1500m Swim - 30km Mountain Bike - 9.4km Trail Run
Vouliagmeni, Greece
Saturday 27th April 2024
Consistent block of high quality training, relaxed taper week, course checked, equipment dialed, nutrition strategy tested, I was all set for a great race in Greece.
However, a mechanical on the bike, coupled with just not finding my rhythm on the day meant my season opener wasn't quite the race I was hoping for.
This year, XTERRA Greece was a part of the 7-stop World Cup tour, meaning the start list was stacked full of the best athletes in the world - a fantastic opportunity to lay a benchmark at the start of the season.
Swim
Race morning presented perfect conditions, overcast, mild and a calm, glassy ocean. At 9:30am we were called to the start, hobbling over exposed rocks at the shoreline to take our places between two red buoys waist-deep in the water. No time for nerves, the start horn sounded instantly, a shallow dive, short, fast arm strokes and we were underway!
I had a good start with a clear swim to first buoy 200m from the shore. As we settled into race pace I found myself in a group of around 5 swimmers and stayed with this pack for the entire swim. Exiting the water I was in 10th place, an ok result, but I couldn't really get into my rhythm. Swim done my attention turned to transition. Wetsuit down, goggles in the box, helmet on, shoes on, grab the bike and get out!
Mountain Bike
The mountain bike course was 30km in total over very dry, rocky, gravelly terrain. Having crashed out last year the risk of injury was constantly on my mind and I struggled to relax and find my flow.
Exiting transition I found myself in a small group with Lizzie Orchard and Carina Wasle, I stuck with the pair as best I could but when we hit the technical singletrack I lost the wheel and was unable to claw my way back. Focusing on managing my effort and riding smoothly I kept my head in the game - in these races anything can happen.
Descending into the town to complete my first lap I dropped off a high curb, felt a heart-wrenching clunk and my bike acquired a mind of its own - please not now!
I stopped, gave the back tyre a squeeze, it had gone down, I had lost about 50% of the air. The only means of pumping it back up was a race plug, this would have meant piercing the tyre and then inflating with a C02 canister via a plug that would seal the pierced hole. From a quick inspection it would seem that I had "burped" the tyre rather than suffered a puncture. With a Vittoria insert installed and still a bit of air in the tyre I decided piercing with a plug was not worth the risk of making it even worse. So I jumped back on and navigated the remaining 15km with a soft rear wheel. This meant I had to push harder on the pedals to maintain the same speed and also be incredibly careful on corners and technical descents.
Thankfully, the situation didn't get any worse and I was able to complete the bike section in 13th place.
Trail Run
My run legs actually felt pretty good! The first part of the course was on flat tarmac, an opportunity to settle into a pace and work through that familiar "jelly leg" feeling. After that, normal XTERRA service resumed - the rocky cliffs were looming.
This run course was absolutely brutal!
Long, incredibly steep, rocky climbs, having to carefully place my feet while my legs were buckling beneath me. You needed to be strong, resilient and mentally determined to keep moving forwards no matter what. The hours of training in the gym, numerous hill reps and execution of a high carb nutrition strategy during the race really paid off for me. I had a great run, clawed back a position and finally crossed the finish line in 12th place.
Overall, I was disappointed with my execution of the race, I never found my flow and it just didn't come together on the day. However, 12th place, on a bad day, at a European World Cup race is not too bad. We had a fantastic week in Greece and I am feeling incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to race at this level.
Next stop: XTERRA UK
Photos on this webpage are provided by:
Carel Du Plessis (XTERRA Europe)
Instagram: @carelduplessis
Facebook: @carelduplessisphotographer
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