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Eupen, 2.5-80-20After a couple of weeks of training, I tried to get back into the swing of things with this middle distance race. Now, this is not an easy one, it is probably the toughest triathlon in Belgium as the three laps on the bike are very challenging. It does not look like it is that hard, but once you are on the bike, you feel how difficult it is. This is emphasized by the fact that some of the uphill parts don't look like they are uphill at all. I was very strong at this race last year, so I was hoping to have an equally strong day. I knew that the field was a lot more competitive, so I needed it to rank high. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that "super" in the water, so when I got out, I was nowhere close to where I wanted to be. And it did not get better. The bike start was hard of course, and in the beginning I just could not leave the people around me behind. I didn't like it at all. After a while I was finally able to pull away and that made me feel a lot better. Caught up to some of the guys in front of me etc. But then a group came back from behind, including some of the people who were with me when I exited the water etc. Not what I wanted. I could not hang on without drafting, so I let them go. Back in the transition area some of the guys in front had dropped out. Apparently quite a few people either thought it was too hard or got a red card. My run was not strong so I struggled to the finish line in 13th position. It didn't make me happy, but I needed to push myself hard to get back to a decent level, and in the days after the race, I felt that the effort helped me to get stronger. |
