Pia Sundstedt

I arrived in Copenhagen last Friday. The country welcomed me with a sunshine and it was also warm. Nice, I thought, Scandinavia can be cold and rainy at this time of the year.
The next day I got my bikes. Both of them made another route than I did. It was not so bad. I had the entire day to build them together and go for a spin. The official training on the TT course was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. I rode the course 3 times and had memorized it. The corners and the most tricky sections I would be able to ride even with closed eyes. I knew which line I should be riding.
Monday, the day before the race, I went for a short training. Just to check that my body works the way it should. The legs were ok, but somehow I did not feel so good. I had no appetite during the whole day. That is a bad sign. I forced myself to eat some oatmeal in the afternoon. A few hours later I started to vomit. I went to bed a 7 in the evening. Woke up a few times and the bed sheets were wet. I slept 12 hours. The next morning it was time to try if I can eat something. I had 8 hours to my start.
I had some tea, made some oatmeal and even some pasta. I had to eat, the earlier the better. I had not been eating anything the day before and all that I had in my stomach I vomited.
I ate and afterwards went for a 30 minute spin. I wanted to see the last part of the TT course. I decided to start. Not smart, many of you might think. Yes, I admit that, but sometimes the mind is stronger than the body.
I started my warm up. Was waiting for the start. It was a special moment for me to ride at the Worlds after a 10 year break. Also the fact that exactly one year ago I was released from the hospital after my iliac artery surgery. One year ago I wasn’t able to take care of myself and now I was doing the timetrial at the Worlds.
I was 20th. A good result, I am satisfied. That is the max I could perform on this day.