15. August 2019
Proffix Swiss Bike Cup Leukerbad – Steep, steeper, Leukerbad
It has been a hard time for me after the Swiss Championships until the next race at the PSBC in Leukerbad. The disappointment after this defeat was huge. In my head, I was literally fighting against myself again. Will I be ready in Leukerbad?
Sometimes I wish that I had like an on/off button on my head, which I could easily switch off my head for a certain period off time. But as we may know, that’s not as easy as it sounds. So, I tried to trust in my skills, to believe in myself and to not waste any more time in silly fears. Thanks to Kathrin (my coach) that you helped me once again gaining some self-confidence back. The competition in Leukerbad was just around the corner and I slowly get into race mood. The racecourse has been completely new for everybody. A new challenge. I love challenges. That’s as well one of the reasons why I do mountain biking. The course profile has been quite atypical to other courses. One single uphill, one single downhill. How I like it. On Sunday midday the time has come. 1 minute to go, 30 seconds to go, 15 seconds to go…peng. The start wasn’t as fast as I thought it would be. It seems like the other athletes tried to not overpower at the beginning of this long climb. The one and only uphill contained about 227 meters of climbing. I felt good and has been full of energy. Unfortunately, I crashed in the first corner of the first lap in the first downhill. I fell above my handlebar onto my breast. For a short period of time, I couldn’t breathe. Anyway, I stood up as fast as I could, took my bike and continued racing. I finally found my rhythm. The podium could have been possible. For about 4.5 of 5 laps I was on 3rd position. Then in the last half lap, it happened. The competitor behind my turned into a rocket. I wasn’t able to follow her. My body was absolutely at the limit. I tried to risk everything, to give everything in the downhill. But it wasn’t enough. Before the finish line, I was about 20 meters behind her. What a shame. I am very happy with my performance. But of course, it would have been great to stand on the podium. Chocolate medal for me this time. Next race will come soon. We will see us in Andermatt.