After having had a solid season with consistancy in training as wel as in race results, I was very excited to race one last time this season. Certainly after the dissappointing race in Romania, I had something to prove!
It was hard trying not to become too much of a tourist in the days leading up to the race, but I managed to keep the focus on the job. Temperatures rose to a nice 32-33 degrees Celcius during the day. You won't hear my complaining about it because I like the hot weather. I know the heat will make me suffer, but the rest usually suffers a lot more.
I had an okay swim and settled myself in the main pack. A group of about 12 athletes had seperated themselves in the swim and had a small advantage on the big bike pack. Now T2 would be crucial! I managed to do just a perfect job as I entered T2 as the 3rd athlete. I had a quick transition and found myself with the leaders. The beginning of the run was really hard and I couldn't quite keep up with the top 8. The made a small gap on me, but luckely after 1 lap out of 3 I found an extra gear. This way the gap on the race leaders remained the same. Further in the run several guys fromt the front were dropping back and I could reel them in. With the finish in sight I had to sprint a Hungarian and Kazach athlete and managed to secure 8th spot.
This 8th place means a lot to me! It confirms my overall shape of the year and especially the consistancy I was looking for really badly.
Really happy to finsih the season with this performance! See you next year, thank you!
