After a successful and intense training camp in Tignes, the time has come to (finally) finish training, focus on recovery, and turn all my focus to the races. Only 4 days after the training camp, I traveled to Spain, to the Burgos race. To be honest, I was quite nervous as it had been a while since I last raced. Nervous in terms of whether I would still know how to ride in the peloton 😊 The fear was in vain, and I quickly fell into a rhythm. Everything is different after such a long break, especially compared to starting a new season after a long break. After such an accident as I experienced, you always think the worst afterward. Vuelta Burgos served me as a kind of test and final preparation to improve my form. I had some swings in my performance. In the first, the TTT stage, and in the fourth, I felt more than great. In the third and last stage, I still felt that I needed some rhythm before the so-called (new) main goal of the season – the Vuelta a Espana. I gave my best in every stage and pushed my body to the limit so that it could get used to the racing rhythm and the heat. At the same time, I focused all my efforts on helping Primož win the race.
At the race, I felt like a kid who got his first bike. Many times I thought of the words of doctors and physiotherapists when they said that rehabilitation would be long. Three months ago I got back on the bike for the first time. I felt pain in my knee for quite some time and it was difficult to do the training. Looking back now, I don’t think it was as hard as it seemed at the beginning. I put in a lot of effort, I believed that I could come back this year, and right now everything is paying off. I will be at the start of the Vuelta, where I will do everything in my power to help my team in winning the third grand tour this season.
Just being at the start is a big achievement for me. The team is extremely strong and the fact that I was selected in this Vuelta team tells me a lot about the team’s trust in me. I am very grateful to be back. In the end, it will be what it will be. If I cross the finish line and know that I did everything in my power, I will be happy. I’m already happy now that I can pin the number and spin the pedals in Barcelona. Vamos!
Photo: Cor Vos, Ziklix Photo