Lining up at Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik less than a week after finishing the Tour de France Femmes, Rosa Klöser’s task was always going to be a difficult one.
But after battling with the effects of altitude early in the race, the multi-discipline star’s hopes of a strong result were definitively and brutally ended by a puncture inside the final 15km.
The Canyon-SRAM rider said the flat was so serious that she tried eight times to plug it and went through three Co2 canisters to try and re-inflate it, but to no avail. She had to abandon the race at that point and was listed as a DNF on the results.
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“I flatted bad. 8 plugs, 3 Co2 – still no luck,” Klöser wrote in a social media post
“It‘s sad but I had to give up and call a ride home as it was too far and dangerous to ride on the rim. It is what it is!”
Klöser was in fifth position at the time, after chasing with Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road), itself an achievement given this was, she said, only her fifth ever mountain bike ride.
The German is a big name on the gravel scene but this was a baptism of fire on the flat bars, at altitudes above the 3000-metre mark, and with so little time to adapt after competing at the biggest road race in the sport.
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“I’ve never been and for sure not have been riding an MTB above 3000hm,” Klöser wrote.
“Felt ok yesterday but today (altitude day 3) hit me and I was far off the pace of the first 4 girls. Eventually managed to come around & was sitting alone in P5 but with 14k to go I flatted.”
Despite the struggles and the disappointing end to her ride, Klöser was able to take heart from her ride and take some inspiration for the future.
“On a positive note, I was happy with my technical skills considering it was my 5th ever MTB ride,” she wrote.
“To perform here better preparation is needed but its definitely something I can see myself targeting in the future.”
Klöser drops out of the top 10 on the Life Time Grand Prix season-long series, into 11th place, with three events remaining.
“Not sure what’s next yet, as my body feels pretty empty post Tour & sickness.”
Villafañe finished seventh, behind winner Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective) and held her overall lead in the Life Time Grand Prix standings.
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