In 2019 Carpatia Divide was my second big event of the year and my first race abroad. Poland is a neighbour country and the language is similar, but I had a difficult time understanding the locals. As always it was harder than I expected. It didn’t rain, but the route was muddy and the terrain so hard I had to walk a lot.
As I finished my last race very strong, I pricked. I though I can beat anything. But the Carpathian mountains gave me an important leason. I had no energy but I needed to climb just one more hill to get to shelter. Read more
I tried to forgot the first day, which was extra tough, and I tried to find an appetite. The Carpathians were not showing me their friendly face, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Despite my suffering, I found redemption. It came in the form of special Polish pastry. Read more
As it often happens, I turned off race mode and focused on survival. I chose the only tactic I knew: keep moving at all costs, despite what stood in my way. Unfortunately, that meant dealing with mud and ruined sections of the path. Read more
The ending was epic, as it should be. I wanted to reach the finish line so badly that I decided to ride all night. In the darkness, I traversed bear territory, comforting myself with the thought that they were sleeping. I was so scared that I sang until I lost my voice. Read more