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Bükk Maraton // Race Report

I'm just back home from this year's Bükk Maraton. Today was kind of a special day for me as the event is a part of my racing past since the beginning: I was there at the very first Bükk Maraton 17 years ago! So, needless to say that I was really looking forward today! 

The alarm went off at 4:20 am this morning... ouch... After a quick brekfast I was on the way to pick up the lads to travel to the venue together. 

The faithful Peugeot is jam packed :) 

After a nice drive on the quiet country roads we got to Felsőtárkány where the race venue was. We got there early to pick up the start pack but even at the early hour the place was buzzing: tents, music and all the good stuff you need at a MTB race. 

My start time was at 10:00 am sharp so after a short prep I was ready to roll. I luckily managed to meet up with my club mates for a quick shot before the race. 

Team Mátra Biker: great bunch of mountan bikers indeed  

About 30 minutes before the start we were already waiting at the field where the start / finish area was. At this point I already knew that we all going to have a brutal day on the bike. The weather is pretty savage lately with 30-34 degrees. Due to the heat we have heat alert for a few days now. So, there was I, melting away in the middle of this field in the stop splitting sun and I was thinking about the good aul' irish weather... with some cold wind and a light rain. Then I had to fall back to the freakin' reality as we shot off like a bunch of mad men. 

On the first long climb (photo credit: Zsolt Juhász)

The pace after the start was hurting me... it was hurting me bad especially 'cause I also had difficulty cooping with the heat. And after about 10 km into the race I started to feel good and picked up the rythm nicely. The climbs were alright and the descents were fast... until something happened...

... I've had a mechanical at about half of the race. Don't know why but the rear brake got stuck on me. I stopped to check but there was not much to do, it simply got stock. The pads were rubbing against the disc all the time slowing me down pretty badly. At first I had a massive amount of motivation burning in me, so I've tried to coop with the situation. But I soon had to realize that it wasn't gonna happen. From that point I just settled down and started my long and painful journey to the finish with my bloody rear brake on. I cycled 20 km like so...

Almost done... (phot credit: Tibor Molnár) 

But like everything in life this "fun filled" 20 km also came to an end when I crossed the finish line. Yep, it was over thank God! :) 

What a nice finisher medal! 

After an ok start my race turned out to be a suffer fest.... I finished the 38 km race with 800 m elevation gain with 1 hour and 51 minutes racing time. I picked up the 28th place out of the 79 Masters 1 field. Considering the situation I'm super happy with this result!! :)   

The overall experience of the day was good I have to say. Sure, my race was doomed from the half of it but still: the event was very well run, the organizers were nice & helpful, the start pack was nice with a cool T-shirt and a lovely finisher medal at the end. The course signs were clear and the feeding station was also good. Oh, and the pasta is also worth a word: it was a life saver after the race!

Massive thanks Nagy SE for putting this great day together for us! I also need to say a massive thanks for sorting the results out so fast! See you in 2019!!