Mid-week we made the road trip to Varberg, taking in the sights around Vättern lake. The area around Varberg has some stunning gravel riding which we were sure to take advantage of.
The second week of races rolled around quickly with a technical course featuring tricky climbs, bridges and even sand. It was a course which had it all! Despite the technical course, as the course remained dry I ended up running the same set up on my 34_34 Aerodynamicist wheels.
The racing in the women’s race was super close at the front. On Day 1, despite several attacks no one could break the elastic from the front group of 5 riders. It came down to a bunch sprint at the end. After messing up my positioning in the group on the last lap I was caught out and ended up rolling in 5th. On one hand I knew this was a solid result in an international field, but on the other I wanted a little more. Fuelled by my frustration I was determined to ensure the second day didn't play out the same.
Sunday rolled around and before we knew it, I was back on a start line. I went from the gun. As soon as the race started, I buried myself. In the first lap, the gap was only a couple of seconds, but I knew I wanted to keep out front. With each lap the gap pushed out a little until I had a comfortable 30 seconds. As we approached the race end, I could see the riders behind attacking each other and my lead shrinking. I pushed harder determined to reach the line first. And it paid off. I crossed the line 1st with my hands in the air for the first time this season.
One of my highlights of the trips was the pre and post-race rides to the course (as well as our highly competitive evening card games). Having Dan racing meant I had someone to debrief with after each and every race. On one of these rides we were even fortunate enough to see a moose! Which I have to say are much bigger than I’d imagined.
I came away from the trip with lots of memories and excited for what the rest of the season holds.
