Heavy racing weekends and DM in sight!

After some really fun and good Apfoss MTB liga racing in the sun, it was time to hit the road again with the almost legendary Pentecost-cup. A 3 days stagerace and with almost 60 girls on the startlist, I had hoped for some really good racing. As always I fresh on trying to hit the breakaway, but the first stage my legs felt leg MTB legs - there could only go up-down, there were absolutely no spin in them, and it all ended up in a sprint!

Sunday racing is easily described, my legs felt better, and I tried to get away a couple of times, but everything was build back by a very passive peloton, and once again everything ended in a bunch sprint! Monday my legs felt good, and I had a lot of power in them, unfortunately I had to face "Pøt Mølle" a legendary Danish "mountain", and that ended 1-0 to the mountain. I got drop on the final lap, and ended 21 in the GC - I think!

Now my main focus is the Danish Championship - the TT is set to be thursday 15:37 - so fingers X, 25 km is on the agenda, and as with TT I never know how is gonna be. Timetrial is not my favorite cup of thee, but I think the course is alright. I just hope that they will be able to control the traffic, because othe

rwise chaos will reign, but I hope for the best and I'm prepared for the worst.

I got some new toy - a super upper cool ergomenter! So now training is set after how hard I can pedal, and not so much on how much the heart can beat!

Enjoy the summer, you'll never know when is gone.

/Nikoline

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Wunderschöne Harzen

I just spend some really nice days in Harzen Germany with my danisch club. We had 3 good days, with sunshine and lots of heightmeters. We arrived late thursday afternoon, and we barely got the bikes off the car before the sky opened, after some dinner we took a short but steep walk down the to atm to get some cash. Now that I don't live near the border anymore, I never have Euro on me.

The next to days, I did some good traning with + 100km everyday, just enjoying the courses, the climbs and the weather. I was just nice feeling the legs spin around, looking at the beautiful surroundings.

I'm really looking forward to come back again, maybe even for a longer period then just 3 days. I have some problems with my bluetooth, so I can't opload any pictures, but I'll see if I can get it done later.

/Nikoline

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Spring season

The 16th. of April my season started with the first part of the danish ladycup. The race went okay when thinking of my amount of training, I still miss some long training hours, but I' getting there.

Next race was the season opening of the danish Apfoss liga, for the first time we were ca. 20 girls at the start linie. In the race I never really found my rhythm, it felt like I just had one speed that day, just one big square thread. Still a long way to go there, until I can reach some proper MTB shape.

My next race was the second part of the ladycup. The race was hold on the west side of DK, with lots of wind and open roads. So we had a lot of "egde driving", I mist the outbreak of the day with 10 meters, I knew that I had to go with them, but I didn't had the power to close down the silly 10 meters, so I ended back in the peloton, trying some km so close the gap, with no success. I ended as number 7.

On Thursday I'm driving to Harzen on a small training camp, I'm planing on taking some good long hours on the bike hopefully the weather will be better then this weekend.

Now I think I need to go back to my bachelor writting...

all the best

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The essence of racing-mode and spring-time

Yep spring time has finally arrived in Denmark, and total the training said sessions in the gym, what a wast of good weather. But tomorrow is it raceday for the first time in months. I don't really feel ready fo it, but races are always the best training you can get. One hour of hard racing, it's gonna be nice and hard. I'll try to let go and just enjoy the race.

As many of you probaly know I was nominated for a Danish Bike Award - and here it is: Yes I won - I still can not believed it :-) So thank all of you who voted for me. It really warmed that there were so many of you out there who voted for me, despite my bad season - THANK YOU. I really appreciate it, it means a lot to me, and I eager after transforming my 2010 season to a great CX season.

The first of March I started my training for real, I'm planing on riding my first DCU roadrace the 16 of April in Ringsted. It's the first section of the womens roadcup.

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Working 9 to 5...

Today I had a nice 3 hours ride, my first since the cx ended. Most of my time has been splitted between work and training, but more specific work. Today was my first day of in 10days, which was really welcome.

Monday (07.02.11) we where 5 peolpe from DesignCykler who went to the BallerupSuperArena to see the sixdays race. It was a super night, unfortunately we were caught in the middle of a big storm, so we had to wait 2½ hour on a parking place next to the bridge, it was after 4am before we were home, and after 4 hours of sleep I went to work again.

Sometimes if I'm really tired I skip cleaning my bike or just give it a quick wash, but after seeing some of the bikes who goes throught the DesignCykler. I no longer have bad conscience if I don't feel like cleaning my bike ride away, and then people wonder when they can't shift gear!!!

On todays ride I ran into some upstacles, a small road under water and some loose dogs! Next after big horses with tiny little young girls on top who clearly can't control their horse, is loose dogs on the road! Call my a chicken but I turned around and found another way.

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Christmas and newYear racing

After a hectic christmas/new year period with lots of racing, I'm now back in cold snowy Denmark, in order to prepare for the Danish Championsship this weekend in Haderslev. After a lot of good racing during my stay in Belgium and Germany I finally start to feel a bit stronger and more comfortable on the bike. It has been a really frustrated year for me, and not many races did go the way I wanted to. Before the season started I hadn't planned that, I one more time should be struggling to avoid getting pulled from the WC races, but the season so fare has been really bumpy with a few good racing and some really bad ones, which I desperatly have been trying to forget.

Now I'm focusing on getting a good danish championsship race this sunday, I'll stay at my parents house which is closer to the race course. The DM race in Haderslev will be my first for my new/old danish club - Bov Cykel Klub http://www.bovcc.dk/, where I had my childhood cycling upbringing. I had made this desicion to race for Bov because after this very bumpy cyclocross season I want to be able to focus 110 % on my next cyclocross season. Which means that this season I'll do a minimum of roadracing and MTB. At this moment I only have a overall idea of what my training season will consist of, but I'll let you know when the whole puzzle is ready.

All the best Nikoline

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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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