A year after the epic finish (I wasn't last!) of my second marathon, XCM Koprivnica, for some unknown reason I decided to go back. With new tires (Maxxis) and some new additions my bike looked fresh I was pumped and excited.
My partner in crime picked me up in Čakovec at around 8:30, we packed the gear, put the bikes on the car and went on towards Koprivnica. 40 kilometers later I rememberd my helmet was left on the sofa...
Koprivnica is an old town, trade routes used to intersect there, from Budapest to Zagreb and from Ljubljana and Austria to Osijek and Belgrade. It was a trade post, fort and now its a perfect little town. And I still can't believe there are so many hills around Koprivnica!
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The race started in the heart of the town with a 3km prologue ride to Crna Gora. No, we didn't go to the real Montenegro, Crna Gora is just a street/neighbourhood where we entered the woods. 60/80 kilometers later, we came back the same way. And boy, it was a trip! The race was split up in two categories, 60/80km long, with starts 30 minutes apart.
We met some friends, picked up our numbers and went to get a quick shot of coffee while watching the A racers depart. A few minutes later, the riders started to get to the front line, and at 10:30 almost 200 female, male, young and old were stacked wheel to wheel waiting for the start gun.
Three kilometers into the race we said our last goodbye to the pavement and went on into the forest. The race quickly stretched and small groups formed. Not everyone had the same goal that day, mine was to finish alive, well and without any problems and so I did. The race took us on nine ascends, hilltops surrounding Koprivnica.
Most of Koprivnica was built in baroque style, many buildings are from 18th and 19th century, but the road took us into the farm country. In through the woods, out in someone's back yard, cyclists were a hit that day. Local club BK Rotor made a splendid track and the locals were amused by lost racers coming in and out of the woods.
Hilltops surrounding Koprivnica are full of vineyards, holiday houses, small cottages and the further we went the more remote and off the grid those houses were. The country is beautiful and the wood industry makes the most of it. The woods are big, tall and light, riding through them was the best part of the race. Imagine cycling 30-40 km/h on a gravel road to the sound of the gusting winds, rough gravel and churning tires all while the birds sing without a care in the world. And then you come to an abrupt end to the trail where a log cuts the road off and you jolted into remembering that it's a race - and a challenge.
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After a few hours going into various groups, riding with different people the finish was coming near. But first, we went into the part of the race that took us through vineyards and „Kleti“, small cottages and wine kellers with the best of local wines. And you can't refuse a call for Gemisht, can you? If you can, you're not human!
The sun was already high above, spirits were high, and locals were the greatest hosts. With that in mind I went for the final push and hit the pedals to get through the finish line. After almost 5 hours, two hours slower than the winners, the race was over.
Slowly I rode through the finish line, took the photo as I always do and went for the pints. Recovery beer, food and hundreds of racers around us made the baroque main square in Koprivnica the destination for a cyclist to be. We could hear Slovenians and Hungarians talking, Croatians going for beers, announcers were giving out the awards for the best riders and then... it was time to go home and wash off the mud, grime and sweat.
In my mind I won and I'll be back for more.
