MMM 2011 - Medieval Marathon Medias 2011

I was a bit lazy so I'm writing about this race after a month :)

It was a very hard race again (like last year). There was a lot of mud so it was hard. The mud was sticking to the tires and the tires weren't spinning anymore so I lost a lot of time cleaning the bike. The mud also ruined the shifting so it was very nice when the organizers were washing the shifters, and I even used a biker trick that I read about, pissing on the shifters :D

I felt down 4 times and I had to carry the bike a lot. It was nice that the organizers changed the course a bit and the first climb from last year was replaced with an easier, drier climb. It was a very hard race but I was very happy when I crossed the line. I couldn't stand on my feet because of the cramps but I was still smiling, this smile represent the satisfaction of finishing the race, this is why I like to race:

A few pics from the race:

the bikes

on the first climb

down from the hills

in to the village

getting dirty

why is the bike stopping, I'm not using the brakes :(

carrying some mud

some racing

still on the bike, but after this I lost about 10 minutes cleaning the bike

 after the last feed zone

YES, I've finished the race :D

I have finished in 44th place overall  from 170 riders and 16th in my age group. My time was 3:55:55 :)

Stats:
    - time: 3:29:24 (on my cyclocomputer)
    - distance: 46,06 km
    - average speed: 13,1 km/h
    - max speed: 45,5km/h

Tusnad MTB Marathon

This weekend I'm going racing to Tusnad. I heard that it's a great marathon and I think it will be a good warm up for the races from this month :)

Here is a movie from last year:

Preparing for the Medieval Marathon from Medias

This weekend I'm going racing to the Medieval Marathon from Medias (also known as MMM).

The 2009 edition was my first marathon. It was a very nice race, the view was beautiful and the weather was great. I wasn't going so well because I didn't have enough training but I've finished in 32th position in my age group (crossing the finish line as a knight :D)

I like this race because it is close to my hometown and it was my first marathon. Last year was very hot and I got a little dehydrated and I had some bad muscle cramps too but this year I'm feeling more confident, I have more experience and more training. It looks like this year the track will be a little wet.

My goal is a top ten finish :) I think It will be hard because it is a very famous race and there are already more than 300 people who have already payed the fee, this is a first in this country, and they are expecting about 400 racers :)

You can find all he pics I have from last year here.