XCM World Championships and European Recap

My time in Europe has been quite memorable both from a personal perspective as well as from a race perspective. This trip I had the pleasure of always staying with people and experiencing various cultures from the comforts of home away from home and not from a hotel room. A Short recap of the places and I visited and my experiences there:

Austria: I traveled to Austria to race the Alpentour, a 4 day stage race based in the ski town of Schladming. The city is great with good food and beautiful scenery. Racing at the Alpentour was something new to me. “Out” were the smiles, high fives, singletrack and good vibes and “In” was the cut throat, bare bones, fast European racing. It’s the real deal over here I suppose, but the thought of making it to the “big show” so to speak doesn’t actually sound appealing to me. Nonetheless, it was a great opportunity for me to see what European racing is all about. I would certainly go back and have another crack at Alpentour in the future.

Germany: I had the pleasure of staying with Ben Sonntag and his family. Life in the small town of Kurstelburg is slow and relaxed. Rolling terrain and green fields are everywhere. The riding is pretty heavy with as steep climbs await you on every ride you go on. Ever since the boys left home, Klaus has been working on a model train hobby. It’s unreal and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A whole room dedicated to a train city with the most intricate detail you can imagine. There is enough wiring under the whole city to stretch a couple miles I’m sure. Klaus has perfected his conductor duties and has the train numbers and track switches all memorized, it’s pretty cool to watch.

Holland: While I’m a mountain type of guy at heart I will always find Holland as my European home away from home. The people I’ve met and memories I’ve had stand out with those of my best trips. Yes the Dutch think PB&J’s are weird and don’t understand how you can combine those ingredients but then again they make full sandwiches with butter and sprinkles. Holland also has good beer.

Italy: I traveled to Italy for the Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships. Being a part of this event is so cool. There is a really special feeling that seems to put all the riders in a determined yet friendly mindset. Lining up for the race and seeing all the different national jerseys all around you, listening to the buzzing of so many different languages being spoken all at once is something I’ll always remember. The day was hot, hotter than many had thought it would be. I battled cramps and heat exhaustion during the middle third of the race but kept pushing on just like many other competitors. It might sound strange to say but the feeling of racing the world championships reminded me of racing collegiate championships. I think it has to do with the team aspect. In collegiate you leave everything out on course even if you are not having a good race because every point matters in the overall team classification, while at worlds you know a lot of people are looking back at home and everyone checks to see how their national riders did. The fans out on course were great and so were the competitors. It was a great event and good to see family and friends. I hope to participate again in the future.

Overall the trip was a great success. I learned what European racing is all about (the lack of sweet singletrack like we have, don’t take it for granted). And like I said in my last post, don’t think you can’t do this! I met my good friend Gert in Chile racing bikes and he invited me to his home. Our sport is unique in that regards and opportunities like mine are everywhere.

Pictures:

Street crit in Holland full of obstacles and tons of fans!

Visiting the La Trappa brewery in Tilburg

Amsterdam (I found beer from Great Divide, Avery, and lefthand)

Klaus’s Trains

Thanks for reading,

Blake