World Cup 1, Vichy (FRA)
The website has been down for a couple of weeks but I’m back.
World Cup 1 definitely didn’t begin the season the way I had hoped. With the jet-lag from flying in just a few days before and the 15 races throughout the weekend let’s just say they didn’t exactly help my cause. The course itself, well, where do I start… For everybody that went to WC1 you would agree that it was quite possibly the worst course I have ever been on. The course itself is literally a river, it was flowing so fast the 1000m final was almost 10 seconds faster than the previous World record. The flow of the river didn’t stop the logs, dead cats and other debris floating through the course. The concrete walls on both sides of the course meant wash from the races, and the 4 pontoon boats couldn’t subside. So trying to sit on a swivel seat in those conditions was like paddling in a Surf Ski race or maybe I just need to learn how to balance. I know nobody can do anything about the weather but the 4°C, raining and snow, that we saw on the way to the course, was a bit much for me coming from +25°c everyday leading into it. The actual venue itself and the organisers did a great job in every other way and I’m sorry to be so negative about the place. However, I still can’t believe that the ICF still want to hold the Olympic selection and World Championships there next year…
The rest of the Australian men’s team were feeling the effects also but it was good to see Jo Brigden-Jones staying strong for the Australian contingent in the woman’s events.
The day after the racing finished we couldn’t believe it, it came out sunny with 24°c. That night the men’s team arrived back into warm Budapest, Roxy radio blaring through the speakers and back to good old BOTEL in Csepel. The Goulash soup I think has got better since last year.
The pic above is courtesy of Balint Vekassy, Cheers. Sorry I wasn’t looking happy all weekend.