The Start o the 8.Oelder MTB-Race was set for 10:30o`clock,NRW-Time. So far, all its fine. Scheduled departure was at 6:00 o`clock and so Thomas and myself made us on our way to the 300k`s remote City of Oelde.

When we left the Interstate, we followed the tiny Yellow Arrows wit a cyclist on it…when we didn`t found an end after about 40k`s, we thought that something gotta be wrong here, and the tension grew up inside of us from minute after minute...
Finally, we found out, that these were the arrows of a RTF, which started earlier, and had nothing to do with the MTB-Race.
But we barely made it, 20 minutes before the starting signal, we arrived on the parking lot. Thomas went as fast as he can to get the Numbers and I made the Bikes ready to clear off…Just put on the clothes and off we go, no time for warming up or to check up the course, no, nothing…we were pissed !

With some kind of furious feelings in the lower body part, we rode the first round like we did a blind flight without knowing what we`re up to or what we have to expect. The round was about 3,2 K´s long with about 130DA(Difference in Altitude) for each round and we had to do it 8 times, thru the Gaßbachtal I was in second position, when my cahin got trapped,(Robert warned me twice, before that happened, that it can happen), so I had to get off my Bike and let all the others overtake me >From position number 7. I set off to catch up with the others and occasionally I was on the 3rd, but shit happens always twice, a further time the chain got trapped again to the end of the race.
Thomas formed his own queue on the 5th place and rode there a lonesome race till the end. IN the end, we only got the “Wooden Medals” for the places 4th and 5th. Whatever, the season is still long enough…
C-Ya

André Zamponi

PS: Special thanks to "Thomas Sommer", who allocate the fantastic Pictures!!!

Quelle: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73559630@N00/