Back to MTB Trilogy - Prologue and Stage 1
MTB Trilogy is a stage race in Czech Republic on the border with Poland. I was there in 2014 but due to injury I haven't finished Stage 3 (out of 3). Since then I wanted to go back and finish the race. This year I got an opportunity, so here I am.
The race starts with TT prologue. It's 12km distance sounds easy but that is the most event packed 12km I have ever ridden. The interval route is packed with steep uphills and even harder downhills. I haven't been riding much last months so I felt totally destroyed already halfway. Hot weather didn't help, so I stopped and walked awfully much. It took me 1h50m to complete the ride being third last of xc riders. I felt wasted and the only positive was that I felt same 4 years ago.
I felt much better next morning so I started stage 1 in a good mood. First kilometers went quickly on a paved road and I was not totally last when we started the offroad. First climb was bearable and I started having problems on the top where border path packed with roots started. This was also first special section so I needed to stop and let the Enduro riders go. But I was mostly walking that part so it was not a problem. Then I was able to ride down the hill, which was followed by grass path. A few UPDs reminded me how much I hate grass riding. Luckily later the path switched to road - first unpaved and later paved. This way I reached first food station, rested a bit and continued.
Second climb was one of two biggest that day, but the first part on forest roads was surprisingly rideable. The last part I pushed the uni but after some rest on the top I was ready to try the next special sections. Not able to ride them all but enough to get extremely happy. :)
That section was followed by a food station, where I spent some time, and short paved descent. Then the second big climb of the day followed. First, paved part was OK to ride, but later I needed to walk quite much. I was very tired and just a bit before the top I hit 4 hours of riding and I got my energy cut off. I rested some time and finally got to the top. Here started the most extreme special section where in some parts I was not thinking if I could ride it down but rather if I could walk it down without sliding with rocks. This made my mood worse, but the worst thing was when I realized at the bottom that another hill is following - I forgot about this one, which made me stop again for a longer rest.
I walked most of the uphill and got to the final special section which was bit too steep and loose in some parts but nice in general. This got me back to the first food station much later than I expected.
Most of the route was on the roads from that point so the kilometers went quickly, but it could not be that easy. First I needed to walk the grass again as UPD threatened with cramps and then partly ride, partly walk the last mountain. Then it was down almost all the way to the finish with small hill fit into the last kilometer - luckily mostly paved.
On the last meters I passed my lodging and entered the park with the finish line. It was 7h15m from the start, but I was happy to survive.
