After a satisfactory first half of this year’s racing season, the time has come for my first important race in view of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
So, my racing summer started in Nyon of Switzerland, where I participated in the European Road Cycling Championships in the U23 Men. My main goal was to get a place in the top ten in the individual time trial. However, upon arrival in Switzerland, the prevailing weather conditions didn’t remind me of summer at all. In 3 hours, I went from the heat wave of Athens to dealing with cold and rain. The weather conditions during my entire stay didn’t change even slightly. But what was worse of all was that just one day before the race, I got sick. The reason for that missfortune was probably a combination of the cold, the rain, and the different water and food. Despite all of that, on the day of the race, I managed to finish in 21st place among 60 athletes, a very satisfactory result given the circumstances and the competitive level of the other athletes. The next day, in the Road Race event (a total distance of 175 km), there was no improvement in my health situation, and I was forced to abandon the race after 90 km of intense effort. Undoubtedly, that result caused me only regret. In the afternoon of the same day, I traveled with the National Team at Fiorenzuola, Italy to participate in the International Grand Prix named Six Giorni Delle Rose in the Omnium event.
At this point, it is necessary for me to analyze briefly what the “Omnium” is, exactly. This is the so-called Olympic cycling “exathlon” (six events), an extremely demanding track cycling sport, both physically and mentally. It consists of six individual disciplines, and lasts two days (3 events are held each day). Each event differs from the other ones and is completely unique. An athlete who competes in the Omnium is expected to perform both in sprint and in endurance sports. All athletes, according to their rankings in each separate event, collect points. The winner is the athlete who has collected the highest number of points in all events.
Thus, returning to the race of Italy, unfortunately, I hadn’t managed to fully recover and to retrieve all my strength by the first day of the event. As a result, I made a mediocre start, which put me in 15th place. However, on the second day of the race, after consecutive good performances in the individual events (two fourth places and one third place), I improved my general ranking, and I ultimately finished in 6th place overall. That performance was exactly what I needed for a smooth qualification for the three World Cups of 2014-2015.
The next and last summer station was Portugal, where I participated in the European U23 Track Cycling Championships , again in the Olympic Event of Omnium. That particular race was essentially a kind of test for me, a chance to observe the competition that I will have to face in the coming World Cups and Championships; all of the athletes who took part will represent their countries in the other important events in this sport in the year ahead. So, after 2 days of consecutive races, I finally achieved a 10th place, a result with which I was not at all satisfied, knowing my abilities and the extremely small point distance that separated me from 5th place. In the total of the 6 individual events, I managed to perform as I really wanted only in the last one, finishing that one in 5th place. After the end of the last summer race, the fatigue was evident, both from the races and the continuous traveling in Europe. What I needed most was a few days of relaxation, away from the tough training and the deprivations, so that I could recoup my energy and feel strong again.
After 5 days of resting, I have resumed my daily cycling routine, with intensive training sessions and fast races in Great Britain, in order to be well prepared for the autumn and winter races. The first goal is the World Road Cycling Championships , which will be held in Spain(September 18-23). Then I will compete in the Elite European Track Cycling Championshipsin Guadeloupe, where I will participate in the Omnium event (October 18-22). Until then the only thing I have to do ishard work, concentration, and attention to my nutrition!