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| 14.05.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 18.05.2008 // European Championships St.Wendel, GER
link 1: live stream for euro champs. we start at sunday, 13.30
Link 1: http://mtblive.dyndns.tv
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| 10.05.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 20.04.2008 // World Cup #1 Houffalize, BEL
Houffalize pictures made from Thierry Beguin. Starring my mechanic Benno Willeit (Italy) and my Specialized Epic (USA)
      
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| 08.05.2008 |
A few more pictures from World Cup in Offenburg and Madrid
       
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| 06.05.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 04.05.2008 // World Cup #3 Madrid, SP
Swiss TV coverage from Word Cup Madrid
Link 1: http://www.sf.tv/sfsport/artikel.php?catid=sportmehrsportartikel&...
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| 04.05.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 04.05.2008 // World Cup #3 Madrid, SP
7 Laps, 55kms, 2.15hrs
12th Place, 2.06min behind winner Julien Absalon
This is the fastest course in the world cup circuit. Every climb sprinting full on, and on the long flat section after riding through the start/finish the tactics are going to play. Most of the time nobody wanted to waste energy at this point before heading into the short climbs where it is single file racing for almost the entire race.
I started well, always sticking my nose up the front in this long flat section, but unfortunately not for too long. The first bend before climbing I got stuck in chaos, and found myself back into 20th. Sure if I would have had a very good day, I would have been able to move up front, but just to pass two riders was such a effort. I was pretty much at the limit for most of the time and I also could not ride away from my group over the last two laps even when I tried hard.
Lots of very strong riders struggled big time today. There were some blowing legs, so much, that you could almost hear the explosion! This made me feel a little bit better when I passed them towards the end. But only a little bit...
    
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| 29.04.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 27.04.2008 // World Cup #2 Offenburg, GER
Swiss TV coverage from Word Cup Offenburg
Link 1: http://www.sf.tv/sfsport/artikel.php?catid=sportmehrsportartikel&...
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| 28.04.2008 |
New Specialized Factory Racing Team website is online!
Link 1: http://www.specializedfactoryracing.com
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| 27.04.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 27.04.2008 // World Cup #2 Offenburg, GER
2 Start + 7 Laps, 1.59hr
Second Place, 50sec behind winner Julien Absalon
I did not feel so crispy fresh for the whole race. Probably I trained a little bit too hard this week. Not many hours, but very intensive intervals on Wednesday with motor pacing afterwards. I felt too good on that day, and probably burned myself a little. Anyway second is still very good, but my feeling was not as good as in Houffalize. Ok, the course was also totally different today. Every climb full gas, or thats how it felt to me. The downhillʼs were really fun with a few steep drops.
There was a huge crowed here and they loved it. I did not love my job that much during the race. I was suffering form A-Z. The first laps I could hardly hold on and was always around 10th position. Luckily there was a flat section at the start/finish where I could always catch up again.
Absalon attacked in a long single trail from the front. At that point I was in 5th, but I guess I could not hold on anyway.
Going into the second last lap I tried the same as him, and surprising I got away from Vogel, Schurter and Hermida. Not much though but just enough to make it safe all the way to the finish. I was looking forward to this moment so much!
    
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| 20.04.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 20.04.2008 // World Cup #1 Houffalize, BEL
1 Start + 5 Laps, 39kms, 2.08hrs
3th.Place, 1.14min behind winner Julien Absalon
Every year I love coming back to Houffalize! It is a classic race in such a cool town, great spectators plus the best beer in the world. But I am not talking about Belgium chocolate! Here we Swiss are the best by far!
The weather also never disappointed me here. It was cold though, all the way until our start today, but right in time the sun came out.
Unfortunately, I slipped off the pedal right after the start during the first stroke. Given that I am already not the best starter, this put me behind and following that my chain got suck and I had to get off my bike for to fix it. I was far back in about 35th position when I started my chase to the front. With this I didn’t need the adrenalin, but at least I passed a lot of riders… I felt great from a-z, and when going into the last lap I was confident that I could even catch my country mate Nino Schurter. But he was pushing the pedals as hard as I’ve done and I did not get any closer then 20sec. Absalon was never in sight. The whole race long he was ahead 1-1.15min.
Now I am still staying here in Houffalize until Tuesday, before going down south to the next round in Germany, close to the Swiss boarder.
     
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| 13.04.2008 |
Appends to race/event: 12.04.2008 - 13.04.2008 // Swisspower Cup Basel, CH
Saturday: Short Track
13 Laps around a horse track, 20min race time
24th Place, 9sec off winner Fontana Marco
It was all about drafting and going for the sprint on the sandy bumpy horse track. I attacked 3 times but could not brake away alone or with somebody. Those efforts always payed their toll, and I had to go back to “rescue and recovery mode” in the bunch draft, until I could let my nose into the wind again.
My last solo effort was at the beginning of the last lap, pushing hard for a few meters in front of the pack, but with 200m to go the bunch got me again and I had no more energy for the final sprint.
Sunday: XCO
3 Start + 9 Race Laps, 2hrs race time
4th Place, 2.30min off winner Florian Fogel
After the 3 start laps I left the horse stadium in 3rd position into a smaller tar road. A crash on this fast section right in front of me luckily did not take me down, but it did throw me into a back position.
The three leaders with Vogel, Guian and Fontana were a harmonised group, and always had a go on the long flat sections. Like this my chances shrinked to catch up again, especially when the rain came in and I lost my “partner” Flückiger due his crash. I was racing with him for 4th and we could push and help each other in the flats. For the last 3 laps I was riding by myself with hardly no more chance to move up front or to get caught from the rear.
All in all a pretty good start into my xco season. Now with the upcoming 3 world cups in Belgium, Germany and Madrid it is time to get all the energy together. For all us riders this is the early peak of the season!
Link 1: Swiss TV coverage
   
Link 1: http://www.sf.tv/sfsport/artikel.php?catid=sportradartikel&docid=...
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