World Series #8 Cross country: a black day

Starting from the front row and having successfully raced the short track two days earlier, I was highly motivated and had every chance of doing well in the XCO race. Unfortunately, as at the World Championships, I didn't feel particularly fresh or lively, so I found myself between 15th and 20th place for the first three laps, which I already found difficult to hold on to. On top of that, I got a slow puncture in the third lap, which forced me to change my wheel in the tech zone. After that, I briefly got back into my rhythm, but by the end of the fourth lap, I could already feel myself slowly running out of steam. From then on, I could only watch as more and more riders overtook me, and I crossed the finish line in a disappointing 54th place. Now it's time to analyse exactly what went wrong at the World Championships and here in the XCO, but the high race load with six competitions in 14 days certainly plays a role. I have just under two weeks to recover for the last two World Cups in North America.

Thanks to my team and my coach, who support me even on such difficult days!