And also this year the month of June has given me many emotions, satisfactions and travels! It all started with Vallnord's Maxi Avalanche on June 12th. Since that day Stefano has been running at full speed in the company of his friends and now it's time to see him at work during the Trans Julius (from 20 to 23 June).
Throughout the race I drove by reciting the following mantra:
- Throw it in, look out of the curve, sprint as long as you have it, do not be afraid so much it is blind and everyone is wrong even the Local ... special win! Food tactic: eat half a kilo of rice a day with lots of legumes and constant integration… and finally after 4 days je suis THIRD… another podium!
ON-BOARD DIARY… DAY 1… THE MOST ON FIRE… CERKNO
This year the Trans Julius started with a nice mix of specials from day one. 3,2,1 and away down in the bike park where I drive clean and without taking any risk choice that has proved to be very wrong in fact I close in fifteenth position overall!
When I saw the result I thought of Giorgio righi's words during the last Maxi Avalanche in which he repeated to me that I had to believe more in my potential and that I could give more if only I really applied myself ... I can't blame him ...
So I stop, I eat a nice vegan lemon ice cream (the only ice cream in which no milk is used), I try it with a beautiful Slovenian girl and I leave for the second special giving my all, risking every curve, making the hair to every tree and pedaling Even in the air!
I close the special in second position behind the local Tadej who in addition to having built part of the trails is a rider who in ews is around the fiftieth absolute position.
Happy with my moral reaction, I leave for the third special of the day even more pissed off with the desire to break everything! And do you know what happened? I WON THE SPECIAL with 3 seconds on the second, you cannot imagine the joy and satisfaction of being able to beat a strong rider and above all to have ridden well and decided without making mistakes… a miracle for me!
Night special
Unfortunately I was not used to driving at night in fact I pass the special stage attached to the brakes for fear of making a mistake and I finish in 5th place overall.
At the end of the first day I was 3rd but a few seconds behind me there were many crazy riders. The level rises every year… unbelievable…. After four blind special stages and pedaling we were all fighting for the podium in a few seconds.
DAY 2 = SOČA VALLEY MOST NA SOCIost na Soči
A few hours ago, the night special that sounded the alarm again! Out of bed ready to continue the enduro tour of Slovenia as I nicknamed it!
Friday morning, tired from the first day, together with the Trans Julius Crew we set off from Cnerko in the direction of Most Na Soci, one of the most beautiful places in terms of landscape and undoubtedly the most fun stop for flow lovers in pure Coggiola or Pogno style!
The day of Most Na Soci was the most difficult for me as I am not comfortable riding in the flow as I prefer to throw myself into the steep bumps but I managed to finish third of the stage keeping the second position in the general!
In short, another good performance that made me happy and confident for the continuation of the race!
On this day we ran only one special, a transfer of over 700 meters in altitude, a fun descent with natural sides, jumps, roots to be soaped and all to be driven for several minutes ... I don't remember my time! and 0 to pedal.
I regret not having been incisive in the curves without support in which I drove very dirty losing a few seconds while in the built single track I enjoyed pumping and folding the bike in the sides and giving four dry rides out of the corners!
DAY NUMBER 3…. NATURE IS NOT COMMANDED ...
The third day of competition would have been the decisive one for the classification and the most exciting in the sensory sphere as the organizers had just finished building two new pure French-style enduro trails in the Bohinj region… two masterpieces! Too bad that on that very morning mother nature decided to unleash a hell of water, wind and hail on the paths making them impracticable and dangerous. So day number 3 canceled ... honestly I was very sorry I was curious to ride these paths that would also have given me the opportunity to try to recover a few seconds from a competitive point of view, but safety first of all. So a day spent with the other riders eating, drinking, chatting and talking a little about our lives and our stories as we were in many lonely strays from various parts of Europe such as England, Scotland, France, Poland, Hungary but also Australia and Mexico ...
Day 4…. Bohinj and the award ceremony
The fourth day seemed to never end after fifteen days around Europe from West to East I could no longer sit on my bike for this reason the transfer of almost 800 meters in altitude towards the most pedaled special of the race has become an ordeal.
The special was very nice and fun, trial at the beginning on wet rocks with a series of hairpins to be tackled with the nose-press technique and then continued in an endless session of turns and raises lasting for ten minutes.
In this special I discovered a young Italian who I believe in the future will be able to take away some satisfaction in such races because fresh from several seasons spent racing on the road and he put me 12 seconds on a special to sprint and relaunch ... congratulations to Lorenzo Mattio .
