2015 Beskidy MTB Trophy Stage 3 - 2nd

Leading on from yesterday's post I am putting a few words together for UK XC News so I figure I'll also post it here about the Beskidy MTB Trophy

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I have ridden many stage races, mostly on the road but I never remember feeling this tired after only two days when I woke up (and I have done 10 day UCI road stage races). Not so much the legs - just all over, more a general battering. Very different from the road. Three weeks ago I raced the 3 stage Belgian Mountainbike Challenge and although longer with more climb and a very high level of competition it just doesn’t compare. Both races I rode my hardtail but only in this one I really wish for rear suspension.

First climb of the day

Today was a little shorter then yesterdays stage at 68km but with almost 3,000m of off-road climbing and at times super technical climbing it would be another nail in the coffin. And to add to that, the unusually high temperatures (which has greatly diminished the mud for which this race is known for) upped their game some and creeped into the mid 30s at times. I have raced in South East Asia where temperatures hit the mid 40s but this is different - slogging up a 20% wall using every muscle in your body at 8kmph is a world away from cruising along at 40kmph with wind keeping you cool.

Like the previous day, we had a few rolling kilometers of tarmac until we hit the first off-road climb - from there, it was tough to the finish. I didn’t have the best feeling on the bike and the climbing was a suffer fest for me only split up by the crazy fun descents I have come to expect. At the top of the days major climb Ben and Torsten had a 3 minute gap on me and a few others but by the end of the (how many times must I say crazy, but yeah, crazy) descent I had caught up with Torsten but Ben was still out front. A couple of riders would come and go from the group but as we hit the final set of climbs I pushed on in pursuit of Ben. I went full out on the final climb and finished at the top empty on the finish line - good enough for second on the day but not close to catching Ben.

There was an eight kilometer roll back down to where the car was parked - I don't think I have ever coasted so much in my life - I was cooked, fried, well done. Only a 15 minute soak in a cold river got me back down to normal working temperatures and feeling somewhat human again.