...few words about Dizzy... [M.Balana]

dizzy

New Member
Forum BTT is a good place for me to find an informations about the races and to learn portugese too :wink:

I thought that a good idea is to introduce myself because sometimes when I'm hearing the stories about my person is quite fun but not all are the truth :roll:

So...

My name is Magdalena Balana. The short version of my name is Magda, but a lot of people recognize me by my nick name Dizzy. I am from south of Poland - Bieszczady Mountains. I am 24 years old and half of my life I have spent on the bike :mrgreen: . I started to compete in MTB when I was 12. At the beginning I used to be a cross-coutry rider. First 3 years I was riding in my hometown clube [BTC Ustrzyki Dolne], but quite fast I got to the best (at that time) team - LKS OPTEX Opoczno. A lot of experience I learned there - I was taking part in XC races and road races. The year when I started my studies was the year of big changes. In the previous team they didn't believe that I can achieve more, so I decided to went away and make my own university team (AZS Politechnika Rzeszowska). I was preparing alone to the season 2003. At that year we had the first national championships in MTB marathon, so I decided to try something new. I took part in this race and.... I won a gold medal :D! After that I started to have a different view on my "carieer". Next year I was competing in Slovakia to get more experience in marathons. Years 2005, 2006, 2007 I spent on the races in Poland trying to improve... During last 5 years I was studing too (not only competing :p) and in June (2007) I became a master of computer science. I am still a student because I have the second faculty (marketing and management).

So what am I doing in Portugal?
In the middle of 2007 I got an excellent idea - find a warm place in the world, go there like Erasmus student and prepare for the new season. In Poland during winter is really cold, snowing and we have hard conditions to train. I pick up the Portugal and at the end of September I took my stuff, a cheap bike :roll: and came to Lisbon. After flight I had problem with my rear wheel so I was looking a place to repair this. By the accident I got to the CICLOVIAS, where I met the owner (Hugo) and this changed everything. I got an offer to take part in BikeFestival in Santarem and after winning this marathon a bigger offer :shock: - to stay and be part of a new girls team. It wasn't an easy decision but I knew that I am going to regret if won't try. I have here great condition to training, competing and what is the most important for me - making a progress! I want to show some people that they made a mistake saying that I cannot be better, I want to make some of my bicycle dreams come true and there is few more reasons why I am here...

I am not a professional rider - I am like almost all of You.
I love mountain biking and I am doing my best to be better than yeasterday!

..::Born to ride - ride to win::..

Greatings,
dizzy
www.mbalana.pl
 

madnez

New Member
Welcome Dizzy
Portugal is a poor country but is a very good country i hope you enjoy your stay here , but i warn you once you come its hard to leave portugal :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: , i´m going this weekend to Vendas Novas doing "Trilhos e Courelas" do you go ??, maybe some day we meet.
By
 

dizzy

New Member
Ola ;)

I think that Portugal is amazing country and I am enjoying going for a races and seeing new places :mrgreen:
This weekend I have the cup marathon XCM#2 in Tabua... but I am going to stay here for the whole season so there will be time to meet on the race!

Bjs,
dizzy
 

pegasus

New Member
hi dizzy, do you feel dizzy? :) hope not

what a long story of you

are you allmountain addicted?

join us, let us show you the wonderful Serra de Sintra, the amazing landscapes from Belas and Serra da Carregueira, and some more hot spots...
We are a group of nice people, not professional, too far from that, we are just a sunday dawn pedaling guys around Lisbon area

private message me if you are interested

have fun
 

zykon

Super Moderador
Nice story Dizzy and welcome to forumbtt.

another place you shold meet is Serra de Sicó.

Nice technical trails
 

madnez

New Member
Congratulatios for your victory
but the judges said for the next race you can´t take the motorbike :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 

ASG

New Member
Hi, Dizzy,
as I comment in your website once, we all wanted to know a little more about you...
It was nice to find that you introduce yourself here, somehow polish it's not my natural language :wink:

Keep your fantastic work, I'm sure that the level of all portuguese mtb ladies will raise after your passage in our championship!

Maybe someday I'll meet you in Ciclovias and you give me some advices :mrgreen:
I met Rita there on a saturday morning after a short running I took, and we'd chat a bit.
António and Hugo told me that you were training in Monsanto, and she will join you after!

Ok, I'm talking to much (as usually)....

See you,
ASG
 

João Marinho

New Member
Hi Dizzy, Jak się masz? :)

Welcome to this forum and welcome to Portugal, I wish your stay in our country will be as good as you are like athlete.

Your presence here is doing a lot of ''noise'' in our race scene, everyone knows you and have a lot of respect for you as athlete. Your overall ranking in some marathons race's is scaring girls and even some good guys :) . I think it's very good for our girls to have someone like you to race against and to raise the level. I have done some races outside, especialy the Cape Epic that I raced two weeks ago and the females there ride very hard, it's amazing how much it was. Maybe you can try one of this muti-day races later, I'm sure that you will achieve great results.

I have to say that you have ''balls'' to do what you are doing and how you are doing, I hope you continue making progress in racing. But I have to say..not just racing, I'm sure you have a lot of fun doing that, but pay attention to the rest of our country, the people, the landscapes, the food, the wine,the beach's, the North, Alentejo... the parties :) and so on..Portugal is a very nice country to live and it deserves to know it better.

So..we already done some races together Cross Country and Marathons and particulary in this last type I hope you dont catch me, if you catch me I will pick up something to block your wheels:)

Feel free doing questions.I think that you already noticed that the Portuguese are very friendly and the guys and girls here are particularly nice person's..we have a girl who is moderator called ASG and she speaks English (and Portuguese as well :) ) and she rides also... you can chat with her..girls always like to chat with others girls maybe she can help you...

By the way...you will come back to Poland riding ? :roll:

As you say..Born to Ride, Ride to Win.....Born to Live..Live to Ride..Ride to Live...

Keep going..hard
 

dizzy

New Member
to pegasus:

I haven't have time yet to look at your group of "sunday dawn pedaling guys around Lisbon area" but for sure I will read and write you :)! I used to train in Sintra and tracks there are excellent - probably You know more so if I will have opportunity to ride with you for sure I would like to!

greatings :lol:


to zykon:

ola :D


to madnez:

obrigada :p
so this are not motorbike races? wow my mistake heh :lol: next time I will take bike ;)


to ASG:

Ola,

one of the reason why I made a note here was your note in my questbook :)! I am trying to finish the english version of my website but sometime after training I don't have a strenght and is taking my too long - I know, I will try to be faster :mrgreen:

Ciclovias is now my second home so I am there quite often :roll:! I am living very close (Laranjeiras) so see you there one day...
...or on Monsanto! Now when I have basic preparation and quite a lot of km in my legs I am doing specific trainings (BTT, time-trials, intervals) right there!

Probably on Wednesday I have there light btt ride...

Ate ja!


to João Marinho:

wow - few polish words :D nice!

first - congratulations for taking part in such a hard challenge as is Cape Epic! one day I want to participate there too :p

Now I am enjoying staying here in Portugal. Everything here is new for me and my desire to see more, taste more is huge :mrgreen:
Don't worry I am not a machine :twisted: and time when I am not training I manage to spend in getting know Portugal better! My team is taking care about this too - everytime we are going for a race they are showing me interesting places, I try a specials (meals) for the specific area, drinking wine mniamiiii :roll: etc
I used to go for a parties in Lisbon, having a bath in an ocean... so for sure I am "tasting the country". Probably at the end of my staying here I will see more even than some Portugese people... and eat more than they heh - yes I am getting fatter here because of the delicious sweets which you have!

From one day to another I am staying more addicted to this place!!!

Mountain biking here is a pleasure. I noticed that a lot of competitors are very friendly and I hope that more of them won't be affraid to speak with me :hehe:

The plans for now are that I am coming back to Poland at the end of September but there are only plans... and plans like to change ;) so who knows... :lol:
For sure during this season I need to go twice to my country to compete in the most important races like national championships.


See you on the race!

Bjs (buziaki)



to all:

PINK POWER!!!
 

_riplas_

New Member
hi :)

wellcome to Portugal and to forumbtt.
Portugal is beautifull country (not reducing Poland, but in some things we are better :lol:), with a very good wheather, food, friendly people and have a beautifull places to ride. I'm sure that you'll take a very good memories from our country.

Here in portugal, MTB is growing every day but we have also a lot to learn, certainly you're already saw this.

I saw you in the marathon of Ponte da Barca and G100 in Grandola, congratulations, you won both. keep working, you can be better, as you want!!
As in sports as in life, work is the key of sucess.

Enjoy the stay :) because when you won't be here, you'll feel "saudades" :wink:

beijo
 

Ratolas

New Member
Now I understand the "PINK POWER!!!", you just come and "clean" all the events!
Welcome to Portugal, the womens division needed some fresh air. You can sing to them:
tchkapum,tchkapum.."follow the leader!"
Keep up the good work Dizzy!
 

dizzy

New Member
Ola :)

thx 4 all nice word :D

I don't want you to think that I am here for winning all the races - for the competitor the result is important because if you want to find a sponsor you need good scores but for me here is different - I am enjoying riding on new tracks with new people and if I am improving it's enough for me :)

Pink Power is in all the girls :p
...but not all the girls know that!

FEEL THE PINK POWER

Beijinhos,
dizzy
 

askmehow

New Member
You are a very unique girl indeed :D

Not only you could understand my bit and bytes talk bue to a computer science degree but also rides mountain bikes.

I can only say one thing:

Bring your female mountain bikers with you to Portugal, when you came back here :D

PS: One more question, do you like apple ? :D
 

dizzy

New Member
heh maybe all the portugese riders who want to know more polish girls will come to compete in Poland :D? We have a lot of nice races...

I like apple but it isn't my favourite fruit :p

Bjs from Poland,
See you soon!

dizzy
 

askmehow

New Member
Hei dizzy I was talking about www.apple.com not the fruit. Where did you get that master in computer science :D (just joking :D)

Did you have ever tried triatlon ?

I'd like to visit Poland some time :D Many blonds there :p

beijocas, askmehow !
 

VeraTiago

New Member
dizzy said:
I like apple but it isn't my favourite fruit :p

ah ah aha :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I'm also a computer science engineer :wink:

Congratulations for your results in Portugal... you are a great rider... when i grow up, i wanna be just like you :lol: :lol: :oops:
Keep going... hard as you can :wink:

*kiss*
 

dizzy

New Member
Ola,

welcome back :)! few days ago I came back from Poland...

"Hei dizzy I was talking about www.apple.com not the fruit" [askmehow] - heh when the computer engineer is hungry he/she thinks in the way I made it :D
I like the apple company and one day when I be rich I will buy some nice MacBook :p

"Did you have ever tried triatlon" [askmehow] - no, I am a bad swimmer so it will be more safe not to try... but I tried once crossduathlon!

"Congratulations for your results in Portugal... you are a great rider..." [VeraTiago] - nice to read this kind of sentences :oops: thx!

Beijinhos :p
dizzy
 
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