Falling Leaves – Gravel racing in Finland

Gravel race in the Lahti and Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark region of Finland.

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• Canon EOS R6 Mark II (https://www.canon.co.uk/cameras/eos-r6-mark-ii/)

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[Music] If it doesn’t go to plan and I blow up, me and Josh will be stopping and having some cinnamon rolls on route. But we can’t stop for too many cinnamon rolls. Why? Cuz you need to be my lead out to get me back for the sauna. Oh, sorry. We need to get back for the sauna. Is it not against the law to do interviews in the race? Suffering already. Which iPhone is this? I did the No, I’m very obsessed with Sona. I don’t think there’s anything else about Finnish cultural lifestyle that you’re into. It’s just the sauners and the lace slips. We’ve got 175k on the cards. It says 180, but it’s only 175. Quick warm up before the start of falling leaves, 180 km in Finland. Maddie starting 15 minutes before me. No. Will Josh catch me? Probably not. We’re going on a fun trip after this. So, I’m thinking about the fun trip. Forget that we have to do a race today. [Music] How are we doing, Lawrence? Oh, pretty good until now. You brought the camera always. Is it not against the law? Two new interviews in the race. Both and the the journalists were once disqualified, I think. Oh, really? And a classic. Well, they can disqualify me. I’m not going to win anyway. How do you feel? Yeah, I feel good. Well recovered. Enough pace yesterday. The shortest race I’m doing this year. I did the divide. No. Which iPhone is this? The new one. New one. Early release. How feeling? Happy it’s neuterized. Suffering already. No. Feeling good. Feeling good. Ready? How many? 300. 300. Yeah, this is perfect. This is good. [Music] We’re in Finland in uh the Lafi region. It’s super fast. There will be uh high average speeds under 140k to go. One of my shorter events of the year. Pretty damn fast start. First hour, 34k average. Like everyone’s really hammering. [Music] Under 50k to go now. It’s now roasting in a long sleeve. [Music] It was a race of two halves. Well, two two/3s and a 1/3. First two/3s amazing. First third was really boring. Like no one did anything. Super slow. Then second third I was racing for third basically. And I was like, “Oh my god, I’m feeling really good. My legs were great today. Pretty confident. Thinking, yeah, maybe I can come third.” Like thinking when am I going to attack? And then suddenly out of nowhere I explo imploded. Like my legs just like basically felt like they fell off and I dropped off and then I was like, “Oh my god, I literally can’t push power.” Like I couldn’t push above a certain amount and I was like vomiting a bit. So, you know, not ideal. P3, brother. Oh, did you? Yeah. Good job. The 10-up sprint. Yeah. I was actually planning on winning the sprint, but um I was planning on winning the sprint. Um the guy in front of me went a bit too hard in the corner and I was on the right side of his wheel. also had to fully block it and two guys Roma and Rosman went on my inside and yeah got the victory so which which is nice with them fully deserved and I had to go pretty all out to finish on the podium. How do you like the gravel here? It’s very nice. It’s like parkour that fits me. I’m pretty good on small punchy little climbs and uh a long a long day. It’s it’s always nice. It’s in my advantage. So I’m happy and just a bit bummed that I missed the victory. It’s bike racing went well. Uh pretty happy. Uh it’s a good course for me. Uh compared to some a lot of other gravel races which are quite hard uh on the on the uphills. Uh this is quite punchy. So yeah, pretty happy made it first group. Pretty trick tricky finish. You know, I tried to do something in the end. Uh split up a little bit, but everybody came back and then uh yeah, hard to make a good finish line uh result I would say. But yeah, in the end it doesn’t matter that much anymore. But pretty happy that I just went was up there and could uh be participating on the on the race and especially on the winning on the winning part. I finished uh 22nd. So my aim was top 20, but yeah, I’m happy. Um it was a good race, a great course and yeah. What do you think of Finnish gravel for me? By far the best. Um Why? Because of the the the sort of gravel. The quality. Yeah. Is she in it? Yeah. Like it’s princess gravel. I like it chunkier than gravel. Yeah. No, I like it. Um also the course like no that’s good. That’s what I like. Like no long climbs or whatever. Just like punchy hills. Um so no I’m I’m It’s always good to to be here. Why have you transitioned into cycling? It’s a good question. I asked myself that question in during the race like what why what am I doing? But I don’t know. It’s always been like a part of the family. I would say uh my niece was a pro cyclist, my cousin. Um and I always followed it also by with with Greg of course. Um we know each other since we’re 15. he was still a soccer player, football player. Um, and it’s one of the first things I bought when I retired from from football. So, and I also have the competitive side. So, obviously you start racing and uh yeah, sometimes it’s fun, sometimes I’m asking myself why. For those who don’t know, what teams did you play for? Um, I played a bit everywhere. I played in Belgium. I played in England for Southampton and Wolverampton. Uh I played in Germany. I played in in Amsterdam. Um so yeah, and I played in uh US. So and now you race gravel and that’s the good thing about the gravel. I come to places like I would never thought about it coming and like to give an example like the gravel series in Mexico. I’ve been there. Um, so but traveling is fun. Josh, what are you doing now? What do you mean? What are we doing now? Okay, what are we doing? Sauna. Of course. Of course. The only thing Josh wants to do here.