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Björn in the Basque region
10/04/2024
Björn Schröder's diary: 4th stage Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
that was the last thing I needed: On today’s stage I got a shivering, and I was terribly cold despite two vests. While my colleagues rode next to me with short sleeves and chatted lively, I more or less just tumbled up the climbs. Although I started the tour well trained, nothing was to be done today. You can’t even really torture yourself when you’re so done.
The stage was hard again and it sometimes was really cold on the way. At least I perceived it like that. At the start we still had about 20 degrees. Later it rained twice and the temperatures fell to about eleven degrees. So it was good that Sebastian Schwager gave me a second jacket. I was able to keep up until the second mountain, but then the field increased the speed and I had to let go.
Jens Voigt again pulled through as if there was no tomorrow. He wasn’t even stopped by a puncture, rode to the escapees again and took them over soon. I was in a small goup, amogst others with my team-mate Mirko Celestino and Lars Bak of Voigt’s Team CSC. Lars, who isn’t doing well in this tour, told me that Voigte won. Congratulatinos, Jens!
After the race I had my temperature taken by our team doctor Dr. Besnati. The thermometer said 38.5 degrees. Now I want to wait and see what it’s like tomorrow morning. Dr. Besnati dissuaded me from a start, however I don’t want to give up so soon. I’m not that kind of person. On the other hand it doesn’t make sense to keep torturing yourself out of wrong ambition. I’m not going to win the stage tomorrow anyway. Right after the race I lied down and slept for a few hours. Now I feel a bit better and I’m even hungry. After dinner I’m going to bed again, sleep will be good for me. Tomorrow morning we’ll see what happens...
See you tomorrow,
Björn
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Björn Schröder's diary: 3rd stage Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
I had resolved a lot for today and was anxious to be in a break if there is one. Since Jens Voigt arrived in the grupetto yesterday, I expected him to attack today. Someone like Voigte exactly chooses „his“ stages. And indeed he did try and I stuck to his back wheel. Unfortunately it didn’t come to a group. Voigte tried again and again. What is decisive in these attacks is to get up and start again and again until it works out.
After several attempts I couldn’t keep up anymore. So I let myself drop back to the field in order to recover. At the classification on the second climb I had a puncture. The wheel was changed quite quickly, but I needed the whole descent to get close to the field. Only on the flat part could I catch up again.
There I look to the lead at a speed of 60, and suddenly see a rider stopping about 15 positions before me – and at once I’m „sitting“ in an outdistanced group of 30 riders with three team-mates.
First, the distance to the field wasn’t too big, but nobody of our group did anything to close the gap. It was the classical situation in which everybody thought of the other: He shall do it. So what had to happen, happened. The distance increased and soon it was obvious that we wouldn’t catch up with the field anymore and would ride at the back for the last 120 kilometers. So the stage was an experience of the kind: from the very front to the very back.
In my group were some prominent riders like Mayo and Mancebo. Especially Mancebo used the following mountains to really test himself. He accelerated quickly, so that it was hard for the others to keep up with him. But then the group found its speed and we arrived in the finish together – 23 minutes after the winner. Today, our sport director wants to come to our rooms to talk to us. Surely he was everything but happy about the situation.
At least I don’t have any more problems with my breating since yesterday, although the doctors couldn’t exactly tell me where my breathing problems came from. Anyway, I immediately made an appointment with my chiropractor in Potsdam for monday, the day of my return to Germany. But before that I want to attack again at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
See you tomorrow,
Björn
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Björn Schröder's diary: 2nd stage Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
As I already said yesterday, I went to the hospital this morning in order to be checked up on about the pain in my rips. The doctors couldn’t find anything – so there was no reason against continuing the tour. Only the uncertainty about the reason for the pain is unpleasant.
Today the race was much better. The pain wasn’t so bad anymore and my legs felt good. So I decided to attack like crazy on the first 50 kilometers. I think I jumped along about 20 times. For a short time I even esccaped for about three kilometers with an Euskatel rider, but the field wouldn’t let us go.
However, I overstrained myself a bit in these continuous attacks, so that I had to queue in the back part of the field. At the front the action continued – and once again me and three of my MILRAM team-mates were behind the field. We were joined by some riders from the front, among them Iban Mayo, so that we started the pursuit as fast as possible and luckily could catch up some time.
At the second to last mountain I slowed down like many other riders and rode the final 20 kilometer in the Grupetto. The last mountain again was really hard and steep. I only thought: „Oh my goodnes, you’ve got to climb up there.“ Fortunately I chained my 25th gear.
My group was very prominent with Michael Rasmussen and Jens Voigt. So I finally was able to talk to Jens again. We chatted about his new house for example. In Berlin, were we both live, we sometimes exercised together. But lately we hardly met. So it’s funny to meet in the far away Basque country when you live virtually around the corner in Berlin.
So Voigt saved power today. He’ll surely attack tomorrow. And I hope I can join him. Tomorrow there aren’t so many mountains and no mountain finish. I hope I will be fortunate and ride in the group of the day.
See you tomorrow,
Björn
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Björn Schröder's diary: 1st stage Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
The day of the first stage couldn’t have started worse. I woke up with aches and pains around the rips and could hardly get out of bed. These are still the consequences of my heavy crash at the final stage of the Algarve-Tour at the end of February. I fell on my knee, shoulder and rips then. The shoulder was the greatest problem, I hardly thought about the rips. In the weeks after I always felt a slight pressure, which however didn’t really handicap me. I was able to train well and travelled to the Basque region on Good Friday in a really good condition.
On Saturday at the GP Indurain everything worked well for 150 kilometers. I had good legs and rode along at the front. Then however I started to get dizzy and my rips started to ache a bit. After the race I even had to throw up.
Today I couldn’t really breath during the whole stage – „thanks“ to the pain in the rips. It was so hard that I had the feeling my jersey was too tight. I even rode to the racing doctor’s car, who wasn’t able to help me as well. The race itself wasn’t the problem, but I couldn’t do the climbs standing due to my breathing problems. At the final climb I had to let go. Of course I’m annoyed about that, because my condition is really good.
At least I fought it out, for I need the Tour of the Basque country as a preparation for the Ardennes classics. The hardness I optain here in the race can’t be achieved by training. Furhtermore it is a really beautiful and demanding race. It goes up at down right from the start, just as I like it. On the final ten or 20 kilometers it rained a bit, but it didn’t really matter.
After the race me and the team management decided that I’ll visit the hospital of San Sebastian on Tuesday morning to be checked up on. Of course I hope that the doctors will allow me to continue the race, for I really want to finish the tour. And when the pains are gone I will choose a stage to attack again. So keep your fingers crossed!
See you tomorrow,
Björn
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