Joensuu - final WOC training

Thursday, 6 July 2006

Our access to the internet has gone from the sublime to the less sublime this week.  In Lahti the town provides a free wireless network for the community.  So it’s just to fire up your notebook and you’re connected.  In Joensuu it is far harder to find a connection.  Part of this is that nearly everyone has a connection so they don’t tend to have internet cafés.  So apologies for our tardiness in updating the blog.  It seems our hosts have sorted a connection now, so updates should be more regular.

The team arrived in Joensuu on Sunday evening, after a race near Helsinki.  This race was on a very detailed area with 1:10,000 map.  It was a little hard to read as the print quality wasn’t the best, but great riding.  AJ rode about 1 minute behind a local and Finnish team member with Alex a few minutes behind in 3^rd.  Paul, David and Steven all rode about the same time about 10 minutes back, having made a few more mistakes.  Then we all jumped in the lake beside the finish and then into the cars for the 5 hour drive to Joensuu.

The aim of this week is to familiarise with the local terrain and mapping.  And take it easy.  In fact it’s pretty hard to take it too easy this week!  Although the terrain is generally quite flat it has extremely steep ridges and depressions.  These are rarely more than 5 contours, but can reduce you to a walk and lose a couple of minutes, compared with a longer, flat route around.  Picking these will be a critical part of the long and middle distance races.

Saturday is the first real day of the WOC.  It’s the model event.  Sunday is the long qualifier, Monday is the middle distance and then we get a rest on Tuesday before the long distance final and relay.  Everyone is well and ready to race.  A couple more easy rides and we’ll be ready to give it our best shot!