When I launched this website, I made a promise: it wouldn’t just be a highlight reel. It would include everything — the good and the bad, victories and setbacks. And this race… well, there’s no sugar-coating it. This one was a failure.
It’s tough to write about, especially because I put a lot of hard work into this. I was hoping for more. But that’s cycling – some days just don’t go your way. I’m not here to make excuses. It happened, and I need to move on. Quickly. The Individual Time Trial Nationals are in less than three days, and I have to shift my focus now. No time to dwell – but I want to stay true to my original vision for this site: everything that happens to me in racing goes up here. I am who I am – with my wins and my defeats.
There were 44 starters in the U19 field. Unfortunately, Csiki Marci from Appsolute Sport BTS SE couldn’t line up due to injury, so it was just Gere Roland and me representing the team. The course was 119 kilometers, and unlike the previous years, it had a very different layout.
In the past, we raced four laps on the Tamási – Iregszemcse – Nagykónyi – Tamási loop. No major climbs there – the first three laps were usually a game of patience and feeding strategies, and then the final lap was flat-out, with the whole bunch arriving together and the sprint deciding everything.
This year, we started with the same traditional lap once, but then continued toward Pincehely, Gyönk, and Szakály before returning to Tamási. We finished with one more loop of the original circuit. Officially, it was 24°C, but that’s the shade temperature – in the sun and on the asphalt, it felt much hotter.
I managed to take bottles at the right moments and stay well positioned. Still, the heat got to me. My legs were okay, but I started to feel worse and worse overall. I kept drifting further back, losing touch.
The peloton completely split apart. Only 29 riders finished within the time limit. I crossed the line in 27th.
Of course I’m disappointed. I would be even if this had been a minor race. But since it was the National Championships, the frustration cuts deeper. Still, I won’t let this result define me. In three days, there’s the ITT Nationals. I’m preparing. I’ll show up ready and give it everything. And today? It goes into the category of setbacks that make you stronger when you fight through them.
