pievo-di-teco-2010.pdf
I am still in Italy but this time it is so much warmer and sun is shining on my face. I am waiting at a BMX track in Vigevano. I can’t ride because the gate is locked and so I wait for some people who said they will be there. So I hope they come soon or at all, because the track looks so nice from that what I can see.
This weekend I ride in Pievo de Teco and for my surprise a race was going on this weekend. The first Italian race and I guess one of the first races in Europe. So I didn’t want to miss the chance of doing my first race this year and practice the race situation. There were so many competitors from all over the place. From Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Swiss, Germany. So a bunch of people, I don’t know if there were other Austrians I didn’t hear or see some I know.
The track was very nice and I liked it a lot. Many many turns, some jumps and drops, some very steep section and then speed section as well. But what I really have to criticize is everything apart from the track. The start money was too much 40 Euros like at a World cup. The registration opened at 10:00 on Saturday and then they get one person done in 5 minutes. So you waited up to 1 ½ hour, when you were at the end of the queue. Then I nearly could not race because there is a new UCI rule which I have never heard about before, which says that foreigners are not allowed to participate at Italian races. For this race it was okay because it was a new rule but for the future no. So for everyone who wants to race small Italian races should not waist the time and go there before talking to an official and check the start situation. So and then they had just 2 vans for the bikes and 2 for the people, so you waited at least 45 min for getting a place on the shuttle. And the best was the lunch break from the shuttle drivers of 1 ½ hour. I thought it was a joke but no it wasn’t. I had the luck I had trained with Elisa on the track the days before. Because I had the first 3 runs a flat and then I did just one runs the whole day.
On the race day in continued like this. Not the flats I mean no I mean the organization. We had two runs the first was supposed to be at 11:00 o’clock. But until 11:00 o’clock they didn’t have any start lists prepared. I mean the just had one day to do this…..crazy. And then I got told the start after the numbers. Because I had a very high number I went up early. At the end 3 ½ hours to early…Yes exactly….. I got so tired and was so hungry. And finally I had my first run and I crashed in my first run. Not hard but I cost my some seconds. (no hurts) and the second run was at 16:50. This time my run was much better and I really enjoyed the riding. Finally I finished second after Elisa Canepa and before the Italian Champion Alissa. In the men class won Sueding Lorenzo.
My story isn’t finished yet… Then the price giving was running… or more stopping. The organizers were bringing the sheets with the category results one by one in an 10-15 min interval. You can imagine that makes the whole ceremony very boring and the commentator tried his best but hmm it didn’t really work out to keep the people entertained. We waited 2 hours in a cold building…I was so cold that my body was shaking. Okay I have to mention I am very easy frozen person.
All sounds now very negative but the fun I had during the riding was just erasing and over blinding all this mess of organization and I was very happy the whole weekend. My new bike worked fine, the sun was burning down, and I had fun with Elisa and her team. By the way check out her homepage www.elicaride.com. Her boyfriend and she are running this freeride DH shuttle service in Finale Ligure. I just can recommend this area for training. It’s just great. The city is right on the coast, very nice and the food there is soooooo good. Actually I ate in Pietro Ligure, where she lives and there the food was soo good. Bella Italia.

Ciao bella, how they say here. yes I am in Italy for some training days, in the region Ligure. After I tried to finish my work at home I drove to Italy by myself. From Mödling to Graz I had a traveller passenger. But the other 10 hours I drove alone. I choose the car because I have to go to Milano to see my sponsor, SPY, after.
I was very tired from stressing myself out the days before. Since I am here in Italy I sleep every minute when I am not training. I don’t know why? Maybe I have to get all the sleep back which I have been missing the last weeks. Elisa is already calling me an old women…
I stay with Elisa from Elicaride.com at her place. It’s a nice town and direct on the sea.
The landscape and the little towns are so beautiful, all the little and narrow roads, the old churches and all the old cobblestones made by hand hundreds of years ago give these middle ages town a specific charme. Its quite edilic apart from the weather. It obviously had it in for us. It snowed it down all day and of the top of the hills the ground were frozen and slippery.
I did some runs on thuesday morning but then the shuttle stopped, it was too cold and the other riders had to go home.
It was my second day on a DH bike since a long long time. The first I was with Martin, my mechanic in Bratislava on the last sunday and he helped me to adjust the rear and front suspension. I am running the FOx 40 and the DHx RC4. The rear works already perfect for me but the fork not yet. I don’t know which spring I should run. The purple one is a little bit to soft and the next harder one, the blue one, is to stiff. I will see I have time to test it now.
Yesterday we were in Pievo de Teco. I was there two years ago. It is nice track. A lot of burms and it was fun to ride it with Elisa and her friends. Today we will go again.
bye bye LENE