At the international Crosscountry race in Chelva (Spain) I finished 20th.
The goal was clearly to collect UCI points in order to be able to start further ahead in the next races.
Together with the team riders we inspected the track. The 4.5 kilometer lap was quite technical. Nothing was missing. The ground was sandy, it had jumps, steep wall curves, rocks to cross and much more. However, we could see the different lines to be driven on the route well.
At the elite race on Sunday there were 116 riders at the start. The starting field was very top-class. The section after the start was slightly ascending and about 500 meters to the first trail. I had the 16th starting place. My start was ok, unfortunately I couldn't make up any places.
Then the seven laps started on the track. From the 20th position I came up to the 13th position. I was sure I could collect a few UCI points in the top 15.
In the middle of the race I unfortunately got a flat tyre. In front of me was a long section, which I had to master without air. It was clear to me that it was practically impossible to ride into the top 15 anymore. With this reason I did not damage my new XMC wheels from DT-Swiss and walked a large part of the way.
After changing the wheel I started the race again. The track was full of juniors and U23 riders...
So I missed my goal to collect points and finished 20th.
The team went straight on. We drove past the Sierra Nevada mountains and arrived in la Herradura, where a training camp will take place for one week.
