Madrid race report 3rd June 2009
Good morning all,
I made it, Just!! What I mean is I made it through the weekend without having a Spanish funeral... Being sick is never fun, but traveling half way around the world to sit in front of a little porcelain structure in a bathroom is the pits. Yes my Madrid experience was not as I had expected after leaving Boulder from a very pleasing block of training. The idea was to get in and out of Madrid, get some points off a limited taper and then get straight back into training after the race. Well I got one thing right I did get in and out of Madrid unlike some of those Bulls in the bull fighting ring that grace the TV everyday and night.
The travel over to Europe went well and I felt great most of friday. But late friday night I started to get some severe stomach cramps and before I knew it I was taking up a less comfortable position than a lovely bed. I presumed I had food poisoning, and this pretty much lasted for the next 8 hrs before I finally was able to move without breaking into a sweat. Saturday was spent next to my Powerade Pro powder, giving my body those important minerals back they so dearly needed after they exited faster than a burst dam.
I went to bed pretty early on saturday and come sunday ( race day ) I felt a million times better than I had the day before. I knew I was still no where near perfect but I had small ounce of hope and so decided to warm up and see how the body felt as my mind was back in the game. I felt with the way the race could go if I could have the swim I knew I was going to have before I got sick I should be in the front. Then maybe a small group would get away on such a hilly course. So that was my plan, and it very nearly worked!.
I had a great swim considering the circumstances exiting 26 seconds off the back of a very strung out pack. I jumped on my rig and looked up the road. I knew that if I ride like I know I can I might have the power to bridge across the gap on the climb. The hill comes directly at the start of the bike and it was tough and steep. I went full gas as I had no other option, even if I wasn't sick this was the race right here, right now. I passed 6 guys up the climb and was the last onto the first group of 12 athletes. The boys were rolling hard and by the time we got back to transition we were already 40 seconds in front of the chasers... game over for them!
I was struggling a lot though after the massive effort ( pushed just under 1000 watts to get there ) and I never really recovered. As we hit the climb for the second time I started going cross eyed and my ears were doing a nice high pitched tune for me pleasure. I stood up and went to power on again with my legs and they and my body said sorry Mr Gemmell that is all the energy we had!!! 30 mins will be all you will get today.
It wasn't a huge surprise of course considering how I felt. But I was in such good shape before I got sick, and to have made it to the front and been in that position it was a little devastating. I ended up back in chase pack 1 minute behind for a lap but couldn't even follow them without nearly falling off my bike. I hate not finishing races but I knew that was the risk I took starting so it was a decision I knew i may have to make before I started. In the end the lead group stayed away, and at one point had just under 2 minutes. It was a great race and one I just wished I had been part of for longer. I'm sure it would have gone very differently for myself without any sickness.
Once I arrived back in Boulder Bevan ( Docherty ) picked me up from the airport to take me back home. I had texted him a couple of times while I was on my death bed but hadn't heard anything back from him so just assumed that possibly the texts were not getting through. But as I quickly learned he too had been up to the same tricks as I. Seems like we all caught a bug just before I left and so while I was over in Spain with my magical show, he and his whole family were crook here in Boulder. So food poisoning it probably was not. Still I don't recommend flying halfway around the world just to be sick its not a fun chapter in anyones book let alone when I write mine!!
I'm convinced my bad luck has to turn... Surely the fact my hands are now raw from rubbing this little Buddha's belly beside me are enough!! Maybe I need to go find some horse shoes or even a four leaf clover. Until then I'll just keep training as hard as I can and the belief and support you are all showing in me will surely pay off. Otherwise carrying all those lucky charms around with me is going to cause some excess baggage headaches during my next travels ha-ha.
Still I'm sitting 5th overall on the the World championship series rankings after two races which is a great start. I'm skipping the next race in Washington DC as I'm doing another small block of training here in Boulder. I will race next in Des Moines, Iowa on the 27th of June which is a World Cup. So until then hope all is well with everyone and please enjoy those lucky charms you will all buy for me!
Cheers,
Kris