German Championship 24h MTB-race at the Alfsee

As a Pirate Rookie, I travelled to Rieste/Alfsee at the 2/3.06.2012 to a 24h MTB race. The length of the rounds were 8,9km and each with 160m of altitude. Last year I participated here again with a 2mix team and finished 2nd. So, I knew this contest before, but last year, the course only had 40m of altitude each round. Normally I wanted to participate as a single starter, but I changed my mind, because of my leck of preparation at the beginning of the year. I wanted to calm down a bit. A new club, new goals and of course easy… In april I started to train again after a break of 6month. I got a goal to reach. The marathon in Graftschaft in August. I just wanted to start slow and take it easy, but Pirate Raphaela had some other ideas. The was looking for women´s for a 8 women team. I told her before, that I just would join her team, if she´s really in need of a rider, but she must heard it otherwise. It was like a suicide mission for myself, because I didn´t know, if my lungs, bones and rest of my body would manage it. I thought about it a bit and told me, you just have to ride one round, full throttle,that´s all, you can do that. Okay, it was like a jump into cold waters for me, but I wanted to do my very best. When I reached the destination, I wantedto meet, the other folks of the Pirate Team, who participated here as a 8mixed cyclocross team, and was heartly welcomed. This was a good start and I wasn´t that excited than before, until I rode over the course together withSteffi La Rocca.  Metal Ramps, please don´t, one of my biggest nightmare, why the heck??? In a MTB-race??? I won´t ride it up, neither I ride it down on the other side. I don´t want to break my neck. I just rode over two of three and than…it was time to start my first round. Full Throttle rounds, as usually in teams of 8, just to ride one round, as fast as you can. I don´t like this. From zero to in my case a pulse of 185 until the end of the round. Taste of blood in my mouth, cicles before my eyes and not to forget to pray for not crashing with your bike. Luckily I met Moni in the transition area, who tried  and succeeded to calm me down. We got a nice picture of that by Rainer, thank you for the nice pictures by the way. I wasn´t able to take pictures. But if you see the pictures, yu might would say, that I just stayed in the transition area, maybe it´s better, so you won´t the the pain in my face during the race. Than things getting started! The first I climbed over with my pulse at ist highest point, following by a forst trail, where you sometimes had to push your bike. Don´t care, get off the bike, push it, get back on…My time for my strength came later on the ascent on the dik and the „highways“. I collected the others on the straights, just to be being catched again on the ascents. Damn it, this fucking ramp at the finish line, the girls just told me before, yes you can, just keep pushing the pedals.  I was all feared of this moment during the whole race, because lots of people would see me, when I would crash and break men and machine. But take a huge breath, getting my pulse high and….YES….I did it…I was like in heaven  and changed to Hanna and so my first of 6 rounds I rode ended. After I calmed down for three minutes I made my way back to the paddock. Now, I knew I had the 24h race flush, I enjoyed myself in the dry tent on my break, even it was really cold in the night, I was able to hold my gap times. But in the morning everything came to a change, because it started to rain and it kept raining until the end of the contest, But I was satisfied with myself and the win over body and mind. Even when it was raining we rode our rounds constantly. After all we rode 52rounds and won the 24h MTB race and became German Champions. Every girl went to their limit this weekend and were really lucky about the fact, that we were being rewarded for our pain and suffering, when we received our trophy´s. Maybe you can see it on the picture´s, even without sleep I don´t look youger than 30…LOL Thank you Raphaela for the organisation of this weekend and to the other girls of the team, our neighbours fort he fun with them and their suuport during the race and during the breaks. By the way, they won there race as well and finished 1st at the 8mix cross ranking. I think this a good start for a Pirate Rookie. Now I´m really motivated for more exercise units and races, even when you got the goal right before your eyes, the 24h MTB race in Duisburg. Wencke Kaup

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