Les Trois balloons - with this race I had a score to settle. After having two years ago after a 70 mile solo ride had lost in the end increase in rows and had occupied positions at the end of 20th place should be all better this year be. Click to go to a well had been my stated goals for the season, and I am very good performance in Gerolstein also seemed a good finish at Trois balloons in range. Too bad that the immediate preparation was under a good star. It mated trouble at work with bad weather and stress of the material. This resulted in a significant loss of motivation and the feeling no longer be in the form of Gerolstein.
could After all, I start two years ago from the very first start block where I stand then, together with Jan, Flo and Steffi who ventured for the first time ever at a distance of 200 kilometers, shortly after 7.00 clock. The Weather promises to be very nice - after all, it was indeed in the previous days have been rather moderate. After a brief chat with Harry (a Norwegian fellow sufferers), falls at 7.15 clock in the opening shot and it goes from first Gemählich pace Champagney, in the direction of the first climb, the Ballon de Servance. I try to immediately orient to the front since I knew from my last participation in her yet that the road would be sukkzessive increasingly narrow, and it cost in the later rise even more power to go forward. This oh well I succeed, sometimes I find myself with Flo in the top ten. It was also made into the first climb the first only slightly increases. We past the turnoff to the conclusion later increase. Slowly, the road becomes steeper and narrower and the pace faster. I consider myself still very front of the field will, do not miss the connection - finally had settled two years ago, the crucial first group is already here. This time I will go at the risk and keep me necessarily in that first group. Front makes a driver in a gray shirt with a red wheel the pace. And the pace is fast. A glance at the pulse: 186 Quickly look away again and continue. The legs feel strange: kind of fat, but they work (still) really well. So stay tuned on. On top of the Top of the pass, we are perhaps 15 riders in the group. At the rear of Flo I roll in sixth or seventh on the first mountain. Ok, that would be done already. Now comes the rather unpleasant exit: bad roads, a lot split, blind, partially related to the outside corners. In short, a departure, in which one is glad when it is over. I am satisfied first time that my plan in the first group n on the balloon de Servance come to be considered is. In the next level, the pace is asleep, however, relatively soon, and I use that to cater for me. Due to the extremely leisurely pace (and perhaps an additional red light, which we briefly thwarting) a fairly large group closes from behind again, so that the group now consists of only 50 drivers.
The next two "col", the Col du Ménil (which hardly deserves the name) and the Col d'Or be run over without much happening. Time to keep chat. Now I also see the driver with a gray shirt and red bike: Jens Volkmann, last year's winner. He wanted to go only the first in the downhill, his succinct explanation than my joke, now is clear to me why the pace on the balloon de Servance has been so high.
for the next mountain, the Col de Bramont, I expected the pace of tightening and attacks. I am still trying to stop the front of the box, even when the legs feel weird thick. It's a strange feeling: on one hand the legs work well, on the other hand, this strange feeling thick. No matter. Continue. On Bramont expected, the pace is kept high, Jens Volkmann has two teammates that perform the work for him. And shortly before the summit, which is however followed by only a very short descent before it goes up the steep climb to the route of the Crêtes, the attack by Jens Volkmann - I rise with some others, including my team-mate Flo behind. Stay tuned over the top I can still, in the second attack, I must see that I have lived this far beyond my means. At first the gap to just slow, but then I lose visual contact with the relatively soon, to be with my teammates. Overtakes driver to me. Now on the following 20 miles to the Grand Ballon, I cover the deliberately cloak of silence.
At Grand Ballon I'm all alone. I take the time to stop me briefly to talk to my parents and take up a new bottle. At this point the race for me is gone. The hand is already on the Velcro of the transponder, to press him to my mother's hand, which I then let it remain. I continue slow and unmotivated role. And then who do I see on the roadside on the trunk of a car stand, helmet saved, bicycle leaning against a post? Jens Volkmann. Well thanks, take me off your shoes first and then get out. At my suggestion to go the last 100 kilometers as better training to the end, he does not enter. I think again briefly to pee. From behind is still no one. As I go down like a beginner on a disastrous line the exit from the Grand Ballon, I wonder whether or not even to wait for Steffi, or at least to Jan, whom I had seen in the top flight no longer and therefore wähne behind me.
As the descent as slowly waking up my spirits again, I suddenly see Flo in a serpentine, are of just the moment when I come over from his father, is pushed back into the exit. What happened there? I understand in the downhill hardly what I tried to call out to Flo, but somehow he had a problem with his saddle. As far as I understand. I give him to understand that the race is over for me, but I would go for him if he wants to. We quickly go downhill. We quickly caught up with two drivers. It follows the rise to the Col du dog jerk. Here asks me Flo, if I had not chance a 4-Allen, he had to tighten his saddle. I give him while driving my saddle bag, which contains my little multi-tool. I offer him to wait for him, and expect, that he would continue to tighten his saddle again. Again and again I look back to him not too far to drive away, and wonder that he does not last. Finally, I see how he tightens the screws on the ride of his post. If I were not so corrupt, I would probably me a smile whether this action can not resist. Together we climb the Col du dog jerk. Since I am something better, I'm doing most of the leadership. "4 minutes behind the next great group!", Calls us to my father on the pass. We fall in the downhill. On
The following flat section to the Ballon d'Alsace in particular presents an almost Flo hellish pace, if he leaves in the wind, the speed is stabilized at 40 to 41 km / h, even I can drive my detachments with perhaps 38 km / h . However, we're together so quickly on the road that we have to the foot of the Ballon d'Alsace, only two and a half minutes behind the group ahead of us. The first relapsing drivers, we have also been obtained. Together, we regularly turn we take the nearly 10-kilometer increase in attack. While we in the lower part of the increase through the landscape at least half-way to our agony, now it is quite warm become to be compensated, the second half of the increase then more or less pure suffering. These contradictory statements come on the remaining miles to the summit.
But at some point is reached, this summit, and on the descent, we are able to obtain an additional driver. Together with the drivers, we get one soon, two other drivers, so that we have for the subsequent 30 kilometers to the final climb after all, a group of five.
I start to count, whether it perhaps in spite of my total failure between kilometers 80 and 105 could still rich at a time under seven hours. As it turned out to the numerous waves, Flo and I are the strongest Rider in the group. Nevertheless, still some 25 km to attend plus final climb. And before that final climb I have strong respect. In our group includes the guided tours of shorter, only Flo still seems able to generate a reasonably fast pace walk. Just before the turnoff to the final climb I will tear off after him just as he is in the lead, because no other moves behind, I call after him yet, he should go. I even turn immediately to the lowest gear, and I hope the 5-kilometer-long ordeal, called mountaintop finish at the Belles Filles Planche, bringing with decency behind me. From my parents, I let my appointment as rich a Coke, and later water I pour myself but mainly for cooling of the head. I suffer wrong, but wants to go faster and I can not remember either. I count the miles back and try to remember whether it is behind the next curve is steeper or flatter. A few isolated members of the short 100 km round can be seen as a pushing side of the road - amazing, it goes through my mind, we are almost twice as fast on how this driver. After I was in the beginning of the increase fell even behind all the riders in our group of five, I get this now by and by. Eventually, this mountain is over. lege for the (much flatter) last 200 m I once again on the big sheet, and after almost exactly 6 hours and 55 minutes, I have also achieved the goal.
After 8 hours and 21 minutes to reach the goal even Steffi - as the fifth woman on that day. The fourth place in their category, they just barely scrapes by on the podium. A great achievement for her marathon debut!
Flo with his final sprint uphill about a half minutes in front of me at the 29th Place come to the finish, while Jan with a time of just over 7 hours on the 41st Place went to the finish.
At the end, for me a 37th Place to book. The time is about one minute slower than two years ago, my goal to improve myself so I have missed in two respects. Satisfied I'm not with it. It probably would have run better if I had tried at first not to make or break ride with the best, but that was just my goal was, and I wanted to take the risk, too. Keep it that way: with Trois balloons I open a bill, and next year I'll try to do better.
PS: I will add pictures in the coming days. And sorry to all those that should have been waiting for a report ...
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