Those 2×8 hour drives were so much fun last weekend we decided sure, let’s do it again, except this time, let’s tack on another hour and drive further into Bohemia. So like déjà vu of last week Simon blasted Big Country while I attempted to learn Dutch through my headphones which sounded more like a mourning whale call.

That whoosh of German cars humming by doesn’t get old and it sends a shudder through our car as it quickly buzzes by. Kind of like how my start was at the Tábor World Cup. After last weekend’s finish I moved from 27th in the world to 22nd and was lucky to have a 2nd row start. I blew my start, but at least I made the slow start look good with my new baby blue Hakkalügi. The first 2 laps I seemed to constantly be in the wrong place at the wrong time, almost fighting past a rider but getting pinched at the last microsecond resorting to grabbing a handful of brakes and starting at zero mph in one of my hardest gears. Or you know how sometimes you’re in the perfect spot when someone crashes in front of you to narrowly sneak by? I was never in that spot. My legs and handling were good, but I wasn’t thinking ahead of the course and ahead of my bike.

About half way through the race I was able to grasp onto a bit of thinking whilst propelling my bike forward. I joined the English-speaking train that had formed of Mo, Nicole, Meredith and Gabby Day. We reeled in a group in front of us and would vie for lucky number 13 through about 20th. In the end Meredith and I were clear and closing in on 11th & 12th but never latched on and I settled for 13th. What is it about us English-speakers wanting to be in the same place at the same time? The night prior to our race the majority of us stumbled into the same Indian restaurant in the square of Tábor. Mo and Matt joined us for a lovely pre-race curry. Those two are two of my favorite in our cycling world, a class-act-duo.

The memories I had of Tábor were from the World Champs a couple years ago, a circuit covered in snow, ice & death ruts. This year, though still quite chilly, and still very challenging with the circuit’s use of the hillside, it was fast ground, railed corners and a slight switch-up to the Worlds circuit. The US again had a strong presence, this time with more riders coming in for the men’s race, and with adopted-American Katka taking a home-town win. I said good-bye to all my compatriots as they fly home to the states for Boulder Cup this weekend. And our 9-hour drive commenced, and I was home & in bed just a bit after midnight. Next Sunday is the second Superprestige in Zonhoven, just a hop & a skip from Begijnendijk.