Trofeo Alfredo Binda, World Cup #2

http://www.photodecola.it/

Me with number 179

Well, what can I say? It was just soo hard. Two longer laps and three shorter laps, totally 120km´s. On the long lap there was one longer hill at 6km´s, and one shorter. The short lap had only the shorter hill.

Started almost at the last position. Tried to move up before the big hill, cause there I knew that it would be hard anyway. But it was not possible, everyone were fighting for there position. In the hill it droped a lot of girls infront of me so it was not dificult to pass, but just very hard. Had to put a lot of energy just to pass all the girls that droped and in the end I couldn´t keep up. The field was divided into two bigger groups, me in the secound, but we managed to come back to the first group. The group was at least a little bit smaller then when we started... Another big lap to go and then this long hill came again. Felt quit good in the beginning but closer to the top they speeded up a little bit more and once again the field was divided into two bigger groups, and I were once again in the secound group. When we passed finish we were 1:30 behind and then it was three smaller laps left.

With only two laps, 34km´s left, we were 4:50 behind. But after 4-5 km´s on that lap they took us out of the race(!) Everyone were very suprised cause we were not that far behind and we were a big group, around 40 girls.

Only 86 girls finished, and we had two girls from the team there. Josune was the strongest at 50th place.

Next week I have no race so the next race will be 6th of april, and then we have five races in 8 days in Holland and Belgium.

Ciao

Ps. Now I know who the easter bunny was. Thank you soo much Sandra and Cornel :)

Happy easter!!

This week has been a good week!

I have had things to do and the days have passed quit fast even if Thomas hasn´t been at home.

Came back from Belgium around lunch on monday. Flew from Paris were we spent the night.

Took a restday and fixed with laundry and to clean my bike, and it wasn´t the easiest. The chain was more orange then grey/black and it was so much sand in it!!

Watched Tirreno-Adriatico and just relaxed.

Thusday it was time for an other route around the lake. With not so much wind it only took me 3:05 this time. Came back so I had time for lunch before I watched the last day of Tirreno-Adriatico. Thomas finished 3rd and I´m so happy for him!! :D

Since he is doing Milano-Sanremo he will not be back until tomorrow night.

Wednesday was a great day! Got a visit from my new friend, Carolin. The swedish girl I met on SVIV.se

Did my indoor training after breakfast and then she came at 2pm. Took a walk in the nice weather over to Rapperswil. Found a nice coffee shop by the lake and took a coffee. It´s so nice to be able to speak swedish, it´s just so simple, you don´t have to think. Just talk, talk, talk... And I´m quit good at it :)

Took the train back cause we started to get hungry. Had bought seafruits with risotto. It´s really good but normally it´s Thomas that makes it, and it taste wounderfull. We tried to make it after the same recipe as Thomas but I have to say that you are still the best on the risotto Sweetie ;) But it was still very lovely!

We had a great dinner, with strawberry for dessert with milk and suger. For me that is soo swedish summer!! I hope the summer comes soon, by the way.

We just talked the whole evening, played some cards and had a great time together!

Today it´s the first day of easter and the basket of chocolate you can see on the picture I found in our mailbox. "From easter bunny" it said :) Hm, I wounder who that could be?!

I´m making some bread that is in the oven right now, it smells so nice in the whole apartment.

I just have to wait until it´s finished before I can jump up on my indoor bike. I´m glad that I´m training inside today, cause outside it´s just wet and grey!

Tonight Sandra is coming over for dinner :) Otherwise I will not do anything special on easter, my family is quit far from here so...

But tomorrow Thomas is finally coming home!!

Happy easter everyone!

Het Volk UCI cat. 1.2

Another wet race!

It was 25 teams and 174 girls to start to this oneday classic. On wet, slippery and tight roads we had 126km´s infront of us. From last year I knew that it´s very important to stay infront because after every corner the group stretch out and get soo long and you have to go with so much more power then the girls infront to stay in the group. Even if I know this, it´s so much easier to say then actually do it! I mean, 173 other girls think the same and it´s all about a fight about the position. For me this is very hard, cause I´m probably to nice, and it´s not always good to be nice ;) We did one big lap at a little more then 90km´s and two small á 17km´s. When we passed finish the first time I were way to much in the back and with 4-5 fast corners in less then 500m´s it got a lot of gaps in the group and I didn´t noticed until it was too late. Tried to chase back together with a girl from Fassa Bortolo in "no-mans-land". But it was not possible to catch the first group, instead the secound group catcht us. Last lap was just about transport to the finish. Came in as 97th girl, not a result to chear about but I were just happy to get to the finish with a whole bike and no scrubs. It was a lot of girls that didn´t finish cause of all the punctures and crasches.

Hopefully it´s a better race in monday!

Ciao

Hard day on the bike and coffee with a new friend

Today I woke up and saw that it had rained during the night, and the sky didn´t saw so much better for the day either. But it was not raining for the moment anyway... Didn´t had time for one of my long breakfasts. Had to be on the bike at 10 am the latest...

Today it was four hours on the schedule. Decided to take the lap around the lake. I had headwind to Zurich, normally it only takes 1 hour but today it took 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turned around the lake and on the other side I had a really nice tailwind all the way down to Schänais, where I turned around again and came back on hour side of the like. When I was there it started to rain a lot and the wind was even stronger. Normally it takes less then a hour from there, but today it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes. I went on my lightest gear and had a heartrate on 150 and could still only make 87rpm. And the rain was like spikes in my eyes!! Not fun at all, but I made it all the way home :)

Afterwards I had to hurry up a little bit. 3 pm I had to take the train to Zurich. Had decided a meeting with a friend for a coffee. It´s a girl I "met" on a website for swedish people in different countries. It´s a really good website if you move to an other country and want to meet other swedish people there. (http://www.sviv.se/)

Anyway, she was really nice and we were talking for 3½ hours! I don´t know if it´s me or if everyone likes to talk that much :) Had a great time anyway!

It´s feels like I´m getting a life here now. Before it felt like I only lived here for the moment, temporary, but now when I´m starting to meet new friends I start to like living here.

By the way, I met a girl working on my flight from Milano. She came to me and asked in swedish, "Sorry but can I ask if you are swedish?" I were so suprised that someone spoke swedish to me and asked if she was too. But she wasn´t(!) She told me that she was an exchange student for one year in Sweden and that she learned swedish then. She was talking really good swedish so we talked a little bit during the flight. She also lives by the like but closer to Zurich and we decided to take a coffee sometime.

Tomorrow it´s time for an other coffee with Sandra and some shopping in Rapperswil. We will watch Cornel´s team presentation. (It´s her boyfriend)

But now it´s time for bed!

Ciao

The first race of the year

(Fabiano Ghilardi-www.photodecola.it)

I flew to Milano saturday morning. The team picked us up at the airport, (me and the other girls). First time I met them, and they are really sweet all of them :) Had some problems to understand their spanish, and my spanish is not the best, yet, but I hope it will come...

On sunday it was time for the race, in rain and 8-9´c. Not the best weather, but I think it´s not such a big problem for me as for many other girls. I´m used to cold and wet weather since I´m training outside the whole winter in Sweden. I think it makes you strong :) But it´s not like a like it... The race was on a loop that was 13km´s, 9 loops and 117km´s. Quit early 7 girls went in a brakeaway. When it was around 15km´s left they had a gap over 1:30 minutes. Then Denis told me to make an attack, and so I did. Managed to brake away from the rest of the group and I got a pretty good gap and when I passed the finish line for the last loop I was so tired, 13km´s left(!)

I thought I never would make it, and I had no thoughts on catching the others infront.

Denis just tried to push me even harder by saying good things in the radio, and so did the girls. So it was just to give it all and hope for the best! Suddenly I saw the cars and the girls in the brakeaway. I was so suprised, and went even harder. 2km´s left I caught them but I got no time to rest, 1km left they started to attacking. I had no power left for the sprint and crossed the finishline as 8th, but first in the classification U23. The team was very happy and so was I!! :D

Next weekend I will do Omloop Het Volk in Belgium, and that will be even harder...

Ciao

Great weekend with friends

Last week was fun... First Thomas came back from California, and we had some nice days together just me and him!

This weekend we spend with friends. On saturday we ate dinner with Sandra and her boyfriend, and Nadine and her boyfriend. We ate a lot of good food and just had a great time together :)

Yesterday we took the car early in the morning to Gustav and Veronica, also swedish cyclists, who live near Lugano were it was a race yesterday. Went on our bikes to Lugano to watch the race. The weather was over 20´c and it was perfect for a coffee in the sun along the course and watch the other cyclist race. Really nice!
Had a dinner together in the evening, before it was time to go back to Pfäffikon again.

Today I´ve only made some bread. Very good! :)
Soon time for my training on my indoor bike. Today it´s 5 times 8 minutes with 2 minutes rest again :S

Ciao