CX European Championships ‘s-Hertogenbosch
After the last MTB race in Hochdorf, I received the good news from the national team coach that I’m allowed to represent the Swiss national team in the elite category at the cyclocross European Championships. I was very happy about this chance and couldn’t wait to start at my first Elite European Championship. I think that there is no better race than this the end the season.
The race took place in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. The track was extremely fast and with tight corners and sand passages. In my career as a cyclocross rider I have never raced on a more beautiful track.
It's always a great feeling and makes me proud to ride in the national team jersey. Furthermore, the great team spirit that you experience in the national team still gives me additional energy.
Due to the corona situation, all nations had only the best riders in the selection. For this reason the field was very small but extremely strong. Even more I was looking forward to this challenge.
We were told by the U23 riders that the start was really important at this fast track and that it’s almost impossible to overtake afterwards. I took this tip to heart and put my complete focus on the start. I managed this perfectly and was able to fight my way from the last row of the grid into the top 20 after just two turns.
However, I thought it would be a little easier to maintain this good position and in the first two laps I was already pushing my performance limit several times. Probably a bit too strong, as I realized in the third lap.
Fortunately, I was able to catch up a bit in the last three laps and move up into the top 25 again. But my energy was not enough to improve this position any more. In the end, I was stille enough for a good 25th place, which I can be very satisfied with.
With many new experiences and a top-25 result I can start my training break with a lot of motivation.
With the cyclocross European Championships my season is over. Having the confidence of Swiss Cycling and being able to compete in the last race of the season with the national team gives me even more motivation to start preparing for the 2021 season again with filled energy tanks after the training break.
Physically, I don’t feel tired at all at the moment and I’m still extremely fit. Nevertheless, now is the right time to take a break. It’s already clear that I’ll be competing in cyclocross races again in December and January, but I haven’t made the exact race schedule yet.
As soon as I have more detailed information, I will inform you on my social media or on this website. A detailed season review will also follow.
//JorisÂ
