| Diary:
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| 08.05.2005 |
2.07hrs, 7laps, 24km/h average speed
3rd place, 25sec. behind today's winner Absalon.
The city park racing of Madrid is like on a roller coaster: Fast, twisty, very short up and downhills, and you have to be concentrating all the time, even when it was not very technical. Not really my type of racing, but as long as I do not have to push my bike, I happy on any course!
I had a really good start. I rode all the time in the top five, even when we were a big group for the first half of the race. Going into the last lap it was only Absalon, Hermida, Paulissen, Bui and me. I knew then that it was going to be very very hard... In a super steep climb, Hermida was in trouble, then Absalon passed him and he just got the gap he needed for his second straight World Cup win.
The whole group felt apart and I was fighting really hard with the Spanish hero, Hermida, for second place. He is a very explosive rider, and in the last uphill sprint corners I could not hold him any longer.
I am pretty happy with my result. First was only 25sec. away, but that also makes me think that if only I could have suffered just 25sec. harder...
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GMT
