In Italy

Finally I have internet!

The time after La Bira was a little bit hard for me. Felt really bad in my legs...

Did a national race five days after that went ok, were 4th, but my legs haven't been worse this year!
Stayed with a friend of my swedish team, at her parents after this and waited for the swedish championships... Thanks for letting me stay with you!!

A half week after it was finally time for the swedish national championships. First the time trial at wednesday. Haven't done a worse time trial... Ended 13th :(

At the road race my legs were a bit better, but far from good. It was one small group away were we had one from our team, but with only two laps left it went together. Only Emilia Fahlin were away alone, who escaped from the small group just before we caught them.

On the secound last lap Emma and Susanne went away in the big hill and caught Emilia. We tried to catch them but they were too fast...

In the end we were a group of six, and we sprinted about the 4th place. Crossed the finish line as 7th girl.

Emilia Fahlin was the smartes of the three infront and won solo! Congratulations :)
Emma took Susanne in the sprint and took the silver.



After the championships I went home to my parents in Stockholm just to re-pack my things, cause the day after I flew to Italy for the European championships in Italy.

Did the time trial the day before yesterday. Went quit okey, felt much better in my legs!! Got the 17th place.

Today it was the road race. Very hard and very hot!! In the last hill 11 girls got a gap that the kept to the finish. Marie and I were in the secound group and with 3km to go Marie tryed to get away, but the group went after her. With a little bit more then a km to go I tryed to go. Came away, and one girl from Italy came with me. With 250m left I saw the group coming closer so I started the sprint. Two girls caught me, and I ended 14th.

Directly after the European championships I went to the start of Giro d Italia. Did the prolouge today.. Went really bad, were so tired in my legs!! Tomorrow it is 131 kms. I hope they take it easy.

(photos taken by Fabiano Ghilardi)

So long,
Catrine

On my way up to Falun and Sollerön

Now I´m sitting on the train up to Falun. Jennie (from my swedish team) is coming and pick me up. Then we continue to Sollerön together with her parents in their camper.
Tomorrow we do 127km´s on a hilly course. Good training before the championships that is going to be very hilly! The time trial is even worse I heard :S
The day after it´s a criterium. Looking forward to the weekend!

And then it´s time for the swedish championships!!

I will go directly to Italy and the European championships from Falun, and from the European championships to Giro d´Italia. (As it looks now it´s possible. I start the European championships at 9 am 5th of july, and Giro d´Italia starts 8pm 5th of july with a short prologue).

I hope I´ll have internet during the time so I can update in between.

Take care everyone!

Short report from Sweden

I´m now in Sweden, at my parents. First time since christmas...
Came from Spain sunday night. Did "La Bira" with the team last week. It´s my teams homerace, goes in Bizkaia. A really good race I have to say! Four days with five stages. One time trial.
First two days went good. Were 34th in the general after these days, but then I lost some spots the third day with two stages. The time trial went quit bad, had no good legs after a really hard day before. The race in the afternoon I did a mistake before the first hill. Our radios didn´t work so I didn´t knew that it was coming, and one of my team mates was talking to me from the back of the group so I went down to her. We turned left and then the hill started, and then I were at last position. Had to put a lot of energi trying to get to the front, but I missed the first group as last girl. Were in no-mans-land between the two groups for some km´s before the secound group catched me. Fell down to 45th place in the general.
Last day was no good day either. Had good legs, but after the first mountain I krasched in the downhill. We were turning sharp right but I had a girl on my right side that didn´t turned, she continued straight a head, and so were I. Since I couldn´t turn when she was going straight...
Luckelly I made it quit well. (Hit my knee and got some skratches). But I lost the first group I were in :( Ended 44th in the general.

Now I have three days here in Tullinge before I go to Sollerön for two races. One road race and one criterium. Will just try to relax and recover from the races (and my krasch)...
I follow Tour de Suisse on the internet, and cross my fingers for Thomas! :)

Back from Poland and some nice days in Switzerland

Poland went great for us! Everyone worked very good together and we tried to help Sara as much as we could. For me there were no results, but Sara won the whole race :)

Finally, I have to say after four days in Poland, I came back to Switzerland. I have been training a lot and quit hard, (since I don´t have any race until the 12th of june). Lucky me I have good support from Dalblads Nutrition AB that gives me good products, so I´m well prepaired for every training. They have everything I need, bars, sport drinks to take before and during my training, recovery for after the training, proteins, omega3 and a lot more. Everything tested ofcourse! Check out the website here http://www.dalblads-nutrition.se/
By the way I actually made a new record on my testhill last week! I´m under 40 minutes now :)

Thomas was also home last week so made some small adventures together. Were in Zug one day for shopping (pictures abow), and in Säntis another. See pictures below.. We had lunch up there aswell, really nice in the beautiful nature!!

Time for the nationalteam again!

(From 2006 in Holland)

Now it´s time for Tour of Pologna with the nationalteam.

This time it´s me, Marie Lindberg (Nürnberger), Emilia Fahlin (High Road), Sara Mustonen (Team CMax), Emma Karlsson and Isabell Söderberg (two very good national riders). I think it will be great, at least very funny, as always with the nationalteam!

Tomorrow I fly to Sweden where I meet up with the rest of the team, and at 9 o´clock (pm) we

take the boat over to Gdansk.

The race starts on thursday and finish on saturday. Four stages on three days and it ends with a timetrial. The first timetrial this year :S Hard to know how to make then.

I guess that I will not be able to update during my stay in Poland, so you have to wait until I´m back.

So long!

Done a lot!

I had only three days in Kalmar before it was time to go again... But it was three wounderfull days!! The weather was perfect, 20-25´C and blue sky. We really enjoyed our time there, and I wish I had some more days...

But as I said, then it was time to go again. Took the train over to the westcoast were mum and dad came and picked me up. The were coming from Stockholm on there way down to our summerhouse in Båstad.

First time I met mum since january, and dad since Marbella in february, so it was nice to see them again.

But I came late (last) thursday night and on friday my team (from Sweden) came and picked me up, so it was just a short visit.

We took the bus and the car over to Denmark for three races there. It was nice to meet the team aswell! Had a great time together, and we did well at the races.

First day I did a breakaway alone, but after a while four girls joined me.

When it was 2km´s to go another swedish girl, Madelene, attacked from our group. Since there were two from Sweden and three from Denmark, I thought it was not my job the take that, but they just looked at eachother, I think Dorte Rasmussen and Trine Smith had a own race between them two, and Madelene could cross the finishline solo. For me and the other three it was a sprint. Since I´m not a sprinter I thought it´s better to make it a long one, so I started with 250-300m´s to go. I almost made it, but Dorte passed me just before the finishline. I got third!

Congratulations Madelene :)

The secound day we made it hard for the others. We were supose to make four laps and our tactic was to go on the others but do nothing ourself the first three laps, but on the fourth we went hard on the attacks. Finally they got tired and Hanna from the team could cross the finishline solo. And Jessica took the sprint :) Good work girls!!

Third day was a mess! The elite (men) passed us in a hill and some girls went with them, but the organisation didn´t noticed until they allready had a gap and then it was too late!

Thomas came to this race, and after the race we went back to Switzerland. Came back monday night.

This week have been nice and relaxing, except for training ofcourse! ;)

Had Carolin and Tommy over for dinner one day, as you can see at the picture. And last friday we went on cirkus with them here in Zürich :) It was really funny to see, and the acrobatics were soo good!

Today Thomas went to Spain so I´m alone, but not for too long. On thuseday I meet up with the national team for Tour of Pologna.

See you,

ciao!

Kalmar, Sweden

(Our view from the balcony. In the background you can see the bridge over to Öland)

Sorry for my late update!

Luxembourg were quit hard for me, I were still a little bit sick...

Saturday´s race were a 1.2 race, and a lot of good teams were there. Our goal were to take some UCI points.

There were one quit long hill that split up the group. Iosune was the strongest one and she was in the first group until the finish. The first 8 got points, she ended 9th. Bad luck!

I finished in a smaller group behind. My legs were really bad this day.

Sunday´s race was just a national race and only three UCI teams and national riders.

We got a breakaway right away with five riders. Two from us.

But we ended up 4th, 5th and me 10th. Felt a little bit better then the day before...

After Luxembourg I took it a little bit easy, just to get rid of my cold completly.

Felt bad the whole week, and then it was time for the worldcup in Bern.

They had changed the lap from last year. Allready after 8-9km´s there were a long hill, wich split up the group completly. I were in the back and I had no chance to catch up the ones infront. First the group was split into 4-5 groups, but after a while it was just two big groups, me in the secound, together with Iosune and Ana from the team. We had no one in the first group. Not much to do...

Directly after the race Thomas and I went home to Sweden! First time since january :D

It´s almost summer here, 22´c and sunny. I will soon go out for a ride in the nice weather.

Take care!