July 19, 2008 (Fussen, Germany) – Canadian MTB legend and Pedal columnist, Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain), is competing at the 8-day 2008 Trans Alps, June 19-26, with her partner Pia Sundstedt (Fin), Marathon World Cup winner. Sydor and Sundstedt won the Absa Cape Epic event earlier this year and have teamed up for the 11th annual Jeantex Trans Alp race featuring 550 teams and 1,100 riders. Ali will be sending us daily reports from the front lines as conditions allow for an inside look at this epic endurance race.

Greetings from the alps! I hope it’s possible to send in daily updates from the 2008 Trans Alp. This 8-day stage race through the alps is a big physical challenge and after some of the epic race days here at times getting updates written and off is a challenge as well – but I’ll do my best!

This is my third start at the Trans Alp, but the first time riding in the women’s category. Previously I have raced in the mixed category. I’m teamed up here with my Rocky Mtn. teammate Pia Sundstedt, whom I won this year’s Cape Epic with and finished the Trans Germany race with in 2nd place.

This year’s race has the deepest women’s field ever of any Trans Alp and probably any epic stage race ever. On the start line today were 2 former Trans Alp winning teams (Fiat/Rotweil and Zwillingscraft), one Cape Epic winning team (Rocky Mountain – us!) and one Trans Germany 2x champs (Cube). Plus a top team from Trek Europe, lead by the German marathon champ. It’s gonna be a real battle for the podium spots!

We started today a bit unsure of our condition. Pia had raced to a bronze medal at the World Marathon Champs two weeks earlier, but had taken a break from riding the past two weeks and was feeling a bit under the weather this morning. I’ve really struggled with my health and condition since Cape Epic. But after a really really hard time at Trans Germany I had a good recovery and over the past few weeks my health finally started to get better. I knew at least my training for Trans Alps had been much better than I’d been able to manage for Trans Germany.

Still nobody can know exactly how they will feel or how strong the other teams will be until things get started, which we did at 10am today in Fussen, Germany.

A nice flat start was a good but a nerve wracking warm up just trying to avoid chaos and crashes. But on the first uphill the legs were “there” and a look down at the hour monitor showed I was at 191 bpms and feeling the effort, but in control. Pia normally takes longer to get her deisel engine going so we took the start somewhat relaxed after our first little jab into the red zone.

Still we were pleased to find ourselves with just the Zwillingcraft team for company and on the next good climb we were alone at the front of the women’s race setting our pace.

Then the start of our chaotic day! We were following some guys at this point and we all took a wrong turn. Then more and more followed up. It was a pretty big group all lost together. Pretty funny in a way. When we finally found the route again we’d lost many minutes doing so. Then Pia and I got separated in this mass of about 50 riders and she took yet another wrong turn with a small group. I was not super sure she was ahead of me or behind me and it was impossible to see with all riders running every which way to get through a big uphill bottleneck.

I decided to continue forward hoping she was ahead but also knowing our feeders were soon going to meet us and hoped we’d meet up with them. Unfortunately they had been held up by a traffic accident and never appeared.

I knew we’d meet for sure at the timing mat. If you don’t go over the timing mats on the course within 2 min of each other its a pretty big time penalty. We were separated for at least 20 minutes and when I finally saw Pia coming up from behind right before the mat you can imagine my relief!

So at this point we were behind all the other top women’s teams and had some ground to make up. We passed right through the feed zone without taking water assuming we would see our team at our 2nd planned feed of the day. Eventually it became apparent we would not see them (also caught in the traffic jam). So no water left and a huge climb and 35km to go.

We tried to be careful with our output up the climb – me more than Pia as I need more water than her. One long climb today but it was a monster one. I begged bystanders all the way up for a bit of water and probably with all the bits I got had a bottle and a half. We managed to catch and pass all four women’s teams in front of us and then had to get up the last steep bits which went up to 20% – not so easy when legs are starting to cramp from dehydration.

The downhill was fast with loads of loose gravel. We chose to ride down safe and conservative which went well as we caught some teams by the bottom. The last 15kms were lightly downhill and we were flying with our group. our massage therapist finally found us and even with 15 minutes left to race that one water bottle was a life saver for me.

So we crossed the line as the 1st women’s team today and tomorrow we get to start in the leader’s pink jersey. Yeah, lots went wrong but we came through in the end because we rode strong and smart when things were not looking so good for us. Our communication was good and I can see how our past experiences at the Cape Epic and Trans Germany have helped to develop us further as a team. It was a tough day but getting through those days well is much more satisfying than the win cause your legs are stronger than the others.

Tomorrow it’s a 77km ride from Imst (Austria) to Ishgl (also Austria). Isgl is a ski resort for big celebrities and should be a nice place to arrive at. But the climbing ramps up and tomorrow is a major mountain day. Well it’s not called the Trans Alp challenge for nothing!

Full results here.

Results

Women
1. Alison Sydor (Can)/Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Team Rocky Mountain 3:36:08
2. Peggy Klose (Ger)/Sandra Klose (Ger) Zwillingscraft-Ideal 3:23
3. Katrin Schwing (Ger)/Fabienne Heinzmann (Sui) Dolphin-Trek 3:27

19. (Karin Welsh(Can)/Karen Rowsell (Can) Uxbridge 2:55:05

Men
1 Karl Platt (Ger)/Stefan Sahm (Ger) Team Bulls 3:05:54
2. Martin Kraler (Aut)/Heinz Verbnjak (Aut) Craft and Friends 1:38
3. Frank Lehmann (Ger)/Hardter Uwe (Ger) Team Cube 3:16

41. Lloyd Thomas (Can)/Kress Dwayne (Can) Team Craft/Hayes Brake/Mongoose 31:07

Mixed
1. Werner Fischer (Sui)/Milena Landtwing (Sui) Institut Ftan/Velo Franz Univega 3:41:03
2. Claudia Till (Ger)/Franz Trattler (Ger) Zwillingscraft-Ideal-Mixed 0:04
3. Anita Steiner (Sui)/Cornel Bamert (Sui) Team Stöckli Wädenswil 3:09

64. Maris Tosi(Can)/Roy Custodio (Can) RAM2 1:47:38
71. Colleen Ast (Can)/Clive Burke (Can) Trans Rockies Warriors 2:37:47

Masters
1. Ekkehard Dörschlag (Aut)/Heinz Zörweg (Aut) Team KTM 3:10:42
2. Walter Platzgummer (Ita)/Johann Grasegger (Ger) Scott-adidas-Naturns 5:43
3. Udo Bölts (Ger)/Werner Wagner (Ger) Team Cube 3 12:32

108. Larry Michienzi (Can)/Peter Male (Ger) Muscat Tears 1:38:40

Senior Master
1. Ferdinand Ganser (Ger)/Georg Niggl (Ger) Ept Connect 3:33:20
2.Walter Ehrler (Sui)/Marcel Arnold (Sui) Giant Swiss D’Ãœrner Oldies 10:12
3. Jiri Cesal (Sui)/Urs Güntensperger (Sui) BBT BüliBikeTigers 18:09

12. Bill Benson (Can)/Don Sissons (Can) Team Syngenta Prairie Boys 34:11