This time of year I normally have only little physical activity, this year I’ve been training many hours! The reason is the upcoming stage race Cape Pioneer.
With my 6th spot at the time trial world championship I not only had a blast of an experience, I also got the confirmation, that my shape is good. When returning to Denmark, I first took a few easy and relaxed days and then started doing plenty of long rides to get used to the many hours in the saddle, which stage racing requires. It’s almost been like a small training camp, especially since the weather has been the most wonderful autumn weather ever! The beautiful colors in the forests and country sides have really kept me going.
I felt, that my body slowly grew stronger for each ride. It’s weird, but sometimes the body needs some hard training to really get going. I felt I’ve reached that point. Now I slowly start getting more tired, both mentally and physically. To make the training a little easier I took part in a local marathon race (“Kongesporet”) last sunday. By “easy” I mean, I didn’t have to pace myself, but got paced by the riders around me. 4h40min of bumpy trails with lots of cornering was a great race effort! Halfway through the race, my hand was so tired from holding on to the handlebar, that I started to wonder, if I would make it through. Luckily I did and held on all the way! It was the first long and hard ride back on the mountain bike since my thumb injury and my hand passed the test. Only a few hours after crossing the finish line, my thumb was back to normal. I’m really looking forward to the Cape Pioneer, where I’ll team up with Ariane Kleinhans, who is quite an expert on the marathon racing.
Besides the training, I’ve spend time catching up on school. This semester, I’m taking courses in pediatric dentistry as well as orthodontics. Having children in the dental chair is pretty cool. At first I was like “how do I manage getting them lying still and do what I tell them?”, but actually it is almost easier, than the adults 😉
What also has been taking some of my time and a lot of my mental energy, is the concern I’ve had since my Time Trial bike got stolen! I left Italy wednesday morning after my race, and my bike was with the National Team in the basement of the hotel. They left the following monday, but had all equipment stolen the night before departure! So if anyone sees this S-works Shiv TT, please let me know
