A quick update before I get into more details soon.
During the 2013 Bulgarian National championships with a time of 52:00,44 I finished 6th in the TT in the crosswind buffeted 38C (100F) course, 1:20 from the podium. I bested my 12th place and time of 54:14 from last year (same course) so I am VERY VERY HAPPY.
During the 152km (~100mi) road race on the 18km (~10.5mi) circuit I couldn’t match the accelerations when the split of the winning move happened on the third lap on the uphill section of the course, so I left the race after 45km (~27mi).
Coming from the flat and cold Netherlands to the hilly and boiling hot Bulgaria I knew it was going to be challenging even after 10 days to acclimatise, so I handled it as best as I could, giving me extra motivation for the rest of the year and for next season.
Overall it was a very successful 2 days of racing with some nice developments for my cycling future!
So stay tuned for the details/pictures!