European MTBO Champs 2011 – Sprint

The Sprint distance final was held in the town of Vyborg near the border with Finland. This old town with a long military history promised some close racing on its cobbled streets and parks.

The starts followed a great opening ceremony with dancing drummer girls and the normal speeches which was held inside the medieval fort.

I had done a fair bit of research on Vyborg using Yandex maps, a sort of Russian google street view and felt as we drove into the town I knew the place quite well already.

Out of the start I rode well through the first 4, a little surprised perhaps at some of the obstacles we faced, but taking it fairly slowly nailing the controls. At 5 I lost some time though, not seeing the NW route into the control which forced me to run up the steps. Having lost my flow I then proceeded to ride

back towards number 4 but recovered it in time not to lose too much but the two mistakes together cost me about a minute.

Then came the first signs that the town was not a closed to traffic as we had been promised. I was soon jumping traffic lights and avoiding cars and pedestrians as I came up the steps into 7. Then came the scary steps. Coming out of 9 it was either ride 3 flights of fairly steep steps or get off and carry. I rode them but it was right at the edge of my comfort zone.

I had to overake a lorry and more cars on the way to 10 and then overtake it again to 11 where we changed our maps for the final section of the course.

After a few controls in some open heathland we plunged into an area of garages and huts, not at all well mapped. After a little hesitation I (like a few others) dived down an alleyway not seeing it had . A wall marked block the way. The trouble was the wall wasn’t a wall it was a 3 metre drop, no barrier, nothing. I skidding to a halt inches from the edge and looked down. We had been told the previous evening unlike in foot sprint O we could go down these if we were brave enough. I grabbed the bike a jumped…… big mistake, I landed heavily winding myself and perhaps bruising my ribs (we will see tomorrow on that one).

I limped with breathing laboured to the control but was a bit out of it. I then nearly crashed a second time hitting a huge hump on the pavement but just managed to hang onto the bike one handed using my knee as a brake on the front wheel.

I then messed up the next few controls until the taped route to the spectator control which after a few more near misses with cars I punched just ahead of Ruslan Gristan and raced the final couple to the finish with him finally opening my legs up to a proper sprint speed.

I had hoped that with a clean ride I could have made the top 20 in this race but my early mistake and then the fall meant I was well down.

However I did wear a headcam so once edited ill post it on youtube, possibly leaving out the portaloo visit at the start !