhthm. I crossed the finish line as first women with more than 2min of a lead and missed the record by a bit less than four minutes. All in all I’m very happy with this result.
ZuriCrit Stadion Edition 2021
What a day. What a race!
After the Engadiner Race I could not chill and relax but had to unpack and repack as well as install my new home in a shared flat in Zurich. One day later I was already sitting in the airplane with my sister to our bicycle holidays in Sarajevo. There we enjoyed the beautiful landscape and diligently collected miles and conquered many hills. Already then I knew it would be though to be at the starting line of ZuriCrit one day after we return back to Switzerland but I promised the organizers to be there. My race preparation therefore was less than optimal to say the least. Secretly I was even hoping that I would not have to start because the race gets cancelled or I would not get a bicycle to race with. That our return flight from Sarajevo had a delay of two hours, which meant I didn’t get to bed before 2:00 a.m. the day of the race, didn’t help either.
Food shopping. Unpack. Collecting the race number and testing the borrowed Fixi was the plan for the morning. At the start location my Fixi wasn’t there so I quickly got another bike to test out the course which was in the making. It was a special moment to be back on such a bike after two years without riding any Fixed gear bike and I didn’t feel very comfortable on it. So I was still hoping that I would not have to start the race…
Qualification round: Because there weren’t that many women on the starting line the quali just decided the starting position for the finals but everyone progressed to it. So I used the qualification round to get to know the course and make myself comfortable on the borrowed bike (the same like I used two years ago but didn’t have this morning). I quickly noticed that the course suits me so I increased the speed with two other riders. I finished this round on place three because I didn’t hear that we were already on the last lap.
Final: With the italian fixedgearcrit champion and three other strong riders I found myself at the front of the peloton. The speed was low and nobody wanted to take the lead. The way the other riders rode scared me more than made me feel safe so I soon decided I would attack at some point. Also I knew I would have no chance against these four riders and would end fifth if I stay there. So at one of my favorite, technical corner I attacked and never looked back. The problem though I was only halfway into the race and now had to do everything on my own. But lap after lap I managed to increase the lead and nearly overpassed every rider. In the end I finished the race with nearly one minute of a gap and couldn’t believe what I’ve just achieved. It certainly paid off to get up this morning. 🙂
Engadiner Radmarathon 2021
My first cycling race for a very long time and at the same time the first for my sister Chiara Burch. Actually we wanted to take part at the race „Chasing Cancellara Andermatt-Bern“ but unfortunately we were too late and all the start places were gone. That’s why we spontaneously decided to take part the „Engadiner Radmarathon“. We were looking for a way to compete together rather than against it so we went for the team registration. The problem though, we had to be three riders to count as a team. So we asked another rider from our local club, Roman Holzer, if he could join us. He said yes. We registered for the longest edition of the race with aroudn 200km and 3000m of climbing. A couple of days before the start the distance though got shortened so that we would stay inside the borders of Switzerland. The new edition only passed the mountains Fluäla und Albula.
As soon as the starting shot went we managed to get a good place within the field. But once we got into the first uphill up to the Albula we had to take out some speed. On the top the riders were spread all over the place and we had to take on the downhill more or less on our own. That took a lot of energy out of me. Luckily after a while some other riders joined us and we could profit from the slipstream. Then the other mountain Albula came. Our legs were already tired but we even managed to pass one other female rider. What we didn’t know at that point. She was the current number 4 in the virtual leading.
Me and my sister crossed the finish line at the same time. Sadly one other rider passed us while we were still coordinating our finish. Very surprised we then heard from the loudspeakers that we were the fifth fastes females of this race and in our category placed 4th.
Trailrun Bannalp 2021
The initial plan for 2021 was to test my potential as a trailrunner. Last year I did hardly any running but managed to get some good results at the races. Because of this I wanted to do more of these races and decided against competing at international or national cycling races where a license is required. Unfortunately, in 2021 the first Edition of a Women Tour de Suisse took place. That was a bit sad because of course I would have loved to be part of such an event but my decision had been made. Additonally with school, tutoring and working at 90% during my internship I wasn’t able to do any structured training and therefore I would have had no chance to be at the physical level required for such a race. Also I had no cycling team and couldn’t hope for the support from Swiss Cycling. Another positive Covid-test a couple of days before Easter didn’t help either. Sadly this time I wasn’t spared the adverse effects and am still suffering from it.
But now back to the trailrunning race. Because I was suffering from a persistent inflammation on my right tibialis tendon I could hardly run for the last five months. Three weeks before the competition I decided that I had enough and tried out my running gear. From that day on gave everything to be at the starting line of this years first race of the „Zentralschweizer Bergmeisterschaft“. In the end though I only decided on registration deadline that I would take on the challenge. On the day of the event I felt miserable and thought I had to vomit. But my boyfriend and family came to the race as well and cheered me on. At the starting line I could make out what would probably be my biggest competitior Alexandra Wallimann. I already had a tough battle against her at last years Rugghubellauf. As soon as the starting shot came I took off and lead the race. I felt good and couldn’t make out any other female runner behind me or at least not until halfway through the race. After that things started to get a bitter thougher because I knew Alexandra wasn’t far off. I told myself I had to stay in the lead because I knew once I got passed the exhaustion would sink in and I would not be able to overtake her again. In the end the plan worked out and I crossed the finish line as the first women.
Tour du Jura 2020
At first, I didn’t know whether my race season was already over after one race. I wasn’t even sure whether I wanted to do any bike races ever again. Because that last race had been really frustrating. The nearly empty race schedule wasn’t much help in building up any motivation either. And also my studying takes a lot of energy and time especially during the sommer months. But in the end I thought, I’ve got a license so I better make the best with it.
Needless to say that I wasn’t overly confident when I went to the startline. I knew that I had trained a lot in the past but I also knew, that that training hadn’t been very specific. Only the times when I went out running or did a running race were intense and the rest was more endurance than anything else.
Today’s race was over 900hm and 77.7km. We were nearly 60 female cyclists at the startline, 20 of them in my category (women elite). The pace was fast right from the beginning but not so fast, that I got in trouble to keep up. We had to do eight laps and every time we got to the small uphill the group split. I always made it into the front group but because of the men juniors, the women constantly got stopped so the men could pass us. This meant, that all the women groups came together all over again. This was really frustrating. In the end two women from Germany managed to get away and the rest of us had to sprint for third. I ended up getting seventh. Not a bad result but with a bit of better positioning during the last uphill km it probably could have been better.
Summary: That was my last cycling race this year and I’ve got no idea what I’m going to do next year. But after the two mountain running races which I had done, with a first and a second place, it’s not unlikely that I may do more of them in the future. 🙂
SM Berg 2020
The first race in 2020 took place on the 19.7. It was the mountain Swiss Championship in Martigny. Unfortunately, once again the women had to start with the U19 men. This translates into, race in the front because otherwise you’re predisposed to crash. So the first 22 of 36 km’s I was positioned in the front and doing well. Then the speed took off once again as the Amateur Men who started 2 min behind us reached our field. My energy level dropped quite quickly after that and as we reached the steep part of the race, one after the other passed me and there was absolutely nothing I could do against it. My race was actually over at that point but nevertheless I finished.
That’s not at all how I planned to start the new saison.
Tour du Jura 2019
One last time in 2019 it was time to pin on a number. The initial plan had been: do the 12 exams, go to Bulgaria for eight days with my sister and ride our bikes there and then go directly to Malaysia for another stage race. But this plan got interrupted when the stage race was suddenly sheduld one month later. So REMAX decided not to take part there.
This however meant, that I was able to totally enjoy my time in Sofia. But it also meant, that I spent my time doing endurance training and left out any intensity work. My last intervall session was probably three weeks ago. Well yes that doesn’t sound like the best preparation for a race and it really wasn’t.
Todays course was 8 laps with 1000 m of vertical gain. Right from the beginning the pace was set really high and one attack after the other followed. On the last 20 kms I had to settle in a smaller group because my energy was definetly not there anymore. In the end I got 10.
Züri Crit 2019
The more crazy, the better. That’s why I spontaneously decided to take place at a fixie criterium race. The idea was so extraordinary because a fixie is a bike without breaks, gears and no free-wheel. This means you have to pedal even while making a turn. But that’s not the craziest part because I know how to ride those kind of bikes. I used to ride fixie bikes on the track the last couple of years. But this time was different because the course was not on a regular circular lap but inmidst the city Zürich. For this event athletes from all over the world came here.
I had exactly 30 min of training on a fixie bike which I got from a friend and apart from that no experience at all. But I didn’t show that and got 5. in the qualifying heat out of 16 riders, 10 of them pros.
The final heat was three time the lenght of the qualifying (30km) and we did that with an average speed of 41.4, without breaks! I was always in a super good position and therefore able to sprint for the win in the end. But unfortunately my sprint didn’t quite match the sprint of the pros and that’s why ended up 7.
That race was the best of the whole saison because the spectators were just unbelievable. I hope I will be back on the startline next year.
But for now I need to do my final exams before I get my long-deserved holidays…
Oberbaselbiet 2019
The weather forecast didn’t look too promising this time. It scheduled 30 Degrees. But I promised to some that I would go, so I went anyway.
The race was hard right from the start. We had to do 8 laps on a 8km circuit with 1000m of climbing in total. On lap 3, 5, 7 there was a mountain sprint. That’s why most riders were able to stay in the bunch for the first two laps and then got distanzed in the third one, like I did. But because of the tricky descent I was able to get back into the peloton, luckily not everyone got back and so were 13 riders left. Luckily I was able to organize a bidon-shower during the race and therefore was capable of cooling down a bit. One lap later I got a bidon from a kind supporter of another team. When you always go alone to those races you need to help yourself otherwise it’s just too hard.
When we did the mountain for the seventh time I got gaped again. But like the other time I got back. But that came as a surprise, I did not really believe that I could make it. I also managed to survive the last lap and therefore was in the position to sprint for place 4. Three riders got in a breakaway on lap 7. I gave everything that I had left for the sprint but only got 9, which means last of my group. But I’m still happy because it was a good race and I was the best U23 rider once again.
GP Olten 2019
Once again the luck was on my side and the weather forecast scheduled rain for the whole day. Today’s course was a criterium on a 800m long lap which we had to do 50 times. Every five laps there were points to collect.
Right from the beginning I was able to get some points. Unfortunately though I never got the whole max of five points which means, in the end I had 10 points.
This placed me as 5. Considering that I was hardly ever on my bike the last couple of weeks and I’m not known as a sprinter, this result is extremely good for me.
Tour de feminine Czech Republic 2019
Five stages within four days, that was the motto of the stage-race in Czech Republic. After not knowing whether I should even go to the race, (exam stress) I was glad that I went.
The first stage was 120 km long and had 1400 hm of climbing through a rolling Czech landscape. During the last 15 kms I had to let go the front group. Once again, I was totally overheated and on the finish line close to a collapse. Nevertheless, I needed only 56 s longer than the winner for the stage.
The stage on the second day was a bit shorter (104 km). I found myself within a smaller group at some point and was able to finish the race alright.
All the good things are three. That’s why the stage on the third day was a double-stage. A timetrial was on in the morning and a rolling 71 km in the afternoon. The plan was to take the TT as easy as possible without getting an “out of time”. The thought behind was, I was one of a few from the 150 cyclists who didn’t have a TT-bike. Also I didn’t set any focus on my TT-skills during the year. So I wanted to save as much energy as possible in the morning in order to ride a good stage in the afternoon. The plan worked out perfectly. During my TT it was raining cats and dogs and I was in my element. I was enjoying it that much that I ended up riding 3 minutes faster than the previously calculated maximal finish time. The luck was on my side because in the afternoon it rained again. I was so happy about that, that I was able to sprint for place two in the end. I ended up 25. But that is my best ever result in a stage race and I am super happy about it.
The last stage was 91 km long. It didn’t look like it was going to rain soon and so I cooled myself down with some water on the starline. My team was going for the immediate sprint on km 7.9. That was the first time that I helped to build a sprint-train. Shortly before half-time I got distanced from the front group and found myself in a smaller group of 20 riders. Luckily the team car passed me at that point, and I was able to get a shower from one of our staff member. The max temp on that day was only 22 degrees. Nevertheless, I suffered a lot because of it. Then finally, during the last 6 km it rained again. I finished that race in the top 50.
In the general ranking I placed myself as 56. Which means I am in the better first half of all classified riders.
Swiss Champs Thurgau 2019
The most important race took place today. My motivation though wasn’t skyhigh. Two weeks ago, I’ve already had a look on the parcour. On my opinion the climbs were too short but steep and the downhill too easy and too late.
Nevertheless, at 7:30 a.m I made my way to the starline. The first four laps were on a relatively flat course with only 120 hm of climbing per lap. I wasn’t struggling too much with it and was even able to animate the race.
After that, two laps with 320 hm of climbing followed. With high speed we went into the first hill. At the end of it I wasn’t in the front group anymore and had to ride with a group of 5 riders.
As we passed the feed zone I was lucky enough to get a bottle of water which allowed me to cool down a bit. At that point I was overheated and had trouble with breathing. As we rode that hill for the last time, we did it a bit slower. This though didn’t mean I had not to push to the max. I was really suffering by then.
In the end my sprint for place 9. was terrible which made me finish as 12. The good thing is, I was the best U23 rider!
Race Steinmaur
Once again I was the lucky one and was able to ride to the startline of today’s race. On the schedule was a 78 km long hilly course which was ridden together with the U19 boys.
The speed was really high right from the beginning. I survived the first 1,5 laps in the first group but had to let them go as we undertook the second uphill. After that I rode with two other cyclists. After a while we were able to collect a lot of cyclist from ahead. Because we weren’t the only ones that struggled with the pace in front. But in order to see all those riders again we had to ride fast. I was only able to take a short breath in the downhill. Even on the flat we hit 40km/h.
It was extremely hot (or at least in my opinion) which made me suffer a lot. After 43 kms I once again had to let my group ride on and rode to the finish line on my own. The good thing, nobody was able to overtake me from behind. The bad thing, it wasn’t getting any cooler…
I got 9. out of 15 women
Pfingstrennen Ehrendingen
The race took off an hour away from where I live. So I was able to go there on my bike. Todays race was a 7 km course which we had to do 12 times. The difficulty however was not the lenght but the fact that we had to do it with the U19 boys.
Unfortunately though there was a crash at km 22 excactly in front of me which made me go down aswell. Luckily the bike didn’t look damaged. I had only lost one of my drink bottles and got a bleeding knee. I was able to chase back the peloton with another man who had crashed aswell. After two long laps we finally made it back. 20 km later though, my energy level was going down to zero and I had to let them go. The last three laps I was riding with another girl. In the end I came 8.
Omloop van de ijsseldelta WE 1.2
After an approximately 10 hours drive to the Netherland on Friaday evening we finally arrived there at around midnight. The race started the next morning and was a flat 132 km race around Zwolle. The wind was blowing that strong that at one point it was not even sure whether the race could even take place.
In the end the start shot went off and already after the neutralisation zone the first echalons got builded. The whole Remax Cycling Team was in a 20 cyclist group right behind the front group. The race was extremely hard and our group got smaller and smaller as the race went on. As soon as you were on the edge of the wind you had to let go and your race was over. Apart from that nearly every rider once rode/fall in the ditch or touched the grass.
Unfortunately I lost my bidon at around 10 km into the race because there was something wrong with my closure. I tried to fix that and at the same time someone touched my backwheel so I had to let go of it. Our staff was positioned at 95km to provide us with new bidons. Which meant I had only half a liter of liquid for the first 95 kms. That was really hard for me. Usually I drink about three bottles in that time…
Then finally I got that bottle at 94 kms. But the happiness didn’t last long. One km later the race organizer told us: „The race is over“. We thought we didn’t hear right but it was true. Apparently we rode too slowly (At that point we had more than 37km/h in a wind which was almost an hurricane!). We were all really frustrated and once we saw that only 28 riders crossed the finish line out of 115 we couldn’t understand that decision.
Grand-Prix Cham-Hagendorn WE 1.2
I was in doubt whether I wanted to take part in todays race or not. I was barely able to spend time on my bike during the week and was constantly suffering from headaches. Which was still a late-effect from the crash in LX. Finally though I decided to try this 111.6 km race out. Considering the fact, that it was the most important women race in Switzerland.
Already from the start on the speed was very high and we were just flying over the hilly course. At about half-time I lost contact to the main-group because of a nearly-crash. I rode in a smaller group for the next two laps. Then we managed to get back to the front group. Unfortunately though our legs were already more tired then those in front and so our group regrouped again after the climb. The following laps were ridden in a quite easy pace. Only in the last of those 12 laps three women attacked from our group (15 cyclists). The rest of us sprinted for place 45. I managed to get 51.
Regarding the circumstances I’m quite happy with that result.
Now it’s time to recharge the battery before taking on the next WE 1.2 race in Holland in two-weeks time.
Berner Rundfahrt
With tired legs and a body still stamped from the crash last week I made my way to the start line. When somebody rode into my front wheel 5 km after the start my disc wheel started making funny noises and it didn’t look proper anymore. So that was the moment when I really started to get worried. The 3,5km long and approximately 5% steep incline right at the start was already hurting on the first round. Unfortunately though two more would follow…
I had to let a lot of cyclists pass on that first hill. In the end I was stuck between two groups in front and one behind. I decided to slow down a bit and joined the group from behind. This seemed to be the right decision. We were around 8 cyclists and harmonized quite well. We rode a steady and fast pace. Shortly before the second finish-line-passage we saw the 10 women of the group ahead in front of us. We managed to join them right at the line. At the same time we lost three of our riders because they were juniors and only had two laps to do. So our timing was more than perfect.
Luckily the third and last lap was ridden much more slowly. (considering that at that point even crawling was hard enough for me). There was no point in going any faster because the groups ahead had around 8 min lead and from behind there was not much coming.
In a mysterious way I managed to cross the finish line as fourth from my group. Which resulted in place 14.
I am very glad that I was able to finish that race. Seemed everything to be against be today.
Festival Elsy Jacobs
Hello Luxembourg. Once again I was able to take part in a stage race with the REMAX Cycling team. The first stage took place on the 10. Mai and was a 2.7 km prolog. I survived but wasn’t able to show off but that wasn’t unexpected. Short efforts are not really my strongest point.
The second stage was a relatively flat 109 km. I was quite happy about the first 38 kms because there I managed to stay in the front of the peloton. Then we had to do a 1,4 km climb. Somehow I was still on the end of the peloton on top of the mountain at one moment and a couple of seconds later I found myself behind a girl who opened a gap. I couldn’t close it and so we had to see how the big group was riding away. Some other girls were coming from behind and so I could make it back to the peloton. Unfortunately, though, I was full in the wind and so had to let go again.
I was really frustrated after that. But what can you do…Enjoy the rain and save energy for tomorrow! Had to finish in the Grupetto.
The last stage was on the 12. Mai. It was a hilly 111 km race. The first 50 kms were the same like yesterday. So that meant the same long 1,4 climb… This time I made it better and stayed on the group till way after the climb. Actually, until the 80 km mark. There someone pushed me from the bike. I crashed hard on the ground and my handlebar was looking in a weird way. I wasn’t thinking about the crash too much. I used all my adrenaline to get back on my bike and kept riding. I was on my own but could make out another girl in front of me. Soon after I caught her and we rode together for the next 1,5 lap. Then I was too exhausted and had to let her go. This meant I was on my own for the last 1,5 laps. (15kms). It was so hard. I was giving everything I could and ignored my pain and everything else.
I made it to the finish line before anyone from behind was able to get close to me. But once I reached that line all the emotions, the effort and the crash came together. I had trouble with breathing and felt like vomiting. It took all my strength not to pass out and to keep breathing. I’m so glad that I finished the race even though I quitted it about 10 times in my head. Fall down, get up, straighten crown, carry on.
Prix du Saugeais
Snow in Mai. Yes you got that right. Today, 5. Mai I went to France in order to take part in a 51km race with roughly 1000 hm of climbing. This was the first race which I was doing with my new team REMAX Cycling. I was really excited because I love to race in minus temperature. That’s when my body works best.
We had three laps to do. The first one was quite easy because nobody did a proper warm-up beforehand as it was just too unpleasant. Then a small group went. We had two of our teammates in that group so me and the other two of my team didn’t chase and just stayed in the main peloton.
We always went full-on on the uphills and then nearly stood still again. So it was very difficult for me to stay in the group. But fortunately I was able to chase them back on the downhill as most of the girls were just too scared to go fast on the wet and slipperly surface. But I loved that section even though I nearly collided with a cat on the second lap…
Then on the third lap once again I got distanced from the peloton just before the top. So I gave all I could. Surpassed everyone and went solo away. It was still 10km till the finish line so I never really intended to stay away till the end but thought I would test how far I could go. It didn’t take too long till they had me back although the gap had been huge at the beginning… (after the downhill).
Then a bit later, one of my teammate attacked with another girl. I was a bit to slow to react and couldn’t stick to them. So I was trapped on my own between the two in front and the main bunch behind me. Once again I gave all I could and put my head down and rode as fast as I could. I stayed away till the end and secured a 7. place.
L’enfer du chablais
On the 14. of April the second race took place in Switzerland. For me it was an early wake-up-call as I had to take the train before six o’clock in the morning in order to be at the startline at 10:15 am.
The weather was supposed to be wet and snowy but it turned out that wasn’t the case in the western part of Switzerland. There, we only had to manage the wind and about 5 degrees.
The gun went off and so did the race. My legs were full of lactate after about 5 minutes and I dropped out of the main group. In the second round (out of 10) I made it back to the peloton but was forced out again very soon. From there on I was able to stick in a group of about 6 riders. It was a really really hard race because there was a lot of headwind and my group may not have been the front one but that didn’t mean we took it easy… My heartrate never really slowed down once the race started so I was pretty exhausted at the end of it.
The fun part about the race was, that every lap which consited of 9kms, had 1.5km off-road. That’s why I mounted my cheaper pair of wheels the day before. Luckily they did a good job and I didn’t puncture.
GP Crevoisier-Tour de la Courtine
On the 31. of March it was time to launch the start of the Swiss races. The first race took place in the canton of Jura and was 75 kms long with a 2km uphill on each of the 5 laps. I felt good during the race. There where a lot of attacks happening. I went with a couple of them but none survived untill finally one group made it. Unfortunately I wasn’t in that group. So after that group was able to make a gap to the mainfield the tempo dropped immensely and only got fast on the uphills again. That was quite annoying but there wasn’t much that I could have done. We had a strong headwind and it wasn’t much fun to be alone in the front. In the end I was in the second group and we sprinted for the ninth place. Sprinting is not my strongest leg so I was taking it a bit easier for the last 700m and lost about 10 places because of that…
Stage race Setmana Ciclista Valenciana
From the 21-24. February I was taking part at the stage race: Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. This was made possible through the team Remax Cycling who was able to take two guest cyclists with them. It had been four unbelievable good race days. It was the first time that I was able to race with the women whom I’ve only known from the TV and social medias so far. It was superb.
My expectations for the race were modest. I thought, if I make it to the finish line on the first stage that this would already be a huge achievement for me. Because my memories on my last stage race were still very vivid. That had been 1,5 years ago. I had been in France with the Swiss Cycling team and I had started at the race: „Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche“. Unfortunately that race had already ended for me on the first stage, after the first 10 km because I was syncopated.
That is way I made it to the start line of the first stage with a queasy feeling in my stomach. But my worries have been without any good reasons. Very quickly I found my way around in the big bunch of 170 cyclists, most of them pros. I was even able to make it to the finish line with most of them and only had to drop out for the endsprint.
And so it went on every day until I made it to the finish line of the last stage without any crashes and a big smile on my face.
That race gave me a lot of self-confidence. It was also a huge motivation for me to spend all those hours outside in our cold winter. Because I knew my shape was going to be tested very soon.
Furthermore that race gave me the opportunity to line up for another stage race with the Remax Cycling team. More of that soon. Stay tuned…
Failure is when you stop trying 