And again a year is coming to an end. A lot has happened, many things may have turned out differently than we had hoped, but also a lot of great things have happened. So it’s time to take another look at the sporty part of the last twelve months.
January/February:
After we had celebrated without firecrackers, I went directly to the time trial world championship over 12 hours on January 17. i.e. going up to the attic where my Smart trainer stands. Everything took place only virtually. With the second place in the age group and the third place overall I could be very satisfied. That was much more than I had hoped for before. In addition, your donations amounted to about 1440 €.
February was a bit quieter, also it took me a surprisingly long time to recover from those 12 hours.
March/April:
In March the weather slowly got better again, and cycling outside was noticeably more fun. We were still limited by the fact that we could only train in small groups or in pairs, but with some distance and good mood this was a ray of hope after those gloomy winter days. The already twice postponed training camp in Mallorca (originally scheduled for March 2020) had to be postponed again. Instead, the necessary kilometers were experienced in familiar surroundings between Mechernich in the south, Liège in the west, Kleve in the north, and Cologne in the east. The focus shifted slowly but surely to the Race Across Germany, which should take place at the beginning of June.
May/June:
In May there was an Everesting Challenge on the online platform RGT, that means 8848 m climbing. Again, thanks to you, this raised many Euros for the preschool children on Malabon. In June I could also participate in races in Belgium. This was possible again for foreigners. Also on the cycling track in Geleen I regularly did laps with Daniel at the training races. The Race Across Germany had to be postponed due to the lockdown, there was the nightly curfew in May, to a later date in September. But this did not harm the good mood. And when the curfews (in Germany and the Netherlands) were lifted at the end of May, the evening rounds after work were more relaxed again.
July/August:
The preparation for the Race Across Germany started in July. A bit longer distances, in between also many short intensive units should be it. The plan to use my summer vacation for this was thwarted by torrential rain and flooding in the vacation area (Prümtal) and my own basement at home, see here. Nevertheless some kilometers came together. Even though I really learned to hate wetness from above this summer.
September/October:
The preparation didn’t go quite as I wanted, see blog article. But when an event starts, you just have to block out everything else in your head and be in the tunnel for a few hours. I drove into the tunnel Friday morning in Aachen and came out Saturday afternoon in Görlitz. In retrospect, it was super fun again, and I was very happy to have been faster than last year. Most of the time at such long-distance events is lost during the breaks. And I kept them short this time. Also I did not get lost! The first place in the age group and category were secondary matters. What mattered was your great support and the many donations! After the Race Across Germany I went again to the track in Geleen, and October brought some nice sunny days, where cycling, now without any pressure, was a lot of fun.
See also:
November/December:
At the beginning of November we actually went to Mallorca. Finally after so many attempts it had worked. The ten days on the island we , three buddies and I, could enjoy with predominantly good weather. It was a bit stormy in between, but nothing could stop us from cycling. Interesting people, like Jean Asselborn, I also met (more info about him and his passion for cycling in this external link https://www.tour-magazin.de/news/jean-asselborn-der-minister-im-rennradsattel/). The fact that the UCI Track Champions League Lust then took place on Mallorca was a highlight. I could not miss that. Great cycling stadium, great atmosphere, a really successful event!
For a long time I wrestled with myself whether I should participate in the virtual time trial championships again in January 2022. In the end your encouragement made me sign up and so I will use the next 2-3 weeks before the event for training. The form is not as good as last year, but I still hope to do well, and that you will support me diligently during the event. More information later I this blog.
I would like to wish you all a happy new year and thank you again for all the donations I received this year.
Your Bert
