I can look back on a fantastic European Championships in Lithuania. My form, the organisation, the terrain: all this contributed to an unforgettable European Championships! Even though the expectations for international competitions in Lithuania were already high due to the previous editions, everything was exceeded once again. And I myself was finally able to make the long-awaited leap into the top 6 and bring home an individual diploma.
Massstart
The European Championships kicked off with the mass start race. A good start is extremely important in this discipline. A good result is much easier if you can be together with other fast racers right from the start. The first few metres went very well for me and I was immediately in the first 10 positions. However, I wasn’t particularly well prepared and promptly missed the first turn-off, partly because a police car that I thought was in the way threw me off my stride. So I took a slightly longer route to the first, unforked post and had to join the back of the queue and wait for a few seconds on the narrowing trail. At the forkings, I was then riding only in small groups of 2-3 riders or alone. I was able to keep my race going, push hard on the steep climbs and was very happy with my physical shape. I didn’t get all the route choices perfect and lost there a few minutes as a result. However, as it was difficult for everyone to recognise the fastest route, I was able to finish in the top 10 in 9th place despite these time losses. A good start that gives hope for more!
Middle
The next day was the middle distance. This race took place in a somewhat flatter forest with a much denser network of paths. Somewhat unexpectedly, however, the race started in the steeper, more physical and less demanding part of the forest. This suited me, as it allowed me to get on the map and prepare myself for the technical middle and final sections.I ran a very clean race without making any mistakes. Only 1-2 hesitations cost me a total of around 20-30 seconds, I couldn’t have been much faster. I was almost a little disappointed when I heard the speaker announce my 3rd intermediate place, as I knew that around 15 riders were still to come. But only 3 of these 15 were able to beat my time, so I finished 6th and got my first individual diploma! It was all the better that I was able to share this success with Noah Rieder, who finished in 4th place!
Sprint
The third competition of the European Championships was a sprint. It started in a very steep section of forest along the River Neris. The aim here was to quickly recognise the right route, execute it cleanly and, above all, quickly. You could really push yourself here. The second part then led into a very flat urban forest with a very dense network of paths. I managed the first part brilliantly. At control 16 and after 17 of 24 minutes (winning time) I was on course for bronze. However, I didn’t manage the change of pace in the second part at all. I didn’t catch the first junction and then completely lost the thread for around 5 controls. As a result, mistakes totalling around 2 minutes accumulated. I ended up a long way back and finished in 22nd place. Another race with a lot of ‘what if…’ thoughts, but it also showed me that I was able to raise my level compared to last year and that I can compete for the medals with good races. That gave me a lot of self-confidence. And this is sometimes crucial in the next, final race of the European Championships.
Mixed Relay
The European Championships were rounded off with the mixed relay. It is a cool race, because it really takes a complete team to be successful here. We have already experienced this several times in both directions. Two years ago we finished 13 seconds behind gold and won the bronze medal, and last year we clearly missed out on the diplomas. This year, we wanted to do better! The first Swiss team consisted of Jana Lüscher-Alemany at the start, Noah Rieder on the second leg and me again on the final leg. Jana showed a very good race for a long time and was in the front group. On the final loop, she made a mistake and lost around 1.5 minutes, handing over to Noah Rieder.
Noah was not doing well at all that day and made around 6 minutes of mistakes on his course. I knew that the diplomas were probably out of reach and still tried to give my everything. My race went almost perfectly, apart from 1-2 route choices that could perhaps be 10-20 seconds faster, I managed a flawless race. I was able to overtake several teams, even with the longest option on most forkings. I completed the last controls together with Hannes Hnilica, who I was able to catch up with in the final section. Unfortunately, I lost the final sprint and we ended up in 9th place. A big disappointment, but again, it’s fair to say that we were able to cheer ourselves up with some ‘what if…’ and are all the hungrier for the next relays.
The last part of the European Champs was the banquet, as always. We had fun and could spend the drops of energy still in our bodies on the dance floor. And we did it with style! Over and out, see you at the next competitions in Champery, Warsaw, Plzen, Jönköping or at the World Champs in Warsaw!
