On October 28-29, 2023, another Joring blockbuster took place in the vicinity of the Vigvam resort in Němčice near Kolín. The first day was dedicated to the canicross teams and took place in changeable and windy weather. The club was well represented by men and women. The routes of the local forests are characterized by their higher technical demands, there were mounds, sand and an abundance of roots and mud.
The second day was marked by fast bikes, where we borrowed Dasche from the Brdský expres kennel from Tomáš Voříšek for the races. This race belonged to riders on bikes and scooters. The weather was much nicer than the day before. It was still blowing, but significantly less. The category of scooters was combined for men and women together, and so we somehow lined up and gradually took turns with the other skiers at the starting line.
Scooter category
- 1st place - Máája Prokopová with Chocolate Plavská smečka
- 2nd place - Ned the Duck with Carmen Pálava Storm (Levendelis)
- 3rd place - Martina Voříšková with Arthur Brdský express
- 4th place - Romana Kubová with Alita Sobčický dvůr
- 5th place - Marie Prokopová with Zinc Rozdělovská strela
- 6th place - Ladislav Chyba with Dash Northwestern route
Joring blockbuster 2023 race track
And what did the track look like through the rider's eyes? We prepared intensively with Baileys Brdský expres for this year's event. This year, even more so, because last year was marked by accidents for many teams, which we also did not avoid, and we did not want to get off the ground very much. "Priceless valuable experience!". Tomáš Voříšek says and he is right. Unfortunately, one cannot advise nature and Baileys had to stay at home this year despite all the preparations. So we used another champion from the Brdský express stable and borrowed Dashe Severozapadní cesta.
This year, after the Greenhorn experience from last year, I rather walked the route twice. In the early evening and then the next morning, which paid off. The sand is changing a lot and the early evening slushy track has firmed up quite a bit as all the water has soaked in and mostly drained away. The girls had faster feet and their bikes probably turned faster, but all teams had excellent race times. You can get an idea of what the track looked like from the lines below.
"We are approaching the starting line. The timer races forward and one team after another enters the track. Adrenaline is rising, dogs are barking, goading each other. Final checks are in progress. As if from a distance, the voice of the starting judges sorting the dogs at the start comes to me. We move forward and gradually it is the turn of the first burners. Dash pulls me forward. I calm his ardor. I'm holding the brakes. It's our turn. We can already see the starting line. Tomáš Voříšek takes us over and Dash moves to the starting line much calmer. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Mush GO! Hop hop! We are rushing forward. The first treacherous left turn slows us down and leads us up a sandy climb to a 33m drop. We cut precious meters from the hill, we dig into the sand, we climb. The hill breaks suddenly and gives us room to breathe on the short straight. It doesn't last long and we run into a sandy chicane that has already been well plowed. Preparation is of little use to us. We find a lot of turns, significantly more than we dreamed of during the relaxed preparation as an ideal route, and we have no choice but to take it in the middle. Dash gives in at first, the sand pulls us in more than I expected, but then it bucks, we both take off and find our way out of the sand. Dash capitalized on the team experience. He found a way and together we make our way forward. The hill breaks again.
We whizz down the hill and make our way through the roots. I noticed. This section was fatal for us last year. It sends chills up my spine, probably out of fear of what will happen. The hill ends with a sharp turn to the left, which we expertly navigate. In the euphoria of a successful ride, I notice how the whistling wind gradually dies down around us, which accompanied us on the way down the steep hill, and we dive into the bowels of the forest.
We are looking for a way between puddles and roots sticking out here and there on an otherwise straight path. During this, we gradually gain more meters of ascent in the straights, and I replay the route that still awaits us and distribute my strength. Dash's steady pace keeps us safely in contention with the other teams on the track. We pass some collisions, tangled leads in the brakes of other mushers, but we enjoy each sharp turn as well as the straights that alternate them and give space to gain some time for the good. We drive together, we enjoy the ride. But the last stages of the race are slowly approaching and they will be fast, dangerous and will require every bit of attention.
