After the race in Lostorf, the team packed up and made the short trek to south west Germany where we would spend the week training (and getting really lost) in the Black Forest. We were greeted in Germany with more hot temperatures and newborn baby cows at the farm where we would spend the week. :) After reflecting on my race in Lostorf, I was ready to refocus and work on the mental side of things before the second race in Andermatt, Switzerland. I spent the week training on the trails out of our back door and enjoying the summer weather in a place I’d never been. Before I knew it, it was time to load the bikes back up and pack for the early departure to Andermatt. It was going to be a busy weekend. We would depart Germany on Saturday morning in time to pre ride the course Saturday evening and get ready to race Sunday, then pack everything up before driving to the airport in Zurich Sunday night. We crossed the border into Switzerland and wound our way into the mountains. The temperatures dropped, and as we began to climb into the Swiss Alps, fog surrounded us and steep rocky peaks engulfed in wisps of fog spread out on either side. Arriving at the venue all I felt was excitement to be racing in such a cool place. It hadn’t even hit me that were racing the next day. I was also more than happy to be greeted with a nice slap of 50 degree winds and dark skies. We kitted up and headed out on course. The course wound around the base of a steep grassy ski slope with super steep short climbs right off the start, off camber grass descents, and lots of technical sections where we spent some time choosing the fastest line through. Overall there wasn’t a ton of climbing per lap but all of the climbing was steeper than I’d ever raced and followed by technical descents which would take 100% focus. After a couple laps dialing in my lines I was feeling confident and ready to battle it out with most of the top junior women in the world. Sunday morning greeted us with cloudy skies and wet roads. There was rain the night before which I knew would change the course a lot. The junior men raced at 9:30 am that morning and as we watched them start, a steady cold rain began to fall all over the course. Hearing about their race only got me more stoked to race on that course. As we lined up at 12:00 the clouds parted and sun peaked over the mountains. We were doing six laps on the brutal course. The whistle blew and we were going. I took the lead at the start and then settled into about fifth up the first main climb. Riders in front were losing pedals up the climb and we were forced to get off and run to the top. I tried to catch my breath as we entered into the first slick descent and get into a rhythm in the pack. I stayed in about fifth or sixth for the first three laps, giving it everything on the steep climbs and staying focused on the descents. There were constantly riders all around me so it was crucial to stick to my lines and not make any mistakes on the final laps or I could lose position in a split second. I was in sixth going into the second to last lap with fifth right ahead and fourth not far off. I attacked on all the climbs to catch fifth and soon realized I had made a gap. On the last lap I battled with fourth, each of us passing each other back before I was able to make a final attack through the feed zone and grow a small gap. I’m happy to have been able to grab fourth in a strong field, just off of third and not far from second. I’ve learned a lot in these past two races and I’m stoked to keep building the experience and learning throughout this journey. I’m so grateful for my coach, Dario Fredrick, my family, community, and team for the support. A huge thank you to Marc Gullickson for making this trip possible and to Julien Petit for keeping our bikes flawless through both weekends. I wouldn’t have been able to make this trip without the financial support of everyone who generously donated to my Rally Me to help me get here. Thank you. Now it’s time to reset and refocus for National Champs in West Virginia in a few weeks!
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The day after the Missoula ProXCT I was packed up yet again and dropped off at the airport to begin a long 28 hours of travel to Geneva, Switzerland. I arrived in Geneva to be greeted by a family friend who I was staying with that week. Then I spent the week adjusting, recovering, and exploring the beautiful city. On Thursday I hopped on the train to meet up with the National Team in Zurich, about 3 hours north. We were staying in Baden, Switzerland, about 30 minutes from Zurich and 45 from our race venue in Lostorf. It was hot when I arrived but there were thunderstorms close by and it was nice to be greeted by late night rain in Baden, after a week of riding in temperatures in the high 80s. The cool temps didn't last however, and the days began to heat up quickly as our Sunday race approached. We were able to get on course Friday and Saturday and I was feeling more dialed than I had ever felt on a course after spending time looking at lines and putting in a few laps. The course started out down in some farmland with a steep, hot, and exposed road climb into the trees. Once in the trees you met the first descent which twisted and turned down dry and blown out corners, punching up another steep climb, and descending again. Out of the trees again and into a long more gradual climb that spread across a lot of the course, and then descending again through the trees, over roots and switchbacks. You exited the trees for another climb, before the final descent on a long fire road through the fields that took you back to the finish. Junior women raced at 1:00pm at the heat of the day, for five laps. At 12:00pm I hopped on my bike to warm up. I was excited to jump into some exciting European racing against stiff competition. Starting my warm up my legs felt amazing and I was ready for a battle with some of the worlds best. At 12:50 we were on the line as we waited in the hot sun for the pro women and u23 women to start. We were right behind. I was third call up. The whistle blew and we surged forward. I missed my pedal once, and again, and in a split second was at the back of the pack chasing from behind. I sprinted to the front and by the first turn was sitting in third. I held on as we hit the climb and the field shattered. I already knew then I wasn’t feeling myself and had left my legs somewhere far behind. I fought up the first climb and entered the first downhill, heart rate peaking and lungs burning in the heat. I was focused on staying smooth on the downhill and pushing to get the climbs over with as quickly as possible. Halfway through the first lap I was being past and knew with five laps to go, it could only go up from here. The next two laps went a little like the first, though I was slowly feeling better by the third. I quickly knew my legs were not there and my mindset changed. I was now just focusing on not letting up and picking off the riders in front of me. With two laps to go I attacked. I sprinted every climb, scorching hot in the mid 90s, as my legs started to come around. Toward the end of the last lap I could see fifth right ahead but never had enough to close the gap. I finished in sixth, 18 seconds off fourth with nothing left, frustrated, and unsatisfied. I did everything I knew to prepare to be my best on the start line, but sometimes there’s no explanation for why it didn’t go as you’d hoped. It’s these races that you learn the most from, and in this sport the experience you gain (aka getting your ass kicked in Europe) is the most important to improve from. This is fuel for the fire.
I am so thankful to have this opportunity from USA Cycling and especially to Marc Gullickson and Julien Petit for the support this week in the pits and all around. But this trip wouldn’t be possible without the support from those back home and everyone who has generously donated to my Rally Me to get me here. It truly takes a village, and I am so grateful to have you supporters behind me. Onwards to next weekend in Andermatt where we will try again, hoping for better legs and a little less heat. First stop is Frieburg, Germany where we’ll spend the week to train and reset. Missoula ProXCT Category: UCI Junior Women Result: 2nd Just a week after returning from Canada I found myself packing up again, this time heading on a bigger adventure, starting with the Missoula ProXCT in Montana. We had a bumpy ride into Missoula, where I met up with the rest of my team, Bear Development and settled in. The next day we woke up to sunny skies with thunderheads in sight. It had rained on and off that week but the trails were draining well and I was excited to find the course in perfect condition during pre ride. I was coming off a hard week of training and a big midweek ride and knew I wasn’t fully recovered yet so I cut the pre ride short. That afternoon I spent doing everything I could to make the legs feel fresh. There were showers on and off that evening which eventually cleared into a bright sunset and rainbows everywhere. Race morning came around fast, only to wait around again until our 2:30 pm start. Although sunny in the morning, clouds were gathering, and I knew it could be unpredictable weather in the mountains. Although not enough to arrive at the venue prepared with leg warmers. :-| A nice sprinkle started as we left for the venue and steadily increased as we got closer to the course. The temperatures dropped ten degrees as we unloaded from the team van and walked into 40 degrees and pouring rain. Because of the rain I didn’t end up starting my warm up till a bit later. 15 minutes into my warm up I noticed my back tire was low. I thought I’d just add some air before my start, it had probably lost air overnight and from travel. Soon though I felt it getting lower and knew it was something more. Back at the tent, 15 minutes now till staging, I swapped my rear wheel as quickly as possible. Completely cooled down now, I jumped back on my bike to spin around before call ups. 10 minutes later I found myself on the line. I had a warm up under me that wasn’t ideal but there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to stay calm and knew I’d warm into the race eventually. The gun went off and we started up the first climb. I backed off and settled in fourth. I was still cold and legs didn’t feel awesome. My focus for the first half of the race was changed, I was now trying to warm into this grueling course and make my way up. On the decent I popped into second and focused on being as quick as possible on the descent. The downhill was fun, fast, and almost, almost, made up for the grueling climb to the top. Before I knew it I was at the bottom, ready to get to business for the second half of the race. I could see the leader right ahead. Through the feed zone I pushed hard. I was closing the gap on the leader and I caught her wheel up the climb. My legs were feeling heavy though and as we reached the last few steep switchbacks of the climb I lost a pedal dropped back a few seconds. I chased the leader down the trail trying to be as smooth as possible on the slick turns. She attacked, and I followed. On the final lap she had about a 20 second gap at the bottom of the climb. I put my head down and left it all out there on every climb. I crossed the line in second and as the first American. I’m happy with how it played out even when my legs were having an off day, and I’m excited to see what I'm capable of in the next few weekends of racing in Switzerland. Time to hop the pond and begin some Euro adventures. Stay tuned…
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AuthorSavilia Blunk, 20 | XCO MTB racer for Liv Racing Archives
March 2020
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