Colds and Mental Crashes...All part of the XC Adventure.

World Cup Series Round 3,

Houffalize, Belgium.

May 3, 2009.

 

The third round of the World Cup Series was almost two weeks ago now, but it has taken me some time to write this report, as I wasn’t overly happy with my race or my race preparation. A combination of a head cold and allowing my brain to go into stress mode overdrive caused me to feel exhausted before I had even lined up on the start line. I finished 54^th which means I won some much needed UCI points and moves me up to 112 in the rankings, from 300 and something at the start of the year....a result that I can’t or shouldn’t be disappointed with. But being a perfectionist, a curse that I’m certain is in my genes (yes Mum you are just as bad), means that I often try and do everything in a day, and more often than not feel guilty that I’m not working and training as hard as I can or should be doing more to achieve my goals so that I can get from A to B to Z in 24hrs....hence why I used to race 24hrs solo J  So every now and then the brain and body shut down and I crash land back down to reality....and it hurts!

 

Ian and I had arrived in Houffalize on Tuesday night and were sharing a large farm house with the Aussie junior national squad. It was a lovely set up, with warm log burning fire and a huge barn where we could work on bikes. There were rolling green fields all around us where we could escape the hustle and bustle of the race course village in the centre of town which can bring on pre-race nerves. That gave me a good four days to prepare physically and mentally for the third world cup round.

 

The next three days we were out training on course, with Saturday a chill day where I could just rest back at base. Training went well and I was riding the course confidently. Only a few sections had changed from last year, but it was still in my eyes the most physically and technically demanding course I have raced, but not scary as some courses can be. There are roots (more roots than last year), rocks, steep switchbacks (yes Luchon stylee), drop offs, steep hold your breath on, fast shoots, and of course mud, and the climbs are long, but also technical. In my opinion Houffalize is a proper mountain bike course. It has brutal climbs, brutal descents and brutal traverses. At the same time I love this course and the technical and physical challenges that confront you. So I was looking forward to my own person 2hr adventure, as XC really tests you and takes you to your limit....a challenge I thrive on!

 

The day before all I had to do was enjoy a cruisy 1hr ride around our base, and had planned to do a little bit of work, read and relax in the sun. I decided to ride to where my coach and the Tasmanian Team were based which was just around the corner, as they had free wifi. Only somehow I got lost and found myself closer to the race village, rather than where I needed to be. I made a panic call to Chris (the juniors’ Aussie coach) who sent me back to base because I had missed the very obvious turn off that I needed to take. So I was back on track, well so I thought, when I took another wrong turn into the back of a farm and instead of my chilled out recovery spin I was sprinting for my life....away from four big dogs, and this little thing that kept trying to bite my feet....Why are little dogs always so aggressive! In the end I had to descend down a road with my feet on top tube, as this little sausage type dog wouldn’t leave my heels alone. I was shaky and stressed by the time I found the house I was looking for, and noticed I was taking really short breaths and not breathing properly.

 

When I returned to our base there was nobody around as the juniors were racing, with Ian and Chris working in the feed/tech zones. I had no distractions and found my brain going into overdrive. I had too much time to think, and suddenly everything I could stress about I did. My job for AQR Holidays is event’s organiser, secretary and Mr Potter’s gofer....our roles reverse at the races when Ian appears to do everything for me....don’t worry he gets his own back when we are in Luchon...endless bike washing and polishing duties is always top of the list J

 

But suddenly I was stressing that I wasn’t on top of my AQR work load, then I was stressing that I wasn’t doing all I could for my sponsors and people who support me in the Cotic Bontrager Race Team; then I was stressing that I was a bad friend and hadn’t contacted so many people for ages; then I was stressing that I wasn’t meeting my coaches expectations and that I needed to try harder, and then I was stressing that I was a bad wife because I forgot to heat up Ian’s soup the night before, then I was stressing that I had given myself so many tasks lately that I wasn’t doing any of them well enough....good golly gosh I was losing the plot! So then naturally being in this mindset I started stressing that I was losing the plot.....TOO MANY STRESSES!

 

Anyway by the time Ian had returned I was mentally exhausted and took myself off to bed. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep. When Ian came to bed he said my temperature was sky high and my HR was going mad. Then my head started pounding and I spent the night feeling really hot all over, but then feeling cold and shaky.

 

So instead of waking up, jumping for joy that I was going to race, I couldn’t move and my glands felt like they were swelling up. Ian had to leave early and I just lay there with two thoughts (1) ‘how am I going to ride that steep tarmac climb fast on the start loop?’ (2) How am I going to get out of bed and ride to the course (gulp) (well kind of gulp as I had a big lump in my throat) ???

 

I had to ride to the course as part of my warm up  and already every muscle ached, my head was throbbing even more and my sinuses were all blocked...I had a cold! So then I started stressing about that....grrrrrr.

 

On the start line I was gridded 37, but I knew on this start loop there were alot of places where you could overtake and be overtaken. I just thought, well I’m here, and no matter what I’m not going to be lapped, and I’m going to finish. What will be, will be. I’m also a great believer of the power of the mind, so kept trying to think positive thoughts and not dwell on how I felt.

 

Surprisingly I had a brilliant start. I paced myself well, so that I could attack at the top of the climb, so that I would be in a good position on the first section of single track. Last year there were so many girls trying to make their way on to the narrow twisty trails that I had to run, but today I got a clear ride. I found myself with a group of racers who I needed to be close to if I was going to improve my world cup position. But after that start loop, it was race over as my whole body and brain just shut down and I couldn’t get my HR to rise. I could feel myself slowing down on each lap, where usually I like a long race as I always feel like I get stronger as a race goes on. I battled on and just counted down the three laps until the finish line appeared.

 

It ended up being a very short race, as I crossed the finish line in 54^th position, well under the 2hr mark, 1hr37min I think. It probably should have been a 4 lap race, but I was relieved when I crossed the finish line as I just wanted to rest. I was certain I was out of the top 60, so pleased that I still won some valuable UCI points, one of the main goals this year. If I had felt this way last year I would have been lapped for sure.

 

It’s best to focus on the positive side of any race, and I’m relieved more than anything that I managed a top 60 result in a strong field of over 100 racers. So my next thought was on much needed rest and recovery to be fit for the next race I was heading to in the UK (BMBS R2, Dalby Forest).

 

Unfortunately there was not much time for rest and recovery as Ian and I had to leave Belgium at 2am the next morning for what was a 17hr drive to Luchon. I still hoped to race in the UK, but it was not to be as my head cold symptoms got worse and I thought it best to get myself back on track for the next world cup in Madrid two weeks later.

 

I’m pleased to say I’m feeling alot better and my strength, both physical and mental is back on track. Just being in the fresh mountain air here in Luchon has been great therapy for my overzealous brain and I’m learning to deal with the stresses that has been creeping up on me for a while now. It’s a strange thing stress, and we all feel it at times in different ways. When you’re in the right mind set it’s easy to look at your daily tasks as just another task, but when you’re tired, ill, run down then every little task can appear a mammoth one and that’s when stress can really play havock with your brain.

 

Now it’s back to nursing Mr Potter who has come down with the same symptoms...so I’m force feeding him 6 cloves of garlic daily, endless amounts of vitamin C and a good dose of L-glutamine so it won’t be long until he is back on track too.

 

 

As always Special thanks to –

Cotic – www.cotic.co.uk

Bontrager – www.bontrager.com

Magura Forks & Brakes – www.magura.com

Torq & Torq Australia – www.torqfitness.co.uk

A Quick Release Holidays – www.aquickrelease.com

KCNC – www.kcnc.com, www.clee-b2b.co.uk

Skins – www.skins.net

And co-sponsors Crank Brothers, Exposure Lights, Bigfoot bags, 661 gloves, Nokon cables, Sundog eyewear and Purple Extreme Lubricants.

 

Plus lots of thanks to Neil Ross (Cycling Oz) for coaching me, and Mr P. For all your endless support.                         

A Quick Release Holidays
Tel: 0845 1304824

http://www.aquickrelease.com

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April - Cotic Bontrager Race Team Adventures

THE RACER’S CUP – LUGANO, SWITZERLAND      April 20, 2009

I’m about to have a writer’s mental breakdown as I have given myself so many writing duties lately that you think I would be good at this task, but it doesn’t come naturally to me so it takes time. After each race I sit down to write a race report, but before I know it I’m prepping for the next race and all my thoughts are focused on the physical and mental preparation associated with a new course, a new country and new competition. So this report is dedicated to the month of April and the biking adventures that have ridden my way.

By now you should know about the fatigue fought race I experienced at the first round of the World Cup Series in South Africa so I shan’t go into great detail about that little adventure. That race was an important part of my training and taught me that not feeling 100% on race day is not the end of the world. It forced me to think about how I would race so that I finished on the lead lap and in the top 40, but more importantly it also trained my brain and body to toughen up and squash any wimpish thoughts that crept inside my head...’when the going gets tough, the tough get going’. That is the song I always gasp to myself whilst racing when I’m wanting to put the brakes on and collapse in a heap.

So after 32hrs of travelling back from South Africa I arrived home to Luchon and had one day to repack for three weeks of racing across Europe, plus squeeze a four hour ride in and ensure the new 2009 Soda was ready to roll. The next morning before sunrise I joined 6 Aussie juniors, their coach Chris Clarke and Mr Potter for a 14hr trip to Lugano, Switzerland.

Ian was as always being his efficient self and making sure all bikes and bags were in their correct space, so we could leave at 6am and no latter...’that be 6am Kate!’ Ian has a habit of repeating departure times to me, even though it be me who is regularly up working or training at the earliest of hours. The mini bus was full to the brim, and so was the trailer. Ian hates faff, and made it clear that he would not put up with any Mrs Potter faff on this trip....me faff? Never! So we’re ready to roll, well I’m ready to roll, but Ian is being unusually quiet and is looking a tad concerned....well stressed is probably the right word. Then he asks me where the keys are....as if I would be trusted with keys. The silly sod thought he had locked them in the trailer. We could go nowhere until those keys were found. I was tempted to point out to Ian that he had left them in the security box behind the driver’s seat, but I thought it best to make him sweat it out and show Ian off as the faffer he really is. For me that was the high point of our 14hr trip, as I was my super organised self and I’m pleased to announce to all who know me that my faffy ways are a thing of the past.

When we finally arrived in Lugano 14hrs later we were treated to an amazing display of hail, lightening and plenty of thunder. The Gods had struck and welcomed us to a new mountainous biking terrain that we couldn’t wait to check out the following day.

The Swiss Power Cup is now called the Racer’s Cup, but the atmosphere as always was very friendly and welcoming. The course was technically challenging, but without any scary sections so I was in my element. I’m sure there were more climbs than descents on this course, with plenty of short sharp power climbs that needed every muscle at full strength in order to climb them.

 I was gridded on the second row, with about 30 women in total lining up, including national champs and some top world cup racers who were looking strong. The start of all European races is always fast, but this start was even faster than I anticipated. The acceleration from the top girls was awesome and I dug deep to try and stay on some back wheels. There was plenty of hustle and bustle as everybody fought for their position on the single track. I wasn’t fast enough at the start and was back in 12^th position early on and unable to go any quicker as the few girls in front slowed down on the technical rooty sections. I managed to make some passes, but had lost sight of the leading ladies. I had four laps to ride, and every lap I kept making up some places, but I had no idea where I was placed overall. There was always a girl in front to chase down, and always girls close by so there was no time to catch one’s breath or try and recover at any point on the course.

On the last lap I was passed by Esther Suss, a Swiss Power Cup winner and top world cup racer who looked fierce. I found some extra speed from my tired legs and managed to stay on her back wheel. I had no idea how long I could sustain the pace for, but I was determined not to let her go. Before I knew it I was out cornering Suss and another rider we had caught and I had taken back the lead of our little race within a race. I was quite proud of that little manoeuvre and it gave me an extra dose of confidence to attack the next technical climb that was a right toughy, as there were step ups and plenty of roots to try and ride without losing balance.

I realised early on in the race that I had made my forks too hard for the technical sections on this course, I kept bouncing off line and I had to concentrate more than normal on my body position and line choice. Every lapse of concentration and I was off the bike, and on this final lap I gave myself a nice little dead leg as my bars went into my knee....it was a proper OUCH moment! But there were no time for tears. I was trying to jump back on the bike, but through sheer panic I kept falling off my bike and making a right fool of myself. I had to run a short section as Suss caught me up screaming at me to move. Somehow I managed to stay in front, but I don’t think she was too pleased. She was right on my back wheel, and for some reason I chose to drink at a really stupid spot on the race course where there was plenty of overtaking places. Suss sprinted past me into the longest section of single track descent on the course. What I didn’t know is that she had stacked it hard early on in the race, as she was riding the descent much slower than I would have expected someone of her level of racing. There were steps to ride and drop offs and plenty of roots, but it was the type of course where you didn’t want to hit the ground, as there were no soft landings anywhere. Had I known this earlier it would have been the perfect place to attack, as I was loving this descent and had more trouble riding it slowly then at race pace.

There was about 3km to go and I was still on Suss’ back wheel and still trying to make passes when and where I could. I finally out sprinted Suss into a short section of single track with 1km to go and all I had to do was get to the top of the last short climb that I was forced to run each lap. Elbows were out and I already had gears in big ring ready to sprint into the next section of single track. I was properly growling and trying to look aggressive. However, what I didn’t realise is that you could cut the trail tight....noooooo I saw the line too late. There was a tighter line where Suss out ran me into the next section...DOH! Now I was really having words...think Kate!

 I was back on her wheel and still trying to put the pressure on and make passes, but she just kept on blocking me. The final section of single track was very fast, and tight, and as we dropped into the finish line the tight bends were impossible to pass riders on. I finished one second behind Suss in our little battle, but placed 7^th overall. I was extremely happy with my result and had plenty of painful fun out on course trying to outride, and outsmart a much more experienced racer. I was also pleased with how my form has been progressing, and found out later that my final lap time was the 4^th fastest lap overall...so I was pretty chuffed with myself and know I have made significant improvements already. But as the saying goes ‘the more you learn, the more there is to learn’. Gaining more experience is a very important part of my training, which takes time....but in one year I’m already bike lengths ahead of where I used to be, although there are still plenty of bike lengths to work on and ride towards.

WORLD CUP SERIES 2 - OFFENBURG, GERMANY                         APRIL 26, 2009

I have returned a year later to face my race course nemesis and the brain demons that occasionally raise their devilish heads. Last year I raced the Offenburg world cup course and there were sections that frightened me silly. There are three rather dramatic drops, that for someone who has been afraid of heights most her life, suddenly found herself in a position where there was no chickening out, as I always say to myself when the nerves appear ‘Do or do not....there is no try!’.

So I take myself off for my first practice around the course. I have been invited to train with the Tasmanian UCI team. I have had no opportunity to look at the drops, and all I can think about is wearing the right head and not making a fool of myself. Potter nerves must stay under control today else I will only disrupt the training ride. I’m not used to training with people, so it’s great to be training alongside so many national champs that make up this 6 person team. I approach the first drop where there is a step down before a fast shoot into a small drop off. I lose a few nerves along the way and now we’re heading to the ‘World Class Drop’.....my heart skips a beat as my back end lifts up and for the briefest of seconds one is riding on their front wheel, before the berm catches riders at the bottom of the exit. High Fives and world class YAY’s all round gives me a warm buzzy feeling all over...but now it’s time for the Wolve’s Drop. There is no way out, even in practice there are spectators ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhhing’ at the exit of the shoot. Before you hit the drop you must ride over loads of roots, and you only see the trail as you ride over the edge. It’s not a smooth shoot....Oh and before you know it you are down and hopefully still on the bike and not crashing into the barriers.

I finish the training ride in the highest of spirits, as I have ridden the course confidently and now that I have ridden a few laps I don’t know why I found this course scary last year, as it’s so much fun to ride with the right head on. But our brains, well my brain especially, can play tricks and occasionally leave doubts in my head. So for me to be feeling this confident on course early in the week is a real bonus.

Before I knew it race day was upon us. Offenburg had attracted all the best racers in the world, and there were alot of girls on the start line. I had a good position on the grid (number 32), and strangely enough I wasn’t feeling too nervous. I could only give it my best shot, and was looking forward to the challenge. The start loop was on a long section of draggy grass that made you feel slow, even when you were going max out. Then you hit a long steep, but wide track where I knew I had to go for gold if I was going to hold my position. As I took off I found myself still in the front group of riders, when suddenly this rider came barging through the middle of the pack and we all just parted like a wave.  I was pushed in the wrong direction and had to apply brakes to avoid missing a tree. It was incredible how vicious this racer was as she had no concern for anyone falling as she elbowed her way through. Now this is world cup racing for you. I was mad...yes the red mist had appeared and I took off and focused on chasing her down. I kept on chasing, and chasing and chasing, and then realised I had made up loads of places. I was racing alongside girls who are usually in the top 20. I had no idea where I was placed but kept working on chasing riders down and was feeling in good form. As I past my coach I found out I was in 27^th position. I overtook a few more girls, but then there were a few girls passing me, and then I noticed a few girls already experiencing mechanicals. But I was still racing with girls who were very strong, so I just knuckled down to try and maintain this position. I was focusing so hard on staying with the girls in front that I forgot to take my gels.  I was starting to get really thirsty and signs of blowing up were showing their ugly head. I had three laps to go and I was suffering big time. When I started shaking this was a wakeup call to get a gel down me, but methinks it was too late. Jelly head was upon me well and truly. As I headed into the Snake pit, a lovely rooty section with very few lines that I never had any problems riding, I went head over handle bar and landed straight on my head...I was seeing stars, tasting dirt and receiving plenty of cheers from the crowd...so good publicity for sponsors J

As I picked myself up I lost sight of the girls I was chasing and more girls caught me up. I was back on the bike and trying to focus again on the one remaining lap. I thought I might get pulled as I thought I had lost loads of places, but as it turned out I was in the mid 40’s, with at least 10 girls within 1 minute out in front, as well as girls right on my tail. I managed to hold them off, but didn’t have the power to catch Ivonne Kraft who powered by me on the last climb, but I stuck to her wheel and finished one second behind in 47^th position.

I felt like collapsing in a heap at the end, as the shakes came back again and I desperately needed some food. But I had another race ahead of me this time, and that was to chase Ian down who had to make his way back from the pit area where there were hundreds of spectators fighting for the best viewing point on the course. I must have been riding around in circles for half an hour and just missing Mr Potter, as everyone I asked had seen him, but me. Finally he emerged from all the bodies, bikers and press who were scattered everywhere in the arena area. He was proud as punch of his Mrs, but there was no time for affection I needed food and a push back to the mini bus as my legs had refused to pedal one more stroke.

Next racing destination is Houffalize, Belgium which was my favourite course in 2008. Will be back soon with an update on that one.

As always Special thanks to –

Cotic – www.cotic.co.uk

Bontrager – www.bontrager.com

Magura Forks & Brakes – www.magura.com

Torq & Torq Australia – www.torqfitness.co.uk

A Quick Release Holidays – www.aquickrelease.com

KCNC – www.kcnc.com, www.clee-b2b.co.uk

Skins – www.skins.net

 

And co-sponsors Crank Brothers, Exposure Lights, Bigfoot bike and travel bags, 661 gloves, Ergon Ergonomic bags, Nokon cables, Sundog eyewear and Purple Extreme Lubricants.

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