Blogs
Tue, 28 Sep 2010
First blog from the Cyclo-Cross season
By Helen Wyman - Horizon Fitness Racing Team
Having started my cross season in America last year with a win at Star Crossed in Seattle, it was always going to be difficult to live up to the same expectations this year. In previous seasons there haven’t been any early UCI races for women in Europe like there are in the USA. However, this year it’s all changed and it’s pretty much non-stop from now on.
So my first race of the season was Neerpelt in Belgium, this weekend. It was a seriously fun race, with constant sandy banks, steps and single file forest trails. Although not the kind of course suited 100% to my style of racing, I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. All the regular riders were there and it was a good chance to see how this season’s preparations were going.
After a good start I was with the first group of 5 and was thinking it was going well 'til the main sandpit 200 metres before the end of the first lap. Sanne Van Passen attacked and split the group with only Daphny keeping contact. Towards the end of the second lap I was starting to feel a little heavy in the legs and soon worked out why. The back wheel slides I was feeling on the course wasn’t actually the sand moving; I had a slow flat in my rear tube. This really saps the legs and makes the technical side of a course like this twice as hard. After changing bikes I tried in vain to get back the 3 places I had lost, but it just wasn’t to be and I finished in 7th.
Although a little disappointing in terms of the result, I was happy with how I rode. The race was so much fun despite the puncture and it was good to get the first race of the season done. A lot of professional riders say if you don’t feel nervous before a race then it’s time to leave the sport. If this is the case then judging by the first race nerves I experienced this weekend I have another 100 years or so!
Next weekend is the start of the Gazet Van Antwerpen series in Namur which last year was an incredibly hilly, hard race. There have been a few course changes since then after the elites complained at how hard it was, but hopefully they have kept in the best bits. So 'til then.
Brief Result:
1 Sanne van Paassen (Ned) BrainWash
2 Daphny van den Brand (Ned) ZZPR.nl-Destil
3 Sanne Cant (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus
4 Pavla Havlikova (Cze)
5 Sophie de Boer (Ned)
6 Reza Hormes (Ned)
7 Helen Wyman (GBr) – Kona FSA Factory Team
8 Arenda Grimberg (Ned)
9 Joyce Vanderbeken (Bel)
10 Nikki Harris (GBr)
Helen rides for the Horizon Fitness Racing Team during the Summer. For more information about the team, visit www.onthedrops.com.