Last weekend I went to Liege Belgium for an international para-cycling race.
We arrived Friday afternoon after a 2 hour drive, we had a good and clean hostel, for only 17,50 euro per night. Saturday was the time trial and I was pretty nervous, didn’t know what to expect, the time trial started 40 minutes late. My start was at 11.35 am, there was a 1 minute interval.
After 1,5 km I felt my leg, it was already full of lactate but I could also see the German girl that had started before me, it was a pretty long climb but I kept pedaling and I found a rhythm. After the long climb came a descent and some sharp turns, I couldn’t see the German girl anymore and before I knew it I was at 5 km.
The total distance was 7,8 km when I reached the finish my body felt empty I knew I had given all I had. Pretty soon I heard the unofficial result that I got a second place in my class (C2) and a small gap with the winner. That was pretty exciting because I had never expect to do that well in this race. It was a beautiful sunny day with nice and warm weather and I liked it a lot. After the race we got back to our hostel tried to get some rest but ended up laughing ourselves to death making pictures like this.
The next day was Sunday, day of the road race. The coach came to me smiling saying Annika have you seen the results, you got a second place with a 15 second gap with the winner you can still win (results where combined). The first start was the C category meaning cycling on a regular bike. All the men and women of the 5 different classes started together.
Immediately I got the wheel of the German girl, she was fast but we stayed together most of the race, for about 36 minutes I was fine but after that it got harder and harder to keep up with her, during the climbs I lost her, but during the descent I got her wheel again, I was way better downhill and with the turns, no surprise with the skiing back ground.
One round before the last I had to let her go unfortunately, but I managed to keep my speed up. With a the last strength I had in me I made one last sprint for the finish.
One of the trainers helped me off my bike and my leg was just too weak so I fell on the ground, I really gave it all. Everybody said I did great for a first race and I was happy to because I knew I was as fast as I could be at this point. The sun came out and the next group the tandems had their road race, those tandems are fast it looks so cool. A tandem has a pilot and a visually impaired racer on the back.
Last group where the handbikes and the tricycles it was warm and sunny again and I got a tan while watching everybody.
It was a great weekend good to get some races in after a ski season in which I had started just one race and got a DNF. I liked the races a lot and was happily surprised with my results. I had a talk with the coach and he said I did very good in the races and was pretty fast for a C2 with an average speed of 25,44 km/h in a hilly road race.
After the price giving ceremony, in which only the winners got a price, we drove 2 hours home, tired but happy and an experience richer.
at our hostel
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