After Valloire I immediately went to New Zealand for 14 days. The transition from summer to winter was pretty tough! But being at home with my wife, Tory, has been very good for me. That was also the reason for my trip. Tory was 9 months pregnant and the birth of our first child could happen at any time.
The first contractions started around 04:5 am on July 30th. At 6am we were at the Christchurch Woman's Hospital and at 9:11am Luca James Leov was born! A faster one! The following day Tory and the baby came home happy and in good shape. This enabled me to stay with them for a few more days before returning to Europe.
Arriving at La Thuile late afternoon on Wednesday 09th I was amazed to see snow on the surrounding peaks. I was prepared for midsummer and had next to nothing warm in my suitcase!
Extreme conditions prevailed during the reconnaissance on Thursday morning. I've never felt so cold in my entire driving career. Just being able to see the track was a challenge in itself. Between time difference, training backlog and outrageous conditions, I wondered what I was doing here instead of being at home with Tory and Luca.
Friday went better because I was better protected against the cold and didn't feel the time difference so much.
The terrain at La Thuile is a mix of rocks, gravel, grass and roots. The forest passages were often steep. Many attempts were necessary on the flat sections. There were also short but tough climbs. I decided to put on DH tires for the first day as I wanted to avoid flat tires at all costs.
The 1st special stage of the weekend took place on the longest and most demanding track. I felt good at the start but right away on the first short climb on grass I realized I had made the wrong tire choice. It was way too exhausting and I felt I couldn't keep that rhythm for very long. When I finished the special I knew it was going to be a long and difficult day.
Not a good feeling on the 2nd special stage. I drove reasonably well, but I always had the impression that I wasn't able to recognize and implement the route in time. Over time I started to feel really frustrated.
The 3rd special stage went better. I found a good rhythm and felt good. However, a curve where I simply forgot to steer was fatal to me! I climbed up the ditch, jumped on my bike and again finished with a very moderate time.
I returned to the hotel disappointed in my day.
The second day began with the repetition of the 1st special stage from the previous day. I decided to put on smoother rolling tires. It had rained during the night and the route was expected to be slippery. And it was precisely because of a loss of grip on the front wheel that I found myself on the ground but managed not to lose too much time. I was 4th in this special stage.
I knew there was no point in tackling the back-to-back two stages too hard. I was 9th overall at the end of day one and really wanted to make up some places. However, I really wanted to avoid falls and mechanical problems in order to maintain my chances in the overall EWS ranking.
I finished the 5th and 6th stages with the 7th best time and found myself XNUMXth in the La Thuile race. I lost a place in the EWS overall standings and was now third. Considering the conditions, I have to say that I felt lucky with this result!
I would like to thank the following for their support:
Trek Factory Racing Enduro, Bluegrass Protection, Met Helmets, Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Bontrager, Adidas Eyewear, Stages Power Meters, CNP Nutrition.
And another extremely hard race! It certainly didn't come as a surprise after my short trip to New Zealand to become a dad before then coming back to Europe to take on some of the world's best riders!
Photos: Jeremie Reuiller