I had four days to get my head straight after the Road Race Nationals and focus fully on getting the most out of the Individual Time Trial National Championships. I didn’t make a big deal out of it, but on June 14 I entered a time trial in Tajna, Slovakia, as a training race. It turned out to be a smart move. The course was fully closed to traffic and surprisingly technical for a TT route, even though it was shorter than the Nationals’ distance – just 15.5 km.
That’s also where I discovered a mechanical issue I really didn’t want to face in Bocskaikert. A seal gave out on my front brake lever, and brake fluid leaked all over the bar tape and the brake pad. Basically, I had no front brake. The Tajna course had three turns, including a hairpin and a turnaround, so not having front braking cost me a lot. Still, I managed to finish in the upper mid-pack, which was more than enough for a training day with a technical problem. And the traffic-free setup was perfect for a focused effort.
Bocskaikert is always scorching hot at this time of year. We start around noon, when the sun is directly overhead and there isn’t a single patch of shade on the course. Officially it was 30 degrees Celsius, but that means measured in the shade – and there was no shade. Just burning tarmac and a strong lineup of riders.
I have some history here. In my second U17 year, I missed the podium by one second. Last year, in my first U19 year, I finished 8th overall and 2nd among first-year riders, though that classification doesn’t appear anywhere officially, it’s just a benchmark I keep for myself. It’s just a reference point for me. This spring I took third at the School Olympics.
My start time here was 11:01.
There’s always a window of calm between the bike check and the start, where I try to reset and mentally switch into race mode. Riders go off one per minute.
Once I’m in the start, I don’t think about anything else. I watch the clock and the commissaire. I mapped out my power plan: target watts out, when to drink, and what power I wanted to hold on the way back. You have to go well everywhere, but you also need to know how much is in the tank, and save enough to finish strong.
It was brutally hot. On the way out, I had a headwind coming slightly from the side. No cooling effect, just drag. The TT helmet doesn’t breathe at all, it just channels air smoothly around the body. And with the sun beating down, it was intense. But over 19 kilometers, you can push through almost anything. And in this kind of race, it’s all about going full gas.
I drank where I had planned to, and I stuck to my power targets. The goal was to hold the same pace over 19 km that I did over 10 km at the School Olympics. I only had to use the brake once, at the turnaround, and I hit the exact braking point I wanted.
I pushed the bars through at the line. Just in case.
Final result: 24:52.95 for 19 km. That’s an average speed of 45.8 km/h, good enough for 7th place out of 31 riders.
How do I feel about it? On the one hand, I’m happy I didn’t had the last race define me, and finished with a result I could accept. On the other hand, I came here aiming for the podium, but it didn’t come together this time.
