It’s always sunny Spain, right? Well, two years ago it wasn’t and I was dreading to come to Igorre as I’ve been a bit ill for the last couple of days. However, it was dry and sunny – as it should be at this part of the world and I was very grateful for that.
As I’m now used to back-to-back races every weekend, having just one race during the weekend was nice for a change. The Basque people are also really nice, though they still don’t speak much English, but that’s never a problem. The racing was great again and by positioning the jetwash facilities at one of the highest point of the course, the water (and thus the mud) literally had a trickle-down effect and created a few contained but very muddy sections.
A nice surprise was the presence of former mountain bike World Champion Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos’ presence, who is still a very-very nice guy – and he also finished during his off-season at a very respectable 22th place.
Next week it’s Scheldecross in Antwerp – hope fully with some proper mud and rain. More to come soon.