27/01/2008

Bizkaia-Durango, UCI women´s team!

Sorry for my late update, but now I can tell you that I will be a part of the spanish UCI team Bizkaia-Durango. It will be 8 spanish girls and me, so only spanish for me this year. At least I have study spanish for three years at the gymnasium, but the problem is that it was a while ago... So during the winter I´ve borrowed some spanish books for the third year at the gymnasium at the libary to refresh my spanish a little bit.
I will still live in Switzerland since they let me fly to the races, and they seem to have a really nice raceprogram! The team feels perfect for me and I´m really looking forward to the season :)
As it looks now the first race will be in France, 8th of Mars.

Today Thomas and I moved down to Switzerland again. We went by car early this morning and came to the apartment at 5 pm. But I will only be here for five days, cause at saturday I fly to Marbella for trainingcamp in two weeks. I´m looking forward to that too, hopefully some good weather and good training!!

If I don´t manage to update before I go to Spain I´ll try to make some updates while I´m there!

Ciao

07/01/2008



Now when it´s a new year it´s time to make a summery of 2007.
2007 was my first year as a pro and I were in a Swiss team, Team Specialized Designs for women.
The first race was allready 11th of mars, wich is quit early for me. In Sweden the season does not start until the end of april.
In the spring I almost had a race every weekend...until I krasched at Grazia Tour in beginning of may. Got the big chainring in my right leg and had to saw. Got a lot of troubble with the wound and had to rest three weeks. Didn´t felt fit again until Grande Boucle in end of june. Were 15 at the last stage wich was the hardest stage, over Col d´Aspin and Tour Malet. Ended 17th in the general classification and 2nd in the classification for U23.
Directly from there I went home to Sweden for the national championships. First the time trial that went pretty well actually. Were 4th, only 30 secounds behind the winner and 7 secounds to bronze. Unfourtnetly I got sick for the road race...
After this it was time for the biggest stage race in Sweden, with riders from Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland... We were over 80 riders to start and that´s a lot for being a womens race in Sweden! Won the time trial and ended 2nd in the general, after Elke Riedl, a girl from Austria. Very happy with that!
In the middle of july it was time for the European championships in Bulgaria. I got selected for the time trial and the road race. It was over 40 C and it was terrible to go on your bike, even if you went slow. The time trial was a nightmare!! The worst race I have done.
Time for the road race I got used to the heat a little bit and it went quit okey. Were able to stay in the group for the finish and the sprint. Just the first 15 got a place and the rest of us had to chear the 16th place, so I don´t know what I ended.
Directly from there I flew to Germany and Thuringen rundfahrt. The first time I did a 2.1 race. Soo hard!! But I made it :)
After this I went back home to Sweden for the rest of the season. The team didn´t had so many races left and I had to start the work with my new teeth here in Sweden. (Krasched on my face 2004 and hit out three teeth.)
Did some races in Sweden instead. First the world cup in Vårgårda, wich I were 54th. Then some races in the swedish cup, where I ended 5th, then one more stagerace that I won and then finally the swedish criterium championships. Normaly it ends up in a sprint and normaly I can´t sprint. Except for one rider, that went solo, there was a sprint for the rest of us. It was not a normal day cause this day I really could sprint! :) Were secound in the sprint and came at third place, really happy with that!
Since it was my first year I´m quit happy with the season. Got a lot of experience and now I think I´m better prepared for the following season. Tell you more about the future next time...