It was my first time ever in South Korea, and I was excited to see what it was all about. I knew nothing whatsoever about the course, nor did anyone else, it being the first time it had been raced on.
On Friday we raced short track, which I was determined to place well in so that I could have a good start position for the XCO on Sunday.
I was feeling good in my warmup and that feeling continued in the race, mixing it up in the top 10-20 riders for most of the race, which ended up being quite a long short track.
Thankfully, I kept a bit of powder dry for the last two laps and could finish strong, coming home in 13th position! My best result for a few years.
It was a great boost of confidence, and I was feeling positive about Sunday, especially being able to start from the second row of the grid.
Sunday rolled around for the XCO race and after consistent rain all night and all day the course had turned to slop.
I had an average start and struggled on the climbs, especially with the huge amount of running.
Probably 50% or more of the race time was spent running, and on lap 3 I got a rear flat, followed by a front flat on lap 4 which spelt the end of my race as I got 80 percent-ed by the leader at that stage.
It was a very disappointing way to finish the week, especially after my form in short track had shown so much promise!
Nonetheless I will just have to take the positives from the week, learn something from it, and move on to round 2 of the World Cup series in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic on May 24th.