Meenhorst shares three races across three countries

Jul 12th, 09.  Kiwi Alex Meenhorst is back in Switzerland after 3 days of racing in 3 different countries. "There were breakaways, a crash, reunions with friends, all in all good times," he shares.

Courtesy Team Hadimec

Alex Meenhorst's latest blog

Since Racing Gippengin, I had a much needed break off the bike and indulged myself in some other sports for a little while. I played some golf, a lot of swimming, the finer things in life ;).

After seven days I headed back to the bike to do some base training and get back into the swing of things. After a week and a bit of training I had a great jumpstart weekend for the second half of the season with a 190km 1.2 in the south of Switzerland on Saturday 4th July and a 200km 1.1 race in France on Sunday, and a 150km 1.2 night circuit race in Italy on Tuesday.

As my form had taken a serious blow from my break I wasn't too sure how I was going to go in these races but they were a great platform to start building back up.

Race 1 - Switzerland 4th July

The first race in Switzerland went well, a little hilly. I also felt terrible while warming up so was thinking nothing special from me that day on the bike. Well that quickly changed when I got in the break for the day just 2km into the race and we ended up staying away for 130 km. I felt so bad the whole time and was praying my teammates would come across to the break because I didn't want to be the guy who is in the break for the team then comes dead last.

We got a maximum lead time of 4m30s but it all came back together and shortly after that I was gone from the small peloton. Bonus of the day: While riding to the finish I stopped to fill a bottle up from one of the fountains on the side of the road and found a un opened beer so that was definitely the push I needed to have a smile at the finish. I have attached the profile above from Saturday, Flat eh!

Race 2 - France 5th July

Sunday's race was really hilly as well but the level was the element that was really going to make it difficult.

Three Pro tour teams in contention and all the national championships of the European countries having happened the weekend before meant that the level was going to be really high.

After the best possible recovery on Saturday night I felt much better on the start line on Sunday and also had a good catch up with Guddy [kiwi Tim Gudsell] who was doing the race with Francais des Jeux. Typically, the usual French start of every man and his dog tried to break away - well actually this never stopped. After 120km no break away had established and after two hard hill/mountain passes the peloton was now cut in at least half.

Shortly after the feeding zone was a very difficult crosswind section that really hurt everyone's legs and with a difficult short sharp hill at the end of it, it was race over for me and at least 40 other people.

I rode to the finishing circuit but pulled out with 30km to go. Two of my teammates finished placing 22nd and 23rd a couple of mins down. 27 of the 140 starter's finished the race and the largest group contained no more than five riders. Was a hard day to say the least!

Race 3 - Italy 7th July

Tuesday's race was a interesting one in the north of Italy near Bergamo. We were the only Continental team on the start line but the best amateur teams in Italy had turned up for the race and a lot of them are equal to the professional teams anyway so it was going to be fun.

Th race started at 8.15pm and was a 9km circuit 15 times with a brutal hill in it, that was cobbled a little, then the descent was 4 switchbacks, all cobbled 800 metres long. Awesome!

The circuit had so many obstacles in it, parked cars, concrete bits sticking out everywhere, it was death for any cyclist. Not to mention the pitch- black darkness we all enjoyed riding in.

Then when you have 160 charging Italian kids (in Italy you can only be an amateur if you are under 26) well most of them were older than me on the start line with a race that's starting as the sun sets, it's kind of a recipe for disaster.

Not much to say about the race really, it was so fast and hard and the pace didn't back off once. People were dropping left right and centre after the second lap. I crashed on the 3rd with 3 of my teammates as we were going into the hill. Tobias and I got up and chased back on with the other rider pulling out.

Splits were happening very often and coming into the last three laps it was pitch black with maybe 50 guys left. The past 2 days racing and 5 hour drive had hurt me just a little and I was dropped on the last time up the hill and rode to the finish with one other guy. My teammates got 4th and 9th and I finished 30ish with only 3 of us finishing this brothel of a race.

Alex is now planning a "serious hours on the couch following Le Tour".

Alex joining the social network

Like many cyclists, Alex is sharing his adventures on Twitter and is blogging his reports like this one.  

He invites you to join him;

• http://www.twitter.com/alexmeenhorst
• http://alexmeenhorst.blogspot.com/

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