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 ! 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 ) 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
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 ! 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 ) 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