Austrian National Champs - Schladming - 14 July

If there is anywhere in Europe that feels like home away from home to me, it would have to be Schladming. After the WC in Val di Sole, Schladming became our go to spot in between races like Leogang and Spicak. The people there are great, and it is an awesome place to get some training done. Not to mention that the track is amazing!

I decided to base myself in Schladming for the first 2 weeks of July because I didn't have any races and I wanted a bit of downtime. However, I couldn't not race the Austrian National Champs when I found out that they were being held at Schladming when I was there.

The weekend started off really well, and I made some changes to my suspension on Friday which made a huge difference. I then took part in the whipoff competition later that evening which was a ton of fun. I feel that I was robbed to not make the final haha - kidding.

The weather was very unusual for a race in Schladming, and the track was super dry and dusty. I was loving the conditions but things got a bit wild in the turns when you pushed the limit too much. I felt confident on track and after some runs with Schladming's adopted son, Johann Potgieter, we went back to the apartment and rested up. I was so excited to see that the sun was shining on Sunday morning and it didn't look like there was any chance of rain. Practice was short and it was soon time for seeding runs. I had a good run and was seeded in 7th.

The long wait for finals was on and after prepping my bike multiple times and getting some food in the system, the only thing to do was sit around and wait for my run. Finally it was time to race, and I managed to have a good, solid run. I was so stoked to cross the finish and go into the hot seat because I knew that I was going to get 7th or better. I ended up 6th, quite a few seconds back from 5th but all in all I am very pleased with how the weekend went and I had such a good time. Next up, Andorra World Cup!

Photo by: Raffi DieWaldfee

IXS European DH Cup #2 - Spicak

This last weekend, we were in Spicak, a small Czech village, just over the German boarder. We ended up arriving a little bit later than expected on Wednesday night, and after driving through the lights from the casinos and strip clubs, we got to our apartment around 11 o'clock. The lady who owned the apartments wasn't too impressed when she got a phone call from 2 South Africans who were outside the apartment. Anyway, after getting inside, we finally got some sleep.The next day, we headed to the track, to do some recon, and find out exactly what we'd be racing. The track was a lot tighter and slower than expected. I knew that it was going to be a challenging weekend, especially if the rain clouds overhead were anything to go by. We then decided to set up our pits so that we could secure a good spot. 

The slow rock gardens, and super tights turns took a little bit of time to get adjusted to. Over the past few weeks I had ridden Val di Sole, Leogang, and then Schladming in between, so as you can imagine, my bike wasn't quite set up for Spicak. From the word go, I battled to find flow on the track, and I struggled to find a setup that I felt really comfortable on. The rocks were a bit slippery during Saturdays practice, but some mid day showers made it very slippery and wet for seeding runs that afternoon. My seeding wasn't great and I knew that I would have to improve come race run. I seeded 62nd.

The next day the sun was out but heavy rain during the night made the first few runs of the day super slippery and sketchy. I looked for new lines and for places where I could make up some time. Things just weren't going my way, and I hurt my braking finger after I crashed trying to avoid another fallen rider in front of me. By the time race runs came, the track was a lot drier and so the cut spike I had on the front wasn't necessary. I felt better in my race run than I did in seeding, but it was still far from a good run. I finished up 72nd, far from where I wanted to be, but it was just one of those weekends I guess. I am really looking forward to some downtime here in Schladming after 6 weekends of consecutive racing.