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Blog of Pro Mountain Bike rider Kate Potter of the Cotic AQR Holidays Race Team
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Well it’s the November off season for the Potters, no guiding, no travelling, no racing, I should really say no training....but I won’t....Ian will as he’s knackered from the staircase build project I blogged about recently. It should really be a time to relax, unwind, re-charge the Potter batteries because it’s not long until it all starts again. But I’m discovering more and more of my youthful 21 year old self within me 30 plus year old bones. Each month I seem to be gaining even more strength than the month before. I was told this might happen by the doctor, but it’s gone a little bit haywire and out of control....BUT, I AM LOVING IT!!!!!!....although Ian’s not quite filled with the same enthusiasm -
A TYPICAL KP MONDAY - 5am start, followed by a 3hr turbo training session to kick start the day, then off for a 2-3hr hike (as I’m helping a friend train for her walk to Everest Base Camp), then in the AQR office because I ought to be doing some work. In the afternoon I head off on my Cotic X to enjoy the lower Luchon trails that lead me to water aerobics, that I originally joined to meet more locals in Luchon (but actually it’s difficult to communicate even more so now as I haven’t mastered the co-ordination of speaking French whilst gasping for breath and swallowing water J) And then a quick trail blast up and down our Pyrenean backyard on my lovely Soda, especially if I can drag Mr P away from his darn X-Box machine...he just wants to kill things in his spare time lately! But my new levels of crazy high energy are taking great joy in killing him up the hills....so it’s not so much fun when he refuses to ride with me J
Feeling as I did 10 years ago has made me think about the past recently and the life changing experiences that lead me to mountain biking in the first place. Back in my teen years and 20’s I was a royal pain in the toenail and never held down a proper relationship because my running shoes and gym membership were always given more attention than the males in my life. In fact, as far as I was concerned boyfriends just got in the way of the minutes, hours and all the spare moments possible when I could be running along beaches, hiking across trails and spinning it up in spin classes. Life was more than a box of chocolates as my nick name used to be ‘Forest Gump’....it was a cycle of one sporty adventure after another. The two Aussie lads that stayed around for the longest were Shane and Bruce (I shan’t use their real names just in case they actually read my blog....that would be a right ‘oops’ moment).
Anyway both guys were keen to please me for some reason....silly boys! In the early weeks of their blossoming love they actually dared join me for one of my many trail runs, only ever one mind you. The problem was I’m not one to stick to a time frame, and could never confirm how long I would run for, because if I was off road and I spotted a new trail, well it would be rude not to check it out. The problem was they were much faster than me over a short distance, but had no stamina (TYPICAL MALE J...now before you jump up and down Ian told me to write that!!!).
As soon as I caught them up they would sprint off into the distance to give themselves enough time to have a break before I caught them up again. So in actual fact we hardly saw each other on my long running adventures because when I caught them up they were too out of breath to speak and when they did speak they simply whinged about suffering aches and pains and then they ran off in front again.....AGHHHH.....which did my head in!!! I felt surrounded by negative energy, so I wasn’t very sympathetic to these boys (I have since learnt to be a tad kinder, so I apologise for my lack of sympathy if you two read this and know who you are....especially Bruce who really did suffer altitude sickness when I made you climb/run a big mountain in Morocco all those years ago....sorry J )
So when I decided to head to Portugal 8 years ago to see what cycling in the mountains was all about, who would have thought I would instantly hit it off with the guide, or rather he would hit it off with me (hee hee hee (evil laugh)....Mr P deserves a medal), but more importantly fall in love with a sport that has endless opportunities for adventure and new found experiences. I had actually booked myself on the wrong holiday because I didn’t know what mountain biking was at the time, nor did I realise you could actually ride off road, I just loved the idea of riding a bike and exploring a new country. It was love at first RPM when I pedalled my hire bike uphill for the first time, I can’t remember the name of it, but it was blue, my favourite colour. When I attempted my first descent my lovely blue bike was patient, caring and confidence inspiring, actually Mr P was pretty patient back then with me too believe it or not J
Together my bike and I discovered beautiful views, trails filled with giggle fit moments, especially when I kissed dirt every so often. Ian actually had to drag ME, a once upon a time BEACH GIRL, away from my bike and down to the stunning beaches on the Algarve coastline for a DAY OFF the trails.... grrrrrr.....it was the first time he saw me sulk!
I still hold treasured memories of that week of mountain biking in Portugal and often look at the photos of my FIRST mountain bike adventure. I met a wonderful bunch of biker Brits for the first time....I had been living in London and had yet to meet many British people...sad but true. I discovered a part of the world that I would never had explored if I hadn’t been on a mountain bike, but best of all it lead me to my true love.....s......My shiny COTIC SODA....AND my future hubby....MR P! J
My running shoes were laid to rest for a little while, they probably needed the rest, but I had come to the realisation that mountain biking made more sense because I could see more of the world in one day then I could with these ol’ Forest Gump running legs.
Since then we Potters have lived, cycled and explored the UK, Australia, France, Greece, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, America, Canada......and although there are still so many trails in our Luchon back yard that need to be discovered and rediscovered, Ian, our Cotics and I have decided to return to Portugal for a month in March to celebrate my birthday (5th March, 5th march, 5th march....just in case you all forget J ) and to return to the trails that set me up for life in more ways than one.
My ever faithful Cotic Soda wasn’t born at this time, but it was this first mountain bike experience that paved the way to our destined union, in fact that trip paved the way to the birth of AQR Holidays and of course me becoming a Potter! YAY!!
So if you want to join us Potters in the sunny Algarve and test a Cotic bike then let me know, especially all you lady bikers out there who love adventure and find your lovely lads occasionally slow you down.....oooh I’m going to get a big blog bashing now J
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But with all health issues behind me now I had 6 weeks of quality training and new found working sensations in the legs that were motivating me to commence racing again. Once the medication kicked in I was able to perform double training sessions on a daily basis and even had the pleasure of making Ian hurt as my times improved on racing loops I use out here in Luchon as part of training. All was on track as I headed to the Australian Mountain Bike Team training camp in Mont Sainte Anne. Coach Neil Ross seemed pleased as to where I was at right now considering the lack of training and racing in my legs, plus I felt so much stronger in my upper body on the descents that my confidence was at an all time high. I was riding all the technical sections on the world champs course, including the rocky shoot that was by far the scariest section because it only took one bad line choice to send you over the bars and into the jagged rocks at full force.
Unfortunately I experienced one such crash on my final timed effort in training, but fortunately as I flew over the edge of the trail, missing the bottom switchback and finding myself with a face full of hay I was fine...... before my bike clobbered me in the head (doh!). Without thinking about it I was back on the bike and completed the timed loop in a pretty good time for me considering my bad line choice, but from that moment onwards I had mechanical issues that may have been brought on by this crash.
I’m not going to go into detail about all the mechanicals that followed me around like a bad smell at both the Wyndham World Cup and also the World Champs. Mechanicals happen to us all at any level of racing and/or trail riding, but in many ways you can be more prone to mechanicals at a world cup when you are riding on the edge and taking more risks to body, brain and bike than any other type of riding I have ever experienced, including 24hr solo racing.
When I lined up for the Cross Country World Champs wearing the green and gold for only the second time in KP biking history my goal was to finish no matter what! I knew I was on the start line with the best preparation that I could have managed given the time I had to prepare. I also had the luxury of being supported by an amazing crew of people who made me feel like I was on holiday as I had a daily massage, mechanics who even washed my bike, staff to take all the daily stress out of our lives so that we could start and finish the race in the best form possible, and then hopefully earn points for Australia’s cross country Olympic bid.
All week the course at Mont Sainte Anne was dry, in fact the area had not experienced rain for weeks. The dust and sand was actually making the course very difficult to ride in places and the heat was definitely going to have an impact on how we felt before and during the race. But you can never predict the weather and on race morning as we started our warm up the rain commenced. I knew my water proof layers would come in handy (see Mr Potter over packing does come in handy) as I found them at the bottom of the clothes pile. I was wearing waterproof jacket and trousers as well as my winter over shoes to stop myself from becoming cold and wet. It was a day for ducks and not lycra clad cyclists unfortunately, but we were all in the same boat...I just hoped we wouldn’t need ‘life jackets’ as the whole area was surrounded by rain clouds and didn’t look like easing off anytime soon.
On the start line I was at the back of a very talented and strong bunch of elite female mountain bikers. As we took off I avoided a collision of bikes, but was sent off the tarmac slightly and had to work extra hard to catch up to where I should be. There was a huge climb to look forward to with ample overtaking space, so I attacked at that point and found myself mid field. Then the running started through the rocky single track, and I was pleased that my legs felt quite comfortable running on the slippery rocks. There was one more climb where I knew I could make some overtaking manoeuvres, but then as I started the descent I realised the bike was completely rigid again, as I had experienced the same problem at the Wyndham World Cup the weekend before. For some reason my forks were locked solid (gulp). I had trouble riding the lines I was used to and as I started to back off I could feel my whole body tensing and felt fear creep into my mind. I knew better than to tense up, but no matter how much I spoke to myself and even sang to myself, I couldn’t relax. The Mont Sainte Anne course is brutal at the driest of times, but in the wet it really is a course of survival because one bad line and you can do both yourself and your bike serious damage and the fact that I had no suspension made my ride all the more challenging and my arms suffering from pain overload.
The next few laps consisted of a stuck chain behind the cassette, a puncture and a bent hanger which caused my gears to be dancing all over the place. I lost places, gained places, before losing those places again.....I ran, I fell, I swore politely :) but always picked myself back up again as I was determined to finish. I made decisions to run certain sections of trail that may have lost time had I tried to ride them, but at the end of the day I finished! It was not the perfect race for the Soda and I, but as I fought the conditions and tried to do what I could to help my little Soda battle on to the finish line I remembered where I was 6 months ago when I couldn’t find the strength to finish a race and today I finished in 52nd position in the world.....YAYYAYAYAY!!!!!
The World Championships are a unique event and everybody who competes no matter if you are a podium favourite or just trying to finish on the lead lap aims to be at their very best on World Champs race day. This is only my second world championships and from what I have seen it can take years of racing at this level to know how to race the best racers in the world.
The World Championships show off the best riders in the world in cross country, downhill and trials, but it also shows off a wide range of emotion from elation to pure devastation. I may not have had a good race, but I finished, which was my main goal on race day. I’m happy, so I guess you could say I found the middle ground somewhere between pure elation and devastation. But I’m striving for the elation I felt after finishing 24th at the World Championships in 2009. I’m well motivated for the 2011 season because I have alot to prove to myself and still ALOT to learn.
At the same time I witnessed history and pure gold worthy elation as my good friend Tracey Mosely won her first World Championship GOLD!!!! I don’t know how long it has taken Tracey, but like Steve Peat in 2009 it has been one title missing from a cv filled with national and series title wins. Well Done Champ!!!!!I It was incredible to see the changes of emotion on Tracey’s face as she waited in the hot seat for the two last french riders to finish their run. When Tracey’s gold medal was secure it was the highlight of my world champs because I know how hard she had worked for this moment over the many years that she has been racing at this level. Gold medals don’t happen overnight, and today was finally Tracey’s day!!!! I forgot I was Aussie for a day and cheered my favourite downhill Brit to a well deserved victory.
On the opposite end of the World Champs emotional spectrum I witnessed devastated racers who were unable to finish their race due to mechanicals and broken bikes that could not be repaired. The one rider who really stood out was an Italian XC racer who was a possible medal contender and he was overcome with emotion when he knew his broken bike could not be salvaged and sadly his race was over as he sat looking distraught in the pit area. It is the first time I have seen a grown man cry, and it just shows you how much emotion and mental energy goes into this one day of the year for most mountain bike racers. It is an event of many highs and lows, but to witness the wide range of emotion going on over the three days of competition only makes one feel alive and motivated for the 2011 World Champs in Champery, Switzerland. So I’m already preparing myself for next season so hopefully I can have another crack at experiencing World Champs elation as I did in 2009.
I would like to say a huge THANKYOU for all the time, effort and support that the staff from Mountain Bike Australia put into the 2010 World Championships.
Special mention must go to the following people –
NEIL ROSS – thank you so much for taking the time to help me this year. Once again I have come away from the training camp with new ideas and motivation for the future.
CHRIS CLARKE – I know how hard you worked to ensure all biking disciplines got the support we needed. Please find time to sleep now and see your family :)
RONALD – You stepped up to the plate with your professional hat on and inspired all of us. Thank you for all your mechanical support and coaching. We all hope to see those green and gold undies flash by next year :)
TIM – I learnt alot from you and was inspired by your energy and enthusiasm for the sport. Best training session I have ever had involved foam swords and flour.....thanks for keeping training really fun as it should be :)
CHRISTINE – Thanks for all your constant support and ‘tipsy’ words of guidance. You and your hands are amazing and I can’t wait to catch up again in the future for another massage.
Plus I wouldn't have had the opportunity to start the World Championships without the endless support from the COTIC BONTRAGER RACE TEAM, who have really stuck by me this year.
Special mention to those of you who really helped me prepare for the biggest race of the year -
CY TURNER (Cotic) - Thankyou for your constant support!!!! You have been amazing as always, and a wonderful friend.
GRIFF & HELEN (Bontrager) - Thankyou for all your help, guidance and patience.
TONY, FLORIAN, AARRON (Magura) - as always your support and mechanical teachings have really helped me sort out my lack of a mechanical sided brain.
IAN POTTER – As always Mr Potter is my Number 1 Team mate, and together we have shown that couples can work together and support each other without any marital disputes....so long as I get my own way :) Thank you for all your help and support over the years, you have always stuck by me and continue to help me improve on the bike. Bring on 2011 for more Potter adventures I say!
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Well as I keep saying I'm definitely getting back on track after an ill fated racing season that left me questioning whether I was physically able to continue racing this year. However whilst I waited for test results and a confirmed diagnosis I was encouraged by Mountain Bike Australia not to give up hope of World Championship selection. I didn't think I had a hope in heaven, but to my surprise I earnt a place on the 2010 Australian Team bound for Mont St Anne, Canada.
I can definitely feel the old me returning to life, but more importantly the chaotic situations that have always plagued my racing adventures are also back on track which I now consider a good thing, a blessing in disguise, without them what would I write about :)
So let me begin the first weekly chapter of KP's Cotic Bontrager 2010 World Championship Adventure here in glorious sunny Mont St Anne. Last Wednesday morning at the glorious time of 3am the adventure started. Bike bag was finally zipped up after too many attempts at squashing in extra bits and bobs without breaking the zipper. Ian kindly drove me to the aiport for my 5am check in. There were no tearful goodbyes as Ian would be joining me 5 days later and the sooner he was rid of his wife the sooner he could be on the plane and bound for Canada as well. To my relief I had a very smooth trip to Paris....but in typical Potter fashion that's where the smoothness ended and the chaos began. My flight to Montreal was delayed and the hour I had to spare to catch my flight from Montreal to Quebec City was looking less likely. I remained cool, calm and collected on the flight as I listened to some really bad dance music on the plane and realised to my horror that the guy sitting next to me was laughing and nudging his partner to check out my seated dance moves as I was bopping up and down to some Lady Gaga tune and I admit there was a few Britney Spears songs on full blast as well.
To my relief the plane touched down early. I dashed to collect my luggage and bike bag with an hour to spare, but first had to endure passport control.....40 minutes later and I was sprinting to baggage collection where I came to a rapid stop. An hour later and I not only missed my flight, but still no bike bag or luggage with my name on it. So I joined a que of very angry Canadians who also had missing bags, and waited.....and waited......and waited.....only to find out that nobody knew where my bags were...but sign here and they will be with you shortly was their response, well when they have been found that is. So I was put on stand by for the next flight to Quebec City and again I waited.....I finally arrived in Quebec City with no sleep in 26hrs (I blame Britney!)
The next morning I caught up with some of the Aussie team and head coaches Neil, Chris and Tim who were in charge of the camp. I couldn't wait to get stuck into training and start riding the course, but then I remembered that my bike and clothing were still en route (grrrrrr). Luckily everyone was on a recovery day, and Neil only wanted me to do a 30min easy spin and stretching so I wouldn't miss out on too much. I was kindly offered a bike to ride, so with my sneakers and the clothes I had been wearing since I left Luchon I headed off for some much needed bike time. Since I had no pockets in my shorts or T-shirt, I decided not to take a spare tube or pump, as I was only riding on road for 15 minutes in one direction before returning to the base, I also decided it really would be a steady ride, as I had no other clothes and didn't fancy sitting around all day with my mtb odour lingering, I may be kicked off the team if that happens. I had reached my 15 minute mark and decided to ride a little further just to see what was at the top of the small hill I was climbing........pshshshshsh.....I tell you what was at the top of that hill one frustrated Aussie who now had a flat back tyre and no spares (Doh!). So I had no choice but to run back and risk sweat stained smelly clothing, as I had a team yoga session which I would miss out on if I walked back. To my horror the very professional looking German national team passed by....and I simply gazed down and avoided eye contact, as I hardly looked like a member of a national team squad, let alone a mountain bike race team of any kind.
The next day I discovered my bags had arrived in Quebec City, but still no confirmed time as to when they would arrive in Mont St Anne which was about 30 minutes away. Now my humour was finally tested as everybody headed to the course for training and I was left in three day old clothing to play the waiting game. I also found out that for tomorrows training we would all be racing the Quebec Cup, which would be on the World Championship race course here in Mont St Anne. This was definitely a training session I didn't want to miss out on as I'm in desperate need of some race practice if I'm going to feel half the racer I was last year.
At 2pm to my joy a bike and fresh clothing had finally arrived. Bike was built in lightning speed and I was told to register for the race and train steadily on course for 3 laps. As I practised the course I didn't hesitate on any section and felt in full flow on my Cotic Soda. The next two laps were even better and although I'm still getting used to the 2010 Cotic Soda Cy designed for me this year, I knew I was feeling right at home on the technical rocky and rooty sections. I would be ready to race tomorrow so long as the legs remembered how to get back up to race speed overnight.
I have been waking up rather early as I'm still on French time, and was ready to race over 2 hrs before warm up had even started. I was experiencing strange sensations all over and realised I was very giggly, too talkative for my own good and acting a bit of a clumbsy prat. I had to take myself away from the group to control my giggles, and I wondered if there was something in the water here, as I must admit I felt rather tipsy....but I was simply high on life. I managed to control my excitement during warm up and again noticed strange sensations in my legs....THE BUZZ FACTOR HAD RETURNED!!!! Only trouble is I could feel myself losing control of it.
On the start line I was buzzing and couldn't wait to race. I wasn't thinking about a race result or trying to beat anyone, I just wanted to ride my bike HARD and make the most of these new found physical sensations before they disappeared on me again. 3-4 months ago I had no leg strength so on the start line I was cautious and kept my chain in middle ring, whilst girls around me were in big ring. I was finally set free and attacked the small climb ahead of me....oops I had more leg strength then I realised, but in completely the wrong gear and was overspinning in the sand and making a right mess of the first few metres. I then some how managed to ride into a huge stump and was off the bike and running in last position (way to go Kate!). But as I giggled to myself, yes the giggles were still there, I was back on track and moved from last to the back of the lead group that included my friend Rowena Fry (national Aussie Champion) and you all should know up and coming British Under 23 star Lilly Mathews, as well as a hand full of Canadians and Americans. I wasn't nervous at all, but I was over excited and having too much fun for my own good. I was out of control on the single track and making mistake after mistake, but as I was so relaxed managed to hold it until I hit a steep sandy shoot with a right hand bend at the top of it....too much speed later and next minute I was performing a superman manouvre as chest hit saddle and I was flying towards a tree...this time I was swearing at myself 'YIKES!' (I won't type what real words flew out accidently :) ). I could hear Row behind me giggling to herself, which then brought on more internal gigles as I was still breathing hard trying to act like a racer. There were at least 5 more almost stackful moments, before the last one on lap 1 knocked me off the bike as I decided to see how hard I could hit every wheel trapper of a rock on the last descent of the lap... the last rock finally won and I was sent over the handle bars. As girls flew by I forced myself to calm down and refocus on the task at hand....to survive!
The next three laps I did calm down, and I was passing riders on the climbs and holding my position on the descents. The single track descents were mostly impossible to pass on, so it was best to ride smoothly and save your energy for the long energy zapping technical climbing sections. I had no idea what my position was, but was gaining on Lily Mathews and caught her up on lap 4 at the top of the last main climb, when I heard her ask me if I wanted to pass, she must have thought I was an elite guy who were racing at the same time...without even thinking I said 'oh yes please', and then realised I should have spoken in a deep male voice as when Lily realised it was me there was no easy passing to be had (doh!). I followed Lily down to the arena and was ready to finish when I realised Lily kept going. I must have lost count as I thought we had finished. I really had to dig deep now as my body was feeling the race and mentally I wasn't prepared for another lap. But I focused on catching Lily and attacked before a tricky single track climbing section. I then had three quarters of the lap to go and really dug deep as I wanted this to be a hard training session.
When I crossed the line I had no idea where I had finished, but was surprised at how many girls had finished in front, girls I recognised and knew I had passed on the first lap......mmmmm?!?!?!? Very confused, but didn't care as I had so much fun out on course today and am so happy to be back wearing racing lycra kit again.
When I started my cool down I met up with Coach Neil Ross, who always keeps me thinking, but I didn't quite understand what he meant by saying if the race had been 5 laps and you passed first place on the final lap where do you think you finished?' It was a riddle that I didn't quite grasp at the time until I discovered that Lily and I did one lap too many. Lily crossed the line in first for the 4 lap race, but I crossed the line first for the 5 lap race.....BUT as we were the only elite women to race 5 laps we were both disqualified.....HUH?!?!? So although we were the strongest riders out on course today, we were both second last and last respectively, well at least they gave us a place as we were told we were given a disqualification to begin with.
Anyway I'm just pleased as punch that I'm back racing again, and feel the strength returning at long last. Ian, the Aussies and I leave for America on Thursday for the last world cup of the year before the World Champs week commences next Monday back in Mont St Anne. I have no delusions as to where I'm likely to finish in a world cup right now, but if I can go out on course with a smile on my face and a little more buzz in the legs than I will be one happy Potter....I will be back again with another update and alot more pics soon.
Cheerios for now
KPxo
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Well I had my feet up all week, I overdosed on paracetamol, garlic, ribose, L-Glutamine and Ian was starting to think I had obsessive compulsive disorder as I wash my hands with soap every chance I get. I’m eating as much vitamin C enriched fruit and veg as I can stomach and avoiding human contact just in case more nasty bugs jump my way. The doctor confirmed I have a chest cold…well I knew that, I have all that greeny gunky evidence on tissue paper, every sentence I mutter has coughing and spluttering attached to the syllables and every morning I wake up feeling like I have been run over by a truck…as a result I have been a wicked wife of the west in recent days…sorry Mr P J
I guess I hoped that there may be some magical 24hr cold cure that they would want guinea pig athletic nutters like myself to undergo medicine trials for, but no, to my dismay the common cold still remains a medical mystery. Even though doctors spend so much time studying medicine, as we all know there still isn’t a lot one can do to get rid of a cold except rest, drink plenty of fluids and not overdo it….But where there is a will there is a way, so I say. I’m no doctor, but do believe in the power of the mind and told myself that I would be A OK for the first round of the World Cup Series….mmmm.
It was a funny old week leading up to the main event.
Earth was having its own little coughing and spluttering issues as the volcano in Iceland sent ash up into the atmosphere and as we all know grounded flights all over the world. The Aussie mountain bike crew that consisted of TORQ Australia and some independent Australian racers were due to be collected from Manchester on the Monday before the race by Ian and I, but we stayed put in Nottingham until we knew whether they would arrive in time or not. On Wednesday it looked unlikely as all their flights had been cancelled and so Ian and I headed to Dalby Forest with an empty mini bus, but an overloaded trailer….I decided to stock up on my favourite foods now that we had more room. Ian went mad as he looked in disbelief at the dozen of 2kg sacks of oats, cereal, dried fruit and tinned soup that I can’t always buy in France or if I can it is quadruple the price. Ian always takes it upon himself to comment on all my bags and then questions every single item I pack, instead of just focusing on what he is taking. I just like to be over prepared and as a result never forget anything. Where Ian takes great pride in being a minimalist and packing light……….ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IS HE ALWAYS FORGETS THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT HE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR…maps, passport, wallet, phone, tent?!?!? But this time he forgot his tooth brush, so not a major problem as he has been refusing to kiss my garlic scented lips lately anyhow.
Anyway I’m getting side tracked, as I could go on and on about the Potter marital problems of packing for the race season, it really is a blog all in itself.
On Thursday Ian and I decided to hit the course and spend time familiarizing ourselves with the track as I missed the British national round in 2009 so had no idea what the course was like. We had spent one day in November with Joolze Dymond checking out some sections of it, where we Potters posed for the camera as we dropped down off the edge of ‘Worry Gill’ with Joolze flashing our every move. But that was all we had time for, and nothing at that point resembled a race course.
I’m always excited to ride a new course, but know that my first lap is usually a shocker as Ian and I often stop and start to analyse different sections and look for alternate lines on the course. I think it is important to look at a course closely if you have time, but I always feel like I don’t flow as well on a course until the second lap when I have more understanding as to how the course works for me. On this occasion I kept forgetting to stop and found myself really enjoying the fast and flowy single track, jumps, drops, and for the first time in KP racing history I rode everything with a confident head on and the biggest smile. After several attempts I finally nailed the rocky climb near ‘Worry Gill‘, and then when I cleared it a second time, well I announced to Ian that my race here is done, as I don’t think it can get technically any better than that for me this weekend. On my fourth lap I decided to time myself and attack the climbs with more effort, energy and Potter oomph! Unfortunately there was no oomph and even when I dug deep, something didn’t feel quite right. Although I was riding technically well, physically I felt pretty rough. I thought the worst of my cold had gone, but I feel like it has left me with bruised lungs, tight chest and quite a fatigued body.
Perhaps I over did it on Thursday, but the next two days I felt worse. I started making silly mistakes on the technical sections in practice. This did my confident head no favours and that little doubting devil that sits on your shoulder from time to time made several appearances on Saturday….grrrr!!!
On the plus the Aussie team minus one all found their way to the UK. We didn’t have mobile reception or internet access where we were staying, but luckily we checked emails in Pickering Thursday evening and found out they were all arriving at different times Thursday night and early Friday morning. Ian had to leave almost straight away to collect Jo from York and then Matt from Torq collected Katherine and Ray from Manchester, with Dan and Bec hiring a car from Gatwick Airport. So on Friday morning the Aussies had arrived in full force.
If only our dramas ended there, as the next day Mini Blue our beloved AQR mini bus decided she would now start coughing and spluttering too....they do say these things happen in threes (KP, icdeland volcano, AQR's Mini Blue) Poor Ian not only had a poorly, and overly whingey wife, but now Mini Blue demanded his attention too….women! Fortunately for the Aussie Crew she was bump started no worries and our 40 minute journey to Dalby Forest was not affected until Ian made a sniggering comment that he wished he could kick me up the backside to get me firing on form…guess who got a kicking instead! J
However there were concerns that our planned 4 week trip across Europe would be an interesting one if we didn’t get Mini Blue well again.
Race day came around quickly, but I knew it was going to be a rough day in the saddle. Word Cup racing is hard enough as it is when you are racing the best mountain bikers in the world. I guess I kept hoping that I would find some Potter perkiness once the race started, but there was nothing. I couldn’t even push myself to get the legs to hurt and my breathing felt constricted on every climb….when I started to feel all wobbly on the descents I knew I was doing myself no favours staying on course. I crashed on an easy section of fire road which was the only pain I felt in my legs that day, which in some ways was a good thing because I was starting to think my legs weren’t attached as they felt lifeless.
It was a horrible feeling trying to fight my brain and body which for the first time sided with one another against my mountain biking spirit. I really didn’t want to stop, especially in front of an adopted UK home crowd. But I did and although only the second time I have ever quit a race in KP biking history, I can’t help but feel down about it. At the end of the day it is only a race, but racing is such an important part of my life right now and with all the support I receive from Cotic Bontrager, family and friends I don’t want to waste opportunities that one day won’t be around. So it’s time to rebuild and remind oneself that there is still a long racing life ahead of me for now and a lot more adventures to look forward to….but for now it’s time to rebuild and get back up to speed sooner rather than later me hopes J
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Just a quick update before my internet time runs out here in Offenburg, Germany.
I have had a pretty rough few weeks, but am finally starting to find some life in my body and my glands have started to deflate at long last. Dalby World Cup should have finished for me on the Thursday before the race even started when I had 4 amazing laps and told everyone that no matter what happens to me on Sunday what will be will be, but Im loving the single track and cant wait to start the race. I was filling at one on the course and very excited that I would be part of a world cup in England for the first time. I loved all the technical apsects that joined the rolling single track and tough climbs that you expect from any world cup course experience.
Then the following two days of pre race training I felt low, really tired and my chest cold symptoms raised their ugly evil heads again. I dont like to admit when Im not 100 %, but every night I wasnt sleeping properly and I started getting this strange shaky feeling in my chest which I have never experienced before. I hoped it was all in my brain and tried to remind myself that often when the racing adrenaline hits full throttle that I would be fine and ready to roll on race day.
Unfortunately I struggled from the word go and my breathing, or lack of breath made me feel wobbly and shaky on the bike. I dont quit races if Im having a bad day, as I just treat it as training and remind myself that part of training is teaching ones brain to get used to the discomfort that is all part of racing. But then it got silly when I crashed on an easy fire road bend simply because I did not have the strength to ride my bike properly. I knew I was doing myself no favours trying to finish a race that would more than likely finish me off if I kept going.
At the beginning of my fourth lap I pulled in to the pits where Ian was waiting for me and I made the decison to quit. I hate that word, and it is only the second time in KP racing history that I have quit a race. I felt bad in so many ways, and am still cursing myself for catching a cold so close to this race.
Anyway I will add my next two race reports up this week...but just to add a little happiness and spark to this oh so dull blog I managed to finish the second world cup in Belgium on the weekend which was my main goal or rather Potter Priority. I also achieved my second goal which was not to get lapped out and was surprised to see that my lap times got alot quicker with a good final lap where I overtook alot of riders to get a 65th position, which under the circumstances Im happy with for now. Im definitely on the mend and starting to get some strength and confidence back...so now Im taking one day at a time and hope to be back up to full speed sooner rather than later.
Thanks for everyones support at the Dalby world cup and all the cheers at Houffalize last weekend (thanks so much Rudy, Belgium national coach, you helped me dig deep). All the support definitely helped me get up those tough muddy climbs. Also thanks to those really lovely British guys at Houffalize who came and spoke to me after the race and the nice messages I have received from people since Dalby. It makes me realise why I love racing as I meet so many awesome people and make new found friends along the way who make all the bad races still worthwhile.
Will be back soon with a bit more spark.
Cheerios for now
KPxö
A Quick Release Holidays
Tel: 0845 1304824
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Posted via email