BIKE festival WILLINGEN 2019

Festival?
It sure is. The Bike festival in Willingen became a fixed appointment on our calander. We love the atmosphere and it's a very different course from the Belgian Marathons.

The past two years we weren't fully recoverd after the stage race BeMC, but this year we didn't race there so I was keen on riding the long distance (118K) again. The course changed since the last time I raced that distance so I was curious...

For this race we start in the middle of the night 😂 7:30, luckily it was getting warm already so that made it a litlle easier on dress choices.

For long races like this you have to get your race pace on a good level, not easy because a lot of riders start hard and it is tempting to follow their pace. I was able to ride a fast first lap, I had still a lot of energy and the legs felt good. I was in 4th position when I turned in for the second loop and I knew one of the other female riders would race the middle distance.

The second lap had more fun technical sections. The distance and the rather warm conditions became to hard for a lot of riders, but I was still rolling strong. 

Just before the end of the second lap we had to climb, that is the point you have to keep your head straight. The choice to turn to the finish or ride another 30K is tempting, but I had made up my mind. The big race it would be. At this point I wasn't sure if I was riding in 2nd or 3th, but that didn't really matter. I had to keep going and keep the focus.

I was accompied by a Dutch rider, he thought I was joking when I said I was riding the long distance. On the first climb I fueled up at the feedstation and kept going.

After 7 hours, 118K and 3550AM, I reached the finishline for a podiumspot.

Peter was waiting for me @ the finishline. He had a very different race today!

Note from the coach: 'Had a flat front tyre in a downhill. Crashed and slided for a couple of meters on my elbows and knees. Plugged the tyre like a pro and continued the race trying to catch up the group I was with before the crash. Legs were good, so I caught up easily. Finished 23rd with a smile. 😄'

I like being on the podium 

Crankbrothers Triplets 

Obi Wan Kenobi from Cosmic. Best partners ever.