Okay, let's begin with Saturday.
First, I started riding on the track that I hate on the 20" kiddie-bike. However, during training, I noticed that I was sweating like crazy and I had to give my Pirate pants into expert hands, to take out the inner lining (oops, old model).
After tinkering around with the gate the wait for the beginning of the race dragged on, but I didn't care about the gate or the color of the light. "I'll go on red", was my motto and that's what I did.

I did pretty well in the preliminaries, came in 2nd and so, made it to the quarter finals. The gate there was awesome, but I made one or two mistakes on the track and still managed to come in in 3rd and got to the semi. I had a really tough group, but I wanted to make it to the final. However, I fucked up at the gate and fought with Mike Baier during the whole race. He came in half a bike length before me, which means that I was in 9th place on the list.
I entered the race extremely weakend (from the sucky track and the heat) in the cruiser division. I clearly won the preliminary runs and made it to the final. Everybody was at thegate for the final and in Bispingen you have to be on the inside to win - of course I was totally screwed and got the outside track, all the way on the outside! (Sascha was on the inside and I thought he had a good chance, but he had already fallen in the preliminary run.) I was the first one out of the gate and I tried to get over to the inside, but I didn't get through and got checked on the first turn, which meant 7th or 8th place. This meant that I had to turn it up to turbo and managed to cross the finish line in 3rd place. I think Sascha came in in 5th..
-that could have gone better.

Sunday:
Okay, once again I was ridiculously tired and it was sweltering in the tent at 6:30am, but since J-J wants to make it to the Euro, he can't afford to lose a single point in 20". First, I was only registered for the 24", but due to J-J's moral commitment and his urging the club, he also registered for the 20". After a big breakfast, I was off to the track, but I couldn't do shit. I was so tired on my cruiser - man was I messed up!

However, I felt much better afterwards during the training for the 20" and kicked the gates' asses. Soon the cruiser race began and I rode for my points. I made it to the final after three 1st places in the preliminaries. I felt like it was all over, yipee, I'll be on the inside today and win it all. But, as we all know, J-J gets the outside track (I drew it for the 4th time that weekend). All I could say was, "I'm going to puke". One thing was clear: full throttle. I was so mad about getting the outer track that I got the holeshot and had to let a guy in a better position pass me... I came in 2nd, way in front of the guy in 3rd... but since I made the most points, I should be about 40-50 points ahead of 2nd.
Then came the 20", where I desperately need points. I kicked ass in the preliminaries and was even able to beat the winner from last year, Simon Schirle. 2nd, 1st, 2nd. And I had qualified for first place. In the quarter final, I was the first one out of the gate and the second one to cross the finish line. I was pretty done in the semi, had a bad start, but an iron will and made it to the final in 4th place. I really wanted to be the first one out of the gate in the final, which I was, but, unfortunately, I slipped out of the lick on the second tread - shit.
In the end, Icame in 7th, but that's okay. I'm extremely satisfied and made it to the Euro in both divisions. I'm in 9th place of the 20" ranking. Not bad, on that damn track!

J-J