The Hell of the North, by Frank Fiers

"I could not have imagined that at the age of 38, I could still be this nervous for a race", said Frank Fiers, member of the Dutch based Univé/Stouwdam/CadoMotus team, ahead of the 100-kilometer race in Hallum, Netherlands… known as the 'Hell of the North'.

38-year old Frank Fiers about the Hallum race, last weekend: "I started feeling the nerves about 2 weeks before."

Never one to be discounted in a war of attrition such as Hallum, Fiers won the race for the first time in 2004, and had planned in 2009 to claim his second win. He had trained harder than ever, with the Hallum 100k highlighted on his calendar 12 months out – "For me" says Fiers, "there is only one real race in the season, and that is this one." The 38-year old still sets big goals and draws on a reserve of seemingly endless motivation – just the qualities needed for a 100k struggle that pits the elements against a racers body and mind.

"My fitness level was great so I was confident for the race. I started feeling the nerves about 2 weeks before. I knew I had done everything to win this race once more, and I’m confident to be surrounded by strong team mates. At the starting line at 2.10pm, I feel again the intense emotions of the sportsman: Tension, confidence, nerves."

Team mates at work, after missing the first 2 breakaways. Picture (C) TIMS

"As the race unfolded strategically things were not going well for the team. We missed the first breakaway, and no-one in the pack seems to want to work. My teammate Geert Plender asks what to do and I tell him to start leading a bit, but to wait for other teams to help before starting to really spend himself. Other teams didn't show up, which I couldn't understand. Our team took responsibility, and we closed a gap of almost 2 minutes with a great team effort."

"I started to attack a little, but couldn't open up much space and I started to feel like a prisoner in the pack. My legs don’t seem to feel as good as I had hoped for. I kept telling myself that my legs were not that bad, repeating this to myself hoping for my motivation to attack to return."

Team mates at work, after missing the first 2 breakaways. Picture (C) TIMS

"Another breakaway was launched that again we missed, and this one is serious. After 55km my team mates again put themselves in the lead and Pieter-Jan van Eck, after pushing the pace up beyond 50km/h for a long while, eliminates 80% of the pack and decreases the gap to the breakaway – until only seconds separated us. Normally, I would have jumped towards the leaders, but in my head spins the thought that if I want to win this race with these legs, I have to be very careful where I spend my energy."

"After some time, an organized chase started again, and just before we entered the small rural town of Hallum once again, after three laps of 30km and with 8 small laps of the local streets remaining, we regroup with 12 skaters. Hope rose up in me again. Yes! I'm still in for the win. We cross the finish line for the first of 8 small laps, 7 laps to go. "Here we have the chasing group," the Speaker shouts…

"Suddenly I wonder - is there a skater still in front? Yes, it's Karlo Timmerman. I cannot describe the way I feel. My world collapses. All hope is gone. At the same time, I feel cramps in my legs and I realize how tired I already am. Physically as well as mentally I am exhausted, and with those few words crackling from the roadside speakers, in one split second the hope for victory that had driven me this far, is gone."

Picture (C) TIMS

"A lot of emotions are flooding through me. How incredible, that we all find this the most beautiful race of the season, just as everybody is completely used-up. We struggle to the finish line. I realize, being 38 years old and starting with this great level of fitness as I did this time, that this was probably one of my last chances to win this race again. The euphoric moment of the regroup of the pack just 10k before the finish line became a devastating feeling. It is an intense moment as the race draws to a close, filled with feelings I know I may not experience again."

Links:

Frank Fiers athlete profile
Pictures by TIMS Imaging