Wagrain Symphony Race and Training

wagrain race report.pdf

Some of you know some of you don’t but anyway I stayed at home the last weeks and didn’t go to Canada to race there the 2 world cups. I thought about it very long and at the end I found it would be better to stay here and train for Schladming and save some money. I will move out soon in my new apartment and yes that will cost me lots of Euros and I should better save some money to be able to race the next season. I think the World financial crisis will hit the athletes a lot or has already because i guess the marketing/sponsoring budget will be cut of as first. So yes I stayed in lovely Austria and trained here. I went to Schladming and to Wagrain.

It was a cloak and dagger operation. Because at 10 p.m. I read on the downhill page that the bike park Wagrain is organizing a race and the first price is the Gravity Season Card. For everybody who doesn’t know what this is. With this card you can ride in 5 big bike parks the whole year for free. It cost about 320 Euros. So apart from winning this card I was even keener to race my bike and present my sponsors. So I packed all my stuff in the night. Stood up at 4 a.m. left at 5 and drove 4 hours there. But just half an hour before I arrived I got so tired that I realized uiuiui you will fall asleep soon so I drove to the side and slept. It took me maybe one minute…zZzZzZzZ…after this nap I drove on and got in a massive traffic jam…Massive 35 km. it was caused by tunnel work and just 100 before my highway exit it stopped to move. So yes I used the time to have a second breakfast, get changed in my riding gear and watched kids playing football between the cars and rolling with little scooters. After nearly one hour the cars start to roll again and luckily far enough so that I could exit. In Wagrain I had enough time to train and the track wasn’t very long either about a 2min track.

The most dangerous or trickiest part of the whole race was to get on the start box. just a small ladder was leaning against the 3 meter high wooden box and you had to carry your bike up with you. But everybody managed that. The race was a mix of two competitions. In your first run you had to race against the time and in your second run you had to style over obstacles. So both runs got counted. I won both competitions in my class and got this special card. I was satisfied and the whole weekend no even one rain drop, which is really seldom in this area of Austria. Jason and his bike crew were very happy about the event and that it worked all well and I was also happy to see some friends again. To sum it up it was a nice race day.

In the same evening I drove to Schladming to train there the next day and also see the free caster live streaming from the world cup in Bromont in the evening. i watched it in this restaurant/pub/disco local but image listen to „I am looking for freedom“ from David Hasselhoff and seeing Fabien Barel riding down a rock garden. That’s the worst ever. I asked and begged the bar man for turning the original sound on, the Rob Warner commentator voice, but he was not willing to do that because he said the other guest (the local was empty, apart from the mountain bike riders)got disturbed by the voice…. Okay so I went to the apartment of the Schladming bike crew P2 and asked if I could watch there at least the 4x on their laptop…But hmm the 4 X starts at 1 a.m. and everybody felt a sleep before including me. The next day the sun was shining again and I felt very good on my bike. The Schladming track is and will always be one of the best in the world and it’s always a challenge to go fast and stay smooth on this track. From the top to the bottom you are on the gas,your brake discs get blue and your upper arms are pumped. That’s Schladming.

637u1379x.jpgimg_5547x.jpg637u0853x.jpg637u1011x.jpgimg_5540x.jpg637u1385x.jpg

Bonjour, ca va? C’est que tu fais? …voyagez?

Yes I was on tour again this time in France. The ixs European cup was held in Chalet.

img_5658small.jpg

Some of you bikers mind know this place because it is one valley of the big bike paradise called Port du soleil or Les gets or Morzine or…. There are so many tracks. Some of them are easy and some of thema are really hard downhill tracks. I mean still not comparable with Whistler (CAN) but I think on of the best places to be in Europe.

It was a nice week. I started with my birthday- 26. I celebrated on Monday because I was to busy to party on Tuesday (11th- my the original birth day) By the way „happy birthday“ to my uncle, Niki S., Simone H. So it wasn’t a big party it was more a small friends and family thing with a Sachertorte.

img_5612small.jpg

I was to busy to organize something bigger. On Tuesday I packed my stuff and worked on my apartment. At Wednesday morning about 6 o’clock I drove to Schladming to meet Elias the RSP rider, because we planned to drive together to the race. He has a big van, where we could sleep in. So yes we started at 9:30 and arrive at 19:30. 10 hours drive….oh my god and so many traffic jams maybe about 6.. to much. Especially in Switzerland it was a night mare. Before Zurich after Zurich before Bern after Bern before…after…every city was surrounded by slowly moving cars…I was very happy that Elias drove and i was just the passenger who slept with head back and open mouth.

Elias friends Mario and Benni
img_5663small.jpg

have been already there when we arrived and so we enlarged our pits with elias canvas blind. img_5622smal.jpg

We called the area under the tents our living room.

img_5707small.jpgimg_5708small.jpg

On the picture you can see sometimes it got out of control but the role allocation in our group were well defined. So the group harmony was just perfect and we had so much fun. I laughed tears….img_5627small.jpg

The weather was great too, just in the nights it got really cold and I was so glad that i had my sleeping bag.

On Thursday the race track was closed so we went training on our great tracks. I really enjoyed riding new tracks but I was glad that I could ride on the race track the next day. I like to know the track well to ride fast and I also like to ride when the track is taped so you have to look for fast lines. I love racing. jep the training went well and the seeding run so so. Many good riders were there. Riders like the World champ 2007 Sabrina Jonnier, the european champ Florine Pugine and many other fast ladies. So it was a good competitor field. On sunday it went allright. I made a mistake in my race run and lost my balance in the only muddy turn on the whole track. I ended up on the 5th position, so I was satisfied and happy about this place.

After the race Elias and I packed our stuff straight away and drove back. Elias had to work on Monday morning and I wanted to be at home to get everything ready for the workers in my apartment. So yes this time it even took longer and we arrived at 2 o’clock in the night at Schladming. I was the princess again and Elias didn’t bother to drive…I was so pleased for that because I was sooo tired. On Monday I training on the World cup track in Schladming and drove back home after midday.

Now I am back home and tomorrow I will finish the Bathroom and train DH at Semmering…. BYe bye LENE

4x St. Magarethen

This weekend I was back on my four cross bike. My flashy red/orange Morewood ENZA bike- I love it.  Markus and I got up early got ready and drove to St. Magarethen. He drove like always because I was still tired from getting up so early. The weather was good and the sun was shining. That was very important for this track, because if the surface is wet and soaked it’s impossible to ride and race on this track. The mood gets so sticky and heavy that you destroy the whole track. Anyway the training started late because the track was still wet from the night rain. I know the track from last year so I felt all right and felt good on my bike and on this track. My qualification time was very good. When I passed the finish line I thought….sxxx because I slipped out of my pedal at the start and I was worry that I lost again much. But  I was first with 4 seconds ahead to the second and 5 to the third. I was so happy about that and didn’t expect that I am so much faster than the others. In the race run I had a good gate, got the first corner and won the final easy. I was soooo happy and couldn’t believe it when I crossed the finish just after when I huged Markus I screamed in his ear I won I won I won. Second got Petra Bernhard from Austria and third Neza Knez from Slovenia. That means no that I am leading the 4x Cup in Austria. The last round is this weekend on Saturday in Schladming on the world cup track. I hope it’s gonna be nice weather because the weather forcast is very very bad. RAIN RAIN RAIN. And on Sunday I will be in Slovenia to do a women downhill camp with Lisa from Alptrails. So sorry for my sponsors that I can’t be at the Eurobike this year. Bye LENE

podium.jpg

dsc01678.JPG

Austrian 4x Final in Schladming.

Last weekend it was so hectic and bussy but all worked out well for me. It was soooo good. Durring the week i was training on my 4x bike and on Saturday morning I drove to Schaldming to take part in the last race of the Austrian Cup series. I trained good. To be honest I don’t like the track much but it’s okay. I raced with my hardtail but I am not sure yet I think I will race with my fully suspension 4x the Ndiza, because it is a fast and bumpy track. There are already brake bumps on some straights. We were not many girls at all but I didn’t really care it was more a training for me for the World cup. I won the qualifcation and the finals. And won also the Austrian cup. helene-fruhwirth-2.jpg

photo: Martin Steiger

helene-2.jpg

Photo: Martin Steiger

schladming-4x.pdf

2nd day in belgium…qualification

Yesterday was the qualification and ended up on the 19th position. I was really worry that I am out and that they take just 16th girls but I am lucky they taking all women and so I have another chance today to get to the next round or at least if have the chance to race. My quali run started good but I made a big mistake in the middle section on a flat turn and lost i think there all my seconds. Euj euj euj But today is another day and I will work on this turn and on lines to pass the other girls.

Bye bye LENE

UCI World cup final day.

Yesterday I took part in the UCI World cup 4x and it was good fun I enjoyed it a lot. The day before I was frustrated about my qualification time and placement but I did well on the final day. Training went well and I tried all lines you could try to pass even these ones where you are very slow at the exit but maybe a head. yes and excactly this helped me to get a good result and pass the first round. I had good gates and I did a tricky passing and it worked well and was in front of the second rider. I ende up on the 12th position and I am satisfied about that. It was a good starter field and the track was nice too to pass and jump.

bye bye I have to go we are late….lene

wc-nr-2.pdf

LaBresse

This weekend I am in France. La bresse is the village called. The track was very different to the other ones but I liked it. I write in the past tense because I crashed in my qualification run. I didn’t get hurt but i think I gave to much. After a corner i jumped out and my back wheel slipped away and schwup di wup how i would say it I lied on the ground. And yes that was is basicly. I am out and have to watch today. I was already running this morning to get my mind free and to take it easy but hmmm easy to plan but not easy to do. But my next chance is coming soon. On thuesday I am going to andorra to race there 4x and downhill. So fingers crossed all will turn out like I want.

See you LENE

wc-nr-3.pdf

Alptrails first DH Woman camp

After the race I was driving in the night to Slovenia to Kranjsk Gora. Lisa from Alptrails was organizing a woman DH camp and she invited me as a pro rider to work with the girls on their jumping, dropping etc. skills. It was so good and I really enjoyed it. We stayed all together in a nice appartment. The girls were great and motivated to learn much. The weather was great too and the dh track was very various. From big jumps to small drops, from north shore to open gravel turns. I think everyone gained something from this weekend, so did I. For next year Lisa has big plans and in some of them I will be included. So girls get ready to ride with me. I am very patient and funny too…. Lisa and I were laughing non stop…

img_0017x.jpg

cimg4709xx.jpg

cimg4719x.jpg