After a power-test yesterday with the national team and a restday today, is my focus now directed towards the next WC in Kalmhout. It was a super day and we had a great ride in the forest before dinner and meating. At 22:39 I headed down to take the train back to Odense because I had to go to a baptism. At 01:45 I landed in my own bed, really tired and exhausted after a long day in the name of CX.

The 1. of dec I got pre-christmas present from REDVIL www.redvil.com/. My danish championships clouthing had landed in Denmark :-) it looks really great, and I cant wait to put it on! My next race gonna be the danish post-cup race in Fredericia next saturday. The race is meant as a good trainingrace before me and my boyfriend are going to Belgium to the WC in Kalmhout, Heusden-Zolder and Azencross and after this I have 2 more races in Germany; DC Herford and Vechta.

The WC in Koksijde, which was a race I really had looked forward to ride went okay, if you only focus on the first 2 laps. I had a good start and found myself among the top 20, the legs was ok compared to that I had been sick the whole week up to the WC, but after the second lap my legs exploded and I couldn't keep the speed, so I droped down to a position around 28. In the 3rd lap I had a major superman crash where I had really hurt my "chest bone" against a fence. I ended up as nr. 31, still not a satisfied results, but the first two laps is what I'll be taking with me.

After the WC we drove directly to Nederland where next days race - the Superprestige Gieten were held. We were ca. +35 riders at the start linie. After a good start I soon found myself among the top 15, and surprisingly the legs were better then expected. Round after round I rode the course better and better, and I manage to leave the group and start chasing my first top 10. Throughout the entire last lap could I see the 8 place just riding a few seconds in front of my, but I couldn't close the cap, so I ended up as nr. 9, which was really nice.

Last but not least - a big thanks to Jørgen Dyrvig and Luc for the great pictures.

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German cup in Berlin and Hamburg

Last weekend the raceprogram said German Cup in Berlin and Hamburg. With me I had my boyfriend Jacob who also did the race saturday. It was my first time in Berlin, but I didn't get to see much off the beautiful city, so luckly my mother and I are planing to do a Berlin trip just the two of us, after the CX season.

The race saturday was with lots of sandy run-ups and technical tracks which I really like. I loved the course from the start. I had a perfect start, but I might have pushed it a bite to hard in the begining of the race, because after leading the first half round I found my self in the 4th position, which I was not satisfied with, so I pulled my self up, and rode to a comfortable 3rd place, which was my best resultat so fare in the German cup.

After a nice day in the Berlin sandbox, I was looking forward to the race in Hamburg. Last year the course was really sandy and fast, so that was what I was preparing for. We staying with the team in a really nice hotel just 200 meter from the course :-). Sunday morning when I woke up, was my beautifully sandy and fast course translated into a mud hell, which I wasn't prepared for at all. The race was not my best, or my worst, overall I finish 4th.

The results this weekend meant that in the overall Germany Cup, am I now in a 3 position. On thursday I'm going to Koksijde with the National Team :-) My new champion clothing should arrive monday or thuesday, so for this WorldCup everything is going to be great.

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Germany

This weekend I'm doing to races in Germany with the team, after 10 days without no racing just training it's gonna be good to go out and get the race mode again.

For 2 weeks I was interviewed to our local newspaper, you can check it out here:

http://www.e-pages.dk/ugeavisenodense/33/

Nikoline

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3 in row...

After a couple of days home in DK, I again found my self driving south at the German autobahn. This time my first destination was St. Wendel where the worldchampionsship this year is held, so it was a good opportunity to see and feel the course at race speed. After some very bad starts and performance at my last races, I finaly found my race mode :-) I had the best start for a long period, but unfortunaly 4 girls got away on the first lap, and I tried to catch them again, but I didn't not succes. I finish 5th, which I was satisfied with, because for the first time, everything again feld better on the bike. After the race we drove directly to Belgium where the next race was - the Superprestige in Zonhoven. A very sand and fast couse which I liked, at the start I was focused and felt ready for the race. After a good start I at the ending ran a bite out of powers, but I made it to the finised as number 16, my best UCI results so far, just one place outside of the premium range. Because I was so frustrated with my own performance at the WC I had registered for 3 races this weekend, determined to make just one good results.

So the menu next day was the Koppenberg cross, apparently one of the hardest races in Belgium. The course was one big MUD hole, and every 100 meter was hard work, so after 2 days of racing in my legs, it's was hard but fun work all the way around the course. I ended as nr. 20. I want to says thanks to Luc and his family for letting me stay at their house during the Koppenberg cross, and for the support in the pit, I know it was hard work cleaning the bikes lap after lap.

When I got home I had pre-christmas present from my sponsor GripGrab, so now I can't wait untill the real winther comes, for more info on all the nice stuff from check http://www.gripgrab.dk/

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WC in Aigle

Actually I don't know what to write, I still don't really know what happen in Aige. It was diffently not one of my best days, nothing really worked my way.

It's was just and still are very frustrating. I was in the red/white jersey, had my new blue sidi shoes on, which by the way was a beautifully match, but maybe it was just bad luck. It all started with a terrible start caused by that I couldn't click into my pedals, on the 2 lap I broke my front shifter, and through out the race my pedals and I never really became souldmates. So yesterday in München I took the consequence and bought new pedals, so today the STEVENS bikes said hello to my new shimano xt pedals.

We arrived in Plzen late afternoon after had spend 2 hourse at http://www.feine.de/FeineFahrraeder/Willkommen.html, where we got my shifter to work again, which more or less saved my WC start in Plzen. So if you are ever in München I can recommed this amasing bikeshop!

Today after arriving in Plzen we wanted to take a biketrip up a long the riverside, but after 30 mins of riding we ended up doing singletracks along the river, and despite that one of my cleats went loose I had a good but short first traning in Plzen.

Take care

Nikoline

Photos all taken by Luc Van Der Meiren

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Cross i Favrskov og Nr Søby

Weekendens program stod på 2 styks træningsløb i DK, nærmere bestemt Hammel og Nr. Søby. Hammel havde disket op med en forholdvis sandet rute, hvilket var super fedt, og kun gjorde at jeg endnu mere ser frem til worldcup'en i Koksijde om nogle måneder. Det er og bliver mit yndlingsløb. Jeg halvsov lidt i starten og fik ikke rigtigt skudt kanonen af, som jeg ellers havde planlagt. Gearingen var lige lav nok, men den skal nok blive ændret til på søndag, hvor der skal gives fuld gas hele vejen! Efter en lidt skidt start, hvor benene ikke helt lyster som de plejer begynder de så stille og roligt at blive vakt til live igen. Dejligt! Dette betyder også, at jeg forholdsvis tidligt i løbet overtager føringen og stabilt udbygger denne hele vejen.

Dagen efter i Nr. Søby gentog lidt samme scenario, starten sad ikke lige i skabet, men efter 100 meter overtog jeg føringen og udbyggede den hurtigt. Dele af ruten idag (søndag red) var meget mtb præget, med singletracks og rødder, hvilket ikke var dt fedeste af køre på. Benene var selvfølgelig mærket efter en hård uge samt 2 løb i træk. Nu står den i morgen på ren afslapning - mandag på arbejde plejer at være en stille og rolig dag på kontoret ;-) Derefter er der tirsdag 2 timers træning på rammen inden turen går sydpå til første worldcup i Aigle, og jeg glæder mig som et lille barn.

Martin Mbaek - www.mbaek.dk var til stede ved løbet i Hammel og tog nogle fantastiske billeder! i kan se flere billeder på hans hjemmeside fra løbet af.

Nikoline

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Årets første crossløb

Første løbsweekend overstået med henholdsvis en første plads og en 7 plads. Alt i alt er jeg ok tilfreds med hvordan sæsonens første to løb forløb, umiddelbart var benene til mere om søndagen, men en dårlig start og 24 grader gjorde hurtigt kål på ambitionen om en placering bedre end 7pladsen. Overordnet set er jeg tilfreds, benene fungerer rigtigt godt, og det var rart at mærke.

Denne uge er en hård træningsuge frem mod Worldcup'ene i Aigle og Plzen, så idag står den på 3 timers træning på landevejen. Vi kører allerede den 13 okt sydpå, og kommer først til Danmark igen den 27 okt. Efter WC i Aigle, kører vi lige et smut til Munchen og besøger min lillebror, og derefter kører vi de sidste 3 timer til Plzen.

Nu glæder jeg mig til på lørdag at vise tøjet og udstyret frem til de 2 danske løb - Hammel og Nørre Søby. Desværre er min DM dragter ikke kommet endnu, men jeg har set billeder, og det bliver helt sikkert en smooth ride :-)

Inden jeg lige smutter ud på rammen, for I lige et team billede.

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