Santa Vall 2026 - Stage 2 (Full Ride Uncut)

🌄 Santa Vall 2026 – Stage 2 | When the Body Sets the Limit 🇪🇸 After the chaos of Stage 1, this one started the right way. On time. Proper warm up. Calm, controlled. The roads had dried up nicely compared to the mudfest the day before. Faster surface. Less drama. On paper, a better day to race. 📍 Region: Sant Gregori / Girona 📏 Distance: ~85 km ⛰️ Elevation gain: ~1,100 m 🏁 Result: 33rd overall 🎬 How it unfolded Cold before the start I arrived early, but I felt off. Cold. Shivering. Coughing. Poor sleep. Slightly feverish. I convinced myself it was just fatigue from Stage 1. The first climb actually felt strong. We started uphill and for about 45 minutes I was where I wanted to be. Legs felt powerful. Effort felt controlled. I was thinking top 20. That was the goal. Then the numbers stopped making sense. Heart rate failure After the first climb my heart rate began dropping in a way that was simply not normal. 300 watts. Heart rate under 60 bpm. Lower than resting. Vision slightly blurred. Headache building. That hollow fever feeling spreading. The body was clearly not responding the way it should. That is when you stop racing for position and start racing for health. Switching mindset I backed it down. No big attacks. No digging. Just steady tempo and get to the finish safely. I really did not want a DNF. So I rode it out, controlled, accepting that this was no longer about performance. In the end I finished 33rd overall. Respectable. But not the top 20 I had aimed for. And honestly, given how the week ended, finishing might not even have been the smartest decision. The aftermath I was properly sick for a full week after this stage. Fever. Zero energy. A clear reminder that racing with illness is not toughness, it is stubbornness. 🧠 What the road revealed Fitness is fragile. Ambition is powerful. But health wins every time. The road was faster on Stage 2. I was not. Lesson learned. Next up: UCI Gravel Turnhout. And then The Traka 360. New chances. Hopefully a fully functioning immune system.