European Travels

Mary and I were back to familiar surroundings for 3 weeks of bike racing and training in mainland Europe.   After round two of the World Cup in England we flew into Munich where we were picked up by our trusty RV renting friends at Braun Reisemobile (http://www.rv-rental-germany.com).  Within a matter of hours were tucked into a sleek 6 speed RV, small enough to manage on the often tiny back roads of Europe and equipped with all the features to make the perfect race attack vehicle. 

There was little time to do much other than build up the bikes and get in a quick recovery spin before we headed west.  Hops, wheat and yellow rapeseed (oil) plants flourished in the fields of the rural landscape alongside farmsteads featuring Bavaria's traditional spring bounty of white asparagus.   We arrived to Offenburg, host town of World Cup #3 and fell into the normal methodic preparation for race day - cleaning, tuning, eating, sleeping, rest, discussing strategy and building up to the event in general while trying to stay relaxed at the same time.  As the hours counted down to race day we felt the familiar increase of nervy anticipation that is so familiar with the big competitions.  Though stressful in it's own right, having the one minded focus of competition on high priority really helps to take the mind off all those other little nagging thoughts of obligations that accompany the normal daily grind.

Getting ready for Offenburg, camped out in the Black Forest

Over the past 6 years the the Offenburg World Cup has grown to be a staple, certainly one of the finest XC specific world cup venues on the circuit.  On the order of 20,000 people in attendance made for thick crowds of festive mountain bike enthusiasts.  Multinational cheers amplified by on site beer vendors encouraged an energetic competition and had even the pack fodder feeling like super stars.  This year race day came with dry fast conditions that muted out some of the gnarlier technical aspects, increased the speed and swung the advantage away from bike handling skills towards all out power.  The impression that this event makes on town is clear evidence that in Germany mountain bike racing is serious business, a professional sport where the public is up to date and interested to come out and spectate if they are not too busy out riding themselves.

A stacked women's field

Mary had a solid race - smooth, strong and measured.  In her own opinion her eventual 30th place finish was hard fought but could have been a top 20 or better with almost the same effort and a little more luck at key points.  The women's field has become visibly more competitive, often with the top contenders finishing seconds apart making any mistake or moment of hesitation all the more costly to the final outcome.  The "modern world cup format" that is now seeing the women's races contested in under 1:30 and the men's in 1:45 which has also brought a significant difference to the feel of the racing. The current incarnation is certainly still mountain biking but in a format that requires fitness and explosive power more similar to cyclocross than the standard xc racing we came up competing in.

Mary giving it...

The day after the race brought that whole body hangover feeling - the after effects from the overindulgence and abuse that we so readily put ourselves through in the height of the competition.  Another race in the books and gone with it the excitement and one minded focus that had so nicely cloaked our never ending 'to do' list and stressors out of mind.  Now the thoughts, obligations and pressures of daily life, returned along with the realization that we are yet another day behind in all our tasks to keep our team and our aspirations on track.  Luckily for us the bike is also a great remedy for stress,  typically a short spin eases some of the tension and allows proper perspective to be re established or at least come to better terms with the impossibilities of accomplishing everything… at least all at once.

Our next plans brought us to the mountains surrounding Schladming, Austria where we attended the 13th annual Alpentour Trophy,  a four day stage race including 125 miles (250k) and nearly 25,000 feet (8300 meters) of climbing.  We were both excited at the prospects of doing this epic stage race,  so excited that I failed to fully contemplate the ramifications of combining the injury that I had been racing through for the past weeks with a challenge of this magnitude.  

Stoked to revisit Schladming, AUT, this time for the Alpentour Trophy.

That seemingly minor pre riding mishap at the Dalby Forest world cup track two weeks prior, where I stepped a foot hard off the bike with enough force to (hopefully just) strain some of the pelvis stabilizing ligaments was not actually all that minor.  Somehow I found myself guided with little hesitation by my own questionable mental attitude to take on the race and just tough it out  -   unfortunately to no good results.   

The Alpentour Trophy is a climbers dream race,  the simplicity of the course conditions over the majority of the race made the competition all the more demanding as racers grouped into packs to lessen the pain inflicted by the hour plus smooth fire road climbs we were presented with.  This type of open riding would have been a great opportunity to enjoy the panorama, but as racing demands we tended to the competition at hand, and fought hard to complete the vertical challenges of the track as quickly as possible each day.

A snip of SWEET single we got to race down...

The race really highlighted the torturous elevation change that is hard to avoid in the areas surrounding Schladming, even if it did not include a lot of what could be considered entertaining mountain biking. The race tracks just seemed to go up forever and once we summited, the descents were often simple wide roads that made us feel as if we had  brought along too much bike for the job, even with our lightly built up 29er hard tails.  

Mary had it in her head that this was an event to be ridden for fitness and not raced to full exhaustion.   She went in pretty conservatively and retained enough energy to feel like going hard on the final days.  As we warmed up together and talked race strategy on the morning of the final stage she was excited to try and cap off her solid performances, including 3 second place finishes so far, with a stage win.  I was still in the game - mostly since not finishing the job I started seemed enough like quitting to remove it from the options list.  

Mary rode to a convincing stage win on day four, opening her eyes wider to the style of multi day racing,  Perhaps only fully realizing by the final stage that she is capable of handling the unique challenges and even wining the most difficult mountain bike stage races.   I on the other hand was considerably less stoked by the time I made my way back into the venue after the final stage.  In intense pain and frustrated about my condition,  I ducked the course tape just before the finish straight and "B lined" it for the comfort of the RV where I proceeded to lie flat in the shade for a good while and contemplate what the F… just happened.

After the race we could enjoy the views from gondola ride up to the Dashstein Glacier.  Irresistible terrain.

Mountain bike stage racing requires a supreme effort over long hours and over a vast area.   These extremes combine to make a substantial impact on the psyche and leave a lasting impression.   The Alpentour Trophy was a new experience full of lessons and difficulties where we came, we saw, and we learned a lot.  It was clear to see that  a good bit would need to be done differently from our XC training and race approach to optimize for an event like this.  Perhaps an even more important consideration for stage racing is team structure,  ideally having help doing everything except pushing the pedals would be the most effective.   

Big respect is due to Gerhard Schonbacher, the mastermind/promoter of this event,  for a great job of assembling and hosting what is a unique and special event.  It proved to be a tremendous test of pure bike fitness and ability to handle the mental aspects of your own ride/race.  We did not really have time to stop and look at the views per say but the image we took away was one of gigantic alpine beauty in the height of spring, though blocking some of the beauty was usually a competitor's wheel and more importantly, some of the wind. 

At times on this trip we have felt like the smallest team in the world: on the road constantly and living out of our car (ok really a sweet RV) with only ourselves and limited resources to rely on.  Not being able to connect with our health care community for an evaluation and treatment while rushing from event to event to compete and handle our race needs with a battered body was a tremendous strain on the team as a whole.  When everything is going right and you can select a fresh front yard to ride from on a whim - it's hard to beat the RV.  Though if you are for some reason in a bad space it is more likely that living on the road will seem less than ideal. 

One of the major drawbacks of being constantly on the move in unfamiliar surroundings is the lack of community to back us up when we really need the help.   Luckily once again members of the bike community stepped up to help show us the way and transform the unknown into the familiar.    HUGE thanks to the many special folks involved in helping us out with some difficult times this go round!   We would not be where we are today without you or be looking forward to our next moves nearly as much!

Our final days in Europe were dedicated to getting me back on track to health and fitness while still attempting to taking advantage of being in the amazing Schladming area.     

We started out for a night and ended up staying five at a particularly appealing Camping area,  Camping Dashstein (http://www.camping-dachstein.at/) with its premier location for straight up charging on the bikes, foot, XC skis or climbing ropes and in house Wifi, laundry, eggs and fresh bread - this place proved an ideal base camp for those looking to get in some outdoor activities with little else in the way of  distraction.  Turned out to be the perfect fit for us as our hosts Niels and Inge know the area like few others and love to charge in the great outdoors that they have made their backyard.  Niels is also a very talented Physio Therapist and helped me come to terms with my situation so I could begin my healing process, even while taking us out for rides and hikes.

trekking to up to Silberkarklamm.

We have now made the move back to Massachusetts where we will take a short break from the racing that we need to put in line the logistics that will ensure a smooth continuation of the season.  Looking forward to spending a few days at home where we will continue to train and to chisel away at that never ending 'to do' list before the next days of racing.  

Here's to the journey! 

All the best,

Mike and Mary 

Out for a recovery spin... You just can't say NO when you are offered a glass of the locally brewed farmer's schnapps...

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