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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AuthorSavilia Blunk, 20 | XCO MTB racer for Liv Racing Archives
March 2020
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