Tag: 15. September 2016

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„You don’t need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfection.“ 

This sentence is normally the one which keeps me going and holding my chin up. But 4 days, after my biggest race of the year, the 4X World Championships in Val di Sole it seams weights are still hanging on my chin. I am super proud on myself that I jumped the pro line so well in practice and proud on myself that I am a tough cookie.

BUT I still can’t believe what happened and why it happened.I know that I jumped the first pro double to short and I didn’t have enough speed to clear the second one. But why exactly in the most important race run in my entire career?

I came to Val di Sole very early and wanted to train on the track. But because of my broken rips and the causing muscle pain I could hardly move a all not to mention ride my bike.
So I had to wait and hope. Luckily the Austrian Cycling National team has one of the best and nicest physiotherapists I have ever met. Margot worked on my body and let the impossible happen – I could train on Wednesday afternoon. I was so happy about it and jumped the first double of the pro line. The next day a jumped the second one without any problems. I was over the moon and couldn’t believe that first I can ride my bike with a broken rip and second that I jumped the pro line. So there were just 3 other girls who jumped the Pro Line. (Anneke Beerten, Caroline Buchanan, Romana Lambounkova)
In my qualification run I placed 8th, which I didn’t like at all and it caused me a sleepless night. The next day I trained the pro line even more and it worked just perfect. I was ready for the finals and so hungry to perform well for myself.
In my first heat I jumped the pro line and it worked well I just started to feel my broken rips again and that the painkillers wore off. In the next heat I had to start from the outside. I had a good gate and crossed to the right (first turn was a right turn). Lucia Otjen handlebar got tangled up with my one but I rode left and she crashed. So I was third and Anneke Beerten and Franzi Meyer (GER) were in front. I was right behind Franzis back wheel and she went for the chicken line. I went for the pro line but was for the first jump a bit to short and couldn’t built up enough speed for the second one so I landed on the top of it.

That was my heat where it worked well for me.

I still feel it and see it in front of my eyes where my handlebar turned and I couldn’t stand the pressure. I bounced from the top of the landing down and crashed hard on my hips and head. In the finish I couldn’t remember the first minutes what happened. I asked always the same question over and over again.  „I am not the finals, or?“ I had a concussion and wasn’t able to ride the small final, which didn’t count for me anyway. I came  to grab a medal. So yes that was my World champs story. 

Congrats to Caroline Buchanan taking the gold medal and Hannes Slavik the silver and because there are just 6 medals in total to give away I also congrats all the others for their incredible passion to this sport and performance. #luckisneeded #4Xisalife  

and that’s the heat where it didn’t work out for me ….

first run in minute 22 and second run in minute 45 (click here)

I wanted to say big thanks to my boyfriend, who is going all the ups and downs with me. Margot and Maria who managed the national team things very well. Big thanks to Radek my working college and friend who was my mechanic. Harriet for watching out for our dog Merlin on Thursday night.  and of course all my sponsors who are helping my all the time.

and thanks for the lovely FB and Instagram support from my friends.

Bye Bye HELENE

I can’t remember the last time I crashed so hard. I got invited from the Austrian Cycling federation to compete at the Downhill European Championships in Poland (WISLA).  So of course I wanted to be part of this spectacle and got a ride in the Mondraker bus. Thanks to Maria and Wolli for that (+ the austrian cycling federation for paying my hotel) All Austrian riders arrived on Friday afternoon and so did we. We did some training laps. The track was actually very difficult. Lots of lines to remember, big jumps, a very dry surface and lots of drops but it weren’t very long, which I liked. Training just sprints, gates and jumps for the last weeks for the up coming 4X World Champs didn’t include long downhill runs. So I liked the short track. I liked all, the food, the weather, the people, the country, the company but what I really didn’t like was my massive crash in practice. A step up kicked my back wheel and I went straight over the bars. During the flight I thought… “no hands -just try to roll over the shoulder somehow”. Arms and hand injuries normally take so long so I landed on my shoulder head and back. The head was okay the shoulder, and hips just scratched but the back was totally bruised and I broke a rip or maybe two it isn’t sure. So painkillers turned into my best friends and luckily Margot, our physiotherapist with the angel hands – she kept me on track. During the night I suffered but in the morning it was “okay”. So I decided to try it and it worked. In the pits it hurt, sitting in the car it hurt, walking to the chairlift it hurt, on the chairlift it hurt, pushing the bike up the start hill it hurt, in my training runs it hurt, but BAMM in the moment I pedalled out the start hut in my race run it stopped hurting. I think I can mentally erase the pain when it comes to the point I have to race. Good for me. At the end I placed 5th and was 4 seconds faster than in my qualification run. My team college Simone finished 4th and missed just by few seconds the medal. But in total we were very happy about our race runs. In the men class a local Poland guy won and in the women class a French fast girl. After the European champs, I drove with Hannes Slavik to the Eurobike to meet our sponsors and checking out their new stuff. It went well for both of us.

Now I am in Val di Sole and wait for the 4X practice in the afternoon. I have been here since Sunday and I was hoping to train a little bit on the track before but my rips said NO WAY. I had so much pain that I wasn’t able to ride at all. I hope so much that I can ride this afternoon. Margot, with the angel hands, she arrived yesterday and helped me. So at the moment I am positive and it feels much better than before.
The qualification is tomorrow evening and the race on Friday night. Yes you read right – in the night… gonna be tough with the light conditions to race that late just with few lights. But wish me luck that is what you need as a four crosser very often. 🙂

THANKS TO MY SPONSORS. BIG HUG HELENE