Contrasting program for Tanja Priller: first a pinched nerve, then a lot of fun
Created: 03/11/2022, 09:45 am
By: Paul Hopp
Teamwork: Tanja Priller (left) rode with Hannah Kölling in the “Andalucia Bike Race” in the Jaén area.
© Private
Mountain biker Tanja Priller started the season in Spain with two UCI races.
The Penzbergerin experienced difficult and beautiful moments.
Penzberg – Most people in this country think of holidays when they hear the word “Spain”.
Tanja Priller has set out on the Iberian Peninsula to really push herself there.
The mountain biker from Penzberg completes the first two races of the season there.
Her conclusion after the two appearances in official UCI competitions was positive on the right, and on top of that she secured direct World Cup qualification.
To start, Priller chose the “Mediterranean Epic” in Oropesa (located between Barcelona and Valencia on the Mediterranean coast).
The stage race belongs to the "Hors class", i.e. the highest category in the table of the world cycling association UCI.
However, Priller started there with a handicap.
On the long journey by car, a nerve was pinched in the groin area.
“I struggled with cramps for a week,” reports the 25-year-old.
Tanja Priller slowed down by a pinched nerve
At the beginning of the race with four daily sections (a total of 219 kilometers and 5,000 meters in altitude) "I was very disappointed that I couldn't drive properly," said the Penzberger.
Ultimately, she came to terms with it and made a virtue out of necessity: "I used the race more as technique training."
Driving in difficult terrain: At the "Mediterranean Epic" on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, Tanja Priller and the other starters were very challenged.
©Mediterranean Epic
The track offered plenty of opportunity for that.
In general, according to Tanja Priller, UCI races in Spain are technically and conditionally challenging.
Hard ground, lots of stones and sometimes loose ground await the athletes.
"And you're not just going downhill on trails, you're often uphill as well," reported Priller.
"So you have to fight for every meter." For the 25-year-old, things got better every day, and she also got used to her new bike more and more.
The rider from the "Edelsten - Reichel Hörgeräte powered by MaD" team now also has a fully available this year.
Finished in the top ten in the team race
In the elite women's field, Priller finished 15th with a total time of 13:45:49 hours.
It was won by the Spaniard Natalia Fischer Egusquiza (10:16:09), who won the European marathon title in 2019.
Priller was a good distance away from the best, but that was not surprising given the unfavorable conditions.
The Penzberg resident saw it positively: Since she didn't exhaust herself completely, "I went into the second race feeling better recovered".
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In the "Andalucia Bike Race", an event of the UCI World Series, teams of two compete.
Priller formed a duo with Hannah Kölling (Salzgitter) for the total of six stages (around 358 kilometers/around 11,000 meters in altitude).
Driving was between the cities of Jaén and Cordoba in southern Spain.
"Overall, the race was super nice - great trails, great landscape, and we worked great as a team," reported the Penzberger.
Direct World Cup qualification for Tanja Priller
She was doing "really well" personally.
She was happy "that I could drive properly again, without any cramps or pain.
I had a really good feeling again.” So it was “a lot of fun”.
In terms of pace, Priller would have been able to go even faster.
With a total time of 22:48:19 hours, Priller and Kölling finished tenth in the top ten.
That gave them direct World Cup qualification.
In the elite men's category, an athlete from the region was even the overall winner.
Andreas Seewald from Lenggries took first place with Martin Stosek.
With 14:31:15 hours, they distanced the second by six minutes.
