{"id":197943,"date":"2025-02-18T11:29:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T11:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=197943"},"modified":"2025-02-18T11:29:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T11:29:14","slug":"internacionales-xco-chelva-racing-through-challenges-chaos-and-comebacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/02\/18\/internacionales-xco-chelva-racing-through-challenges-chaos-and-comebacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Internacionales XCO Chelva: Racing Through Challenges, Chaos, and Comebacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a long winter of preparation, every cyclist approaches the first races with high expectations. After all, we’ve put in the training hours, so we should be in great shape, right? Well, in my case, things were a little different this year. Post-Paris Olympics, my training this winter has been more modest, with my peak form planned for later in the season. On top of that, a lingering cold for a couple of weeks made sure I wasn\u2019t feeling my best on race day. So, no sky-high expectations\u2014just a simple thought: \u201cYou have to start somewhere.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And let\u2019s be real\u2014it\u2019s only February! There are still over three months to go until summer starts. Keep calm and trust the process.<\/p>\n

The pre-race buzz<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’ve always loved racing. The nervous energy, the anticipation, the preparation\u2026 It\u2019s stressful, yes, but it\u2019s also the feeling I look forward to. This race was no different\u2014I was excited to line up next to my competitors again, curious to see where I stood and how everyone else had progressed.<\/p>\n

We arrived in Chelva two days before the race (as always) to get familiar with the course and shake off any travel fatigue. I had two high-quality training sessions with my technical coach, Chus, and on the last day, we went through the course in detail, selecting the fastest lines. Chelva\u2019s course is one of the toughest XCO tracks I\u2019ve ever ridden\u2014physically demanding, technically challenging, and made even trickier by the loose terrain. No chance of getting bored here!<\/p>\n

Race day: The rollercoaster begins<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The morning of the race didn\u2019t start well. A sleepless night and a headache made getting out of bed feel like a mission. Thankfully, a proper breakfast always works its magic. We packed up and headed to the race venue, where an unusually cold morning greeted us. I put on every piece of winter clothing I had with me!<\/p>\n

Once we arrived, I made final tweaks to my bike:<\/p>\n