After a pretty rough outing at the World Champs in Les Gets, I was determined to put in a better showing for the last big race of the year. I’d been feeling a bit flat when I pushed hard since COVID, and the Basel Swiss Cup so made sure to have a really easy week after the World Champs. I had okay legs in the short track but not the best luck getting tangled up in some chaos at the start. I didn’t have the legs to make the top 24 so had to settle for a fourth row start for the XCO.
My plan for the XCO was to try and be steady throughout the race as I knew my body wasn’t able to push too deep anyway. My Max HR in the last couple of weeks had been 8-10 beats lower than normal, a sign that I was fatigued and a bit flat and it was no different in Val di Sole.
My position hovered around the low to mid 30’s for most of the race but I was able to move up a few places which a faster last lap and pass some fading riders to finish in 26th.
It was not my dream end to the season having to deal with COVID and fatigue but I was proud of the way I kept at it. I’m very happy to have a well-earned break and turn my attention to next season! Hopefully it will be an injury and illness free 2023 and I can have some consistent top results once again.