Mannheim marathon – 24 May 2008
Mannheim marathon in Germany was the 3rd race of the German competitions.
Early morning, I was happy that I was able to warm up in a nice weather.
The race started at 17:30.
I was aware that the guys in my team wanted to cycle as fast as they could in order to break our World record that we achieved in Heidelberg, Germany in 2006.
After the start shot, the peleton went at a crazy high speed. 8km through the race, many of the athletes weren’t able to keep up with the high speed. Only 4 were able to push forward and I was one of them. They other three were from the C division and I was the only one from the B division.
We went past the 15km point in less than 15 min which means our speed was more 41 km/hr. At this stage, I had a feeling that this day we would be able to break the course record as well as the world record. On the 20km point the weather changed and it began to rain. However, on the 27 km I lost control at a slippery turn point and slipped. I hit the side of the road and felt with the bike. I hurt my hand and had big scratches but I wanted to continue. Later on, I realised that my front ZIPP wheel was damaged and I had flat tires as well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to move from my place. The police called the Red Cross to assist me and take me to the finish line.
It was very sad moment but I am still in good shape and looking forward to the next race!
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