Moin Pirates,

It was my 6 time starting at the Cyclassics, but for the time, I started from the A-block. Already when I received my strarting pachage, it made me proud to see, that I would start from the A-block. On the day before the race, I was a little bit stressed, before I thought it would rain on Sunday, somI had to change my rain tyres against sunshine-tyres. After all this, I enjoyed the assembly in the A-block. I went their, 20 minutes before the start, who knows, if I ever will enjoy this again.. For you to know, I started on the 155km distance and my age-group is senior2. The start was under bright sunshine with humid 18degrees on point, it is wonderful, not waiting in block Q for the delayed start. After a neutral start, it soon  began to get faster and harder. Shortly after the start you had to ride over the Köhlbrand-bridge in the harbor of Hamburg. The bridge got an average increaseof 8% on 2km, with a very fierce headwind and with the following downhill(bridge) ride, you got a speed of up to 80km/h . Now heading south, again with headwind for 40km. Even inspite of this obstacles, the small field of block A, was able to ride together against the wind with a speed of 40km/h. When we reached the south of Jesteburg, the wind or the course changed and we go the wind from behind and the hunt started, at this point, the field got about 400 riders. With the speed up to 50km/h, we were heading back to Hamburg and soon we lost the one or another rider,who lost his power and endurance. During the whole race, we had no crashes in the A-block. When we reached Hamburg, the field seperated at the central station, the 100km course, rode a short loop to the Mönckebergstraße and than towards the finish, and the 155km course headed towards Alster, Scheenefeld and Wedel. The last 55km went really good for me, because now, we were a smaller group of about 40 riders. And I constantly rode first to held the speed high, so we rode by having the wind now from the side with a speed of 50kh/h. We rode the last 20km, by doing the “ Belgium Circle”. Just one more mountain assessment at the Elbchaussee( We still don´t know the results), right along the Reeperbahn. My result: I rode 157,2km with a time of 3:59:02, it was an average speed of 39,46km/h and I ended up on the 199th place in my age-group and the 455th place overall. With this result, I saved myself to start again from block A again next year 2012, and my goal for next year, to be 10minutes faster. Thomas Helbing

<<< zurück