Second leg of the Coupe de France in Besançon-Malcombe

After a very nice pre-ride of the course on saturday under dry and even partly sunny weather conditions, I was looking forward to the race on sunday, the course beeing technical but not dangerous and very fair, permitting to double nearly everywhere. But the weather specialists had predicted heavy rainfalls for sunday and unfortunately their prewiew became true and the course turned into a glibbery, sticky and slippery mud-party!

As the organisator had previewed only 3 waterpoints for over a hundred participants in most races, the bikewash turned to hard fights, often riders couldn't change bike as they wanted because the mechanic wasn't yet back to the pits with the cleaned bike.....!

Finally I had a good start! Even if I had to start from 4th line, I managed to win a lot of places in the slight climb on the road before entering the mud by a short, but very steep and slippery downhill part. This part was fatal to me, trying to avoid a girl sliding down left of me, my frontwheel slid away and I made a very artistic flight off my bike! I was very fast to get back on my legs, but my bike was badly hurt: damaged frame (at home we noticed, that I need a new one!!), torn saddle stir and gear-shifter and someones pedal stuck in between the spokes of my backwheel. When I finally got on my bike again, the first riders of the next race category "cadettes" had already passed! I tried to join the pits as fast as possible with my "handicaped" bike an then went on on my spare bike for a few other laps, but the moral was totally down... The mud was so slippery that we had to run even in some downhills. Two laps before end , I had no clean change-bike and decided to stop, seeing it as agood training unit and gratis "fango-treatment"!

After the race the struggle for clean bikes continued, we had to wait for around 20 minutes to get to the water point....

Normally I will start in Cessange (Lux) on 29th of november, before the international cross in Fae di Oderzo (It) on the 8th of december and another international event in Wetzikon (Ch) on 13th of december.