A day in 2010

New Year 2011 has started with a fantastic sunshine, and the spring is “in the air”. When the year starts like this, I get confidence, that it will also continue as a great year I still want to look back at a very special moment in 2010…………

In august I had 14 days in the Dolomites. Was suppose to race in Ironman Zurich, but decided to continue my training on the bike, as I was still suffering of the running injury.
This was a very hard deccision to make, as it would mean that I could not qualify for Kona 2010. But it was all there was to do, my injury was a big problem at that moment.

Frank drove down and together we continued the training tour from Bormio in Italy, to Ischgl in the Austrian alps.
Ischgl is one of the biggest and snow secure skiing resort in Europe, but in the summer you can also enjoy mountainbiking on the resort. Me and MTB is not a good combination in the race season; I am always too careful as I think to fall and injure myself, so I always stick on the roadbike. The roads passing Ischgl are excellent for roadbiking as well; not too many flat ways though… but this what the training is on the mountains; power tothe legs!!!

The main reason that I found myself here, was not for the biking but I wanted to  visit our good friends living in the town, as the mother and wife was seriously sick. I tried to support her with my experience from the time I had cancer… but everytime it is as difficult… but just to give a bit of light for a person that is in the fight for her life, anything that could help.
During those days  in Ischgl,  I understood again how much sports means to me, I understood how lucky I had been to survive my cancer 2 times, and how hard it is to win the fight against cancer.

I had an injury in my gluteus/hamstrings area, and suddenly it felt nothing compared to a cancer.
It was raining, pis raining, it was a bit chilly, not much above 5 degrees, but I was frustrated; I could not help my good friend, even I tried.
( she would die later in November, leaving 2 small kids and her strong and wonderful husband, to continue the life in her spirit)

I had a running injury, I needed to blow out all the build up frustration, and I took my bike and got on the road, in the end of the valley, pushed the pedals and put all the effort I could…
The road goes high up, all the way to one of the highest passes in the alps, the “Hochalpenstrasse”. I just kept pushing, and didnt look back.
Before I knew it, I had tears in my eyes running down, and it just was one of those moments, where you feel happy and unhappy at the same time, it was one of the moments that will stay forever, and it will always remind of my good friend Ida, and that moment.

Frank knew what had probably happened, and came with the car to take me down from the mountain, before this he did what he often does, catches the moment, and look what came out….
one of his best pictures in 2010. See you on the road, no matter how the weather is
In memory of Ida, may she shine on her family forever.

A special moment in 2010