Massi Copa Catalana MTB Race #2, Corro d'Amunt
Technical Time Trial -- 3.4km -- April 9, 2005
When all the rally drivers were through and the road from the hotel opened up again at about 1 p.m., Juerg, Martina and I jumped into the Silver Bullet (our Smart car) and sped (rally style) to Corro d'Amunt for a technical mountain bike time trial, which Martina won!
It was raining when we left Tossa de Mar, and dark clouds loomed on the horizon, but in Corro d'Amunt, a ' town' near Barcelona with 300 residents and rolling green fields, we landed in a weather gap. It was windy and cold, but the black clouds didn't touch us.
Martina and I warmed up on the 3.4-kilometre course (well, we tried to follow the Catalan directions of a helpful guy, but we ended up riding a combo of the TT course and the XC course, so I think what we pre-rode was a little longer than 3.6 km)! The route, dry and smooth, included a significant fire road climb which made a sharp, steep right turn into singletrack and continued uphill. At the top, the trail flattened out and wound in flowing turns through an open pine forest. There was one short, steep, mildly technical bit of downhill singletrack, followed by another singletrack climb and then a fast, swooping fire road descent to the finish. I rode the entire thing with my fork locked out, which worked out well.
After a good warm up on the trainer, it was my turn to hammer down the start ramp and onto the big climb. I saw my 30-second girl, Anna Villar (Abarth) the entire time and steadily made time on her. I felt generally okay. Legs were a little stiff, heart rate a little low, lungs very raw. I put in a solid effort and had a scary moment after the finish where I couldn't breathe because my throat was so dry and raw. Martina had a similar experience.
The announcer had me in third overall when I finished, Martina in first! A few minutes later, I fell to fourth place, which I held on to. Martina's time passed the test and she got to climb on to the podium while Queen's 'We are the Champions' blared in the background. Fellow Canuck, Trish Sinclair (Scott USA), placed second.
Results
Women
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1. FELDMANN,Martina F-S23 (FACT CANADA) 00:10:00
2. SINCLAIR, Patricia F-ELITE (SCOTT USA) a 2 seg.
3. SANTANYAS, Sandra F-ELITE (BICISPRINT) a 9 seg.
4. WALTER, Sandra F-ELITE (ADVENTUREBOUND.CA) a 14 seg.
5. SERRANO,Beth F-ELITE (COLUER-MANAVAL) a 21 seg.
Men
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1. DONET, José-Antonio ELITE (CMAQUINA BIKE) 00:07:47
2. PLAXTON, Max SUB21 (MAXXIS-MSC) a 1 seg.
3. VENTURA, Ismael ELITE (HARIBO) a 3 seg.
4. RIERA, Jordi ELITE (MAXXIS-MSC) a 3 seg.
5. TRAYTER, Marc ELITE (HARIBO) a 7 seg.
Cross-country -- April 10, 2005
Sunday was cold and windy, but clear. When we got away from the coast and into the highlands, patches of frost still lingered in the shade.
Our race consisted of a fast 4.5-kilometre start loop that started on pavement and then continued on dirt road. After the start loop, we had two10-kilometre loops that contained the TT course, plus a big chunk of fire road decending and climbing.
I got called up the line because of my top-10 ranking from the first race in Banyoles. However, for the start, I just wanted to sit in the group, as leading out on the road would just be a waste of energy. Within the first 10 minutes, I had already lost contact with the top women. My breathing was ragged and wheezy (There were a few times that I heard raspy breathing and thought: Whoa, this guy in front of me is really having problems! I then realized it was my own breathing that I was hearing) and my pedaling wasn't very smooth either. I was one big ball of phlegm (here we go again with the mucus stories!), having to spit and snot rocket every few seconds. Pretty gross stuff.
Martina was already up ahead and out of sight, putting the hammer down!
I stayed calm and kept on riding, playing a back and forth game with Villar, who would attack me on the climbs, but I'd catch her again on the hike-a-bike and downhills. Finally, on the last lap (I guess I'd gotten rid of most of the phlegm), I felt better. My breathing calmed down, I had some power in my legs, my heart rate responded and everything got smoother and easier. I attacked Villar on a fast DH section and gapped her. I was able to open the gap on the last few climbs and rolled across the line in sixth place. I'm quite pleased with my race, as I hung in there and was able to attack and counterattack when I needed to -- something that I don't have much experience with.
Martina, the star of the weekend, finished second overall and first U23! Nice work, chicita!
Results
Women -- 23.5 kilometres, 3 laps
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1. MASCARRERAS, Cristina F-ELI (TOT VICI EN BICI) 01:23:53
2. FELDMANN, Martina F-S23 (FACT CANADA) a 46 seg.
3. SANTANYES, Sandra F-ELI (BICISPRINT) a 1:15 mts.
4. SINCLAIR, Patricia F-ELI (SCOTT USA) a 3:12 mts.
5. SERRANO, Beth F-ELI (COLUER-MANAVAL) a 4:00 mts.
6. WALTER, Sandra F-ELI (ADVENTUREBOUND.CA) a 4:44 mts.
7. VILLAR, Anna F-S23 (MASSI ABARTH) a 6:02 mts.
8. CATEDRA, Mariona F-ELI (CICLES AYATS) a 7:51 mts.
9. GIMENEZ, Meritxell F-ELI (K2 MORENITO) a 8:12 mts.
10. TUSELL, Mercé F-ELI (MASSI ABARTH) a 8:14 mts.
Men -- 42 kilometres, 5 laps
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1. GISPERT, Martí ELITE (MAXXIS-MSC) 01:52:08
2. PLAXTON, Max SUB21 (MAXXIS-MSC) a 52 seg.
3. TRAYTER, Marc ELITE (HARIBO) a 53 seg.
4.COLOMA, Carlos ELITE (K2 - ZERO RH) a 3:30 mts.
5. VENTURA, Ismael ELITE (HARIBO) a 3:38 mts.
6. BOGAS, Guillermo ELITE (CORRATEC-MORENI) a 4:26 mts.
7. DONET, José-Antonio ELITE (CMAQUINA BIKE) a 4:54 mts.
8. GISPERT, Eloi ELITE (MASSI ABARTH) a 6:03 mts.
9. LLORDELLA, Joan ELITE (AMBISIST) a 6:36 mts.
10. FREIXER, Francesc ELITE (HARIBO) a 7:28 mts.