03/08/19
132.05 Miles
13:24 Moving Time
15,374ft Gained
9.9mph Average Speed
CP3 DAY!
Knowing without any major disasters I would reach the third checkpoint of the race today was enough motivation needed for an early start. Seen as I was on the checkpoint parcours, the part of the race where everyone has to follow a set route, I rolled out and pulled into a bakery that was just opening to find a few other riders stocking up for the day and succumbing to the temptation of sugar filled pastries.
Not being sure if I was just suffering from a bit of sleep deprevation or what, everyone in the bakery was speaking German, this really confused me. Im sure I went to sleep in Italy. Talking to a German racer outside, he told me that we were in South Tyrol, which is a German speaking part of Northern Italy.
That cleared up, we pedalled off together through Bolzano and psyched ourselves to face the much talked about steep climb of the parcours. Listening to the race podcast and hearing the front runners talk of the climb didn’t put my mind at rest. It was a short sharp incline, some said around 30% gradient. I didn’t believe this, but it was true. This kind of gradient is pretty hard on a lightweight bike, never mind a fully loaded steel bike. The other racer seemed to glide up it with relative ease. I rode up as much as I could and not wanting my knees to be defeated later in the race, I decided to get off an push the worst bits. I really didn’t mind doing this as it wasn’t much slower than riding and I saved my joints.
This was going to be one tough day.
After reaching the top of the climb, the roads were undulating through some scenic farmland, with farmers out working and cows grazing.
The main climb of the parcours was the next target to get thinking about, which was the Timmelsjoch Pass. The summit reached 2,509m and contained around 30 miles of climbing. I felt every single one of them.
As this pass is a popular route from Italy to Austria with not just cyclists, but motorbikes, cars and motorhomes, it wasn’t the most pleasant climb of the race as the road got pretty tight in some parts. Cars were passing a bit closer than was necessary, so I was happy to reach the top unscathed. However, the views were a beaut, and I tried to zone out the traffic and just soak in the views.
The pass seemed to never end, but the more I climbed the cooler it got and the fresher the air became as I sensed I was nearing the top. I even recognised some of the turns from google street view recon while planning the route.
Reaching the top was a relief, so I stopped for a quick photo, pulled on the layers and was looking forward to the 40 miles or so of downhill!
The summit was also the border with Austria, so into another country of the race. The descent started with a bit of tension as on the second hairpin, there was a motorbike rider flat out on the ground with paramedics around him. Looks like he overshot the corner or maybe collided with another vehicle. This focused my mind a bit more, so I turned off the music and concentrated on the descent.
Having a tailwind with 40 miles of downhill in front of you with smooth roads and the sun beating down is something dreams are made of in cycling, so I was going to make the most of this opportunity. I wasn’t going to get this again during the race.
At the bottom, there was only 30 miles to go to the Checkpoint, and I had some energy to burn of from the recovery of the descent, so I pushed on through the valley. The CP seemed to never arrive and the 30 miles seemed to be the longest I have ever ridden, especially with my phone out of battery and with no music to distract the mind.
The dark came and I still hadn’t reached the checkpoint, there was a slight headwind and I started to push even harder to get there at a reasonable hour to try and get some food, as I was out of food and my consumption during the day was very low. Pushing, pushing, pushing.
I eventually arrived and relief overcame me and I demolished a bowl of jelly beans that the CP Volunteers had put out. I definitely took more than my fair share, I wasn’t really bothered in the moment.
Seeing some friendly faces, getting my third stamp of the race and nearing the end of the day relaxed me and it was time for food!
The CP was situated outside a local bar/restaurant, so I wandered in and opened the big wooden door that led to the bar. I was greeted with a room full of people, which was nice. However the room was also filled to the brim with smoke. My lungs took stock and got prepared for some passive smoking for the next hour or so. I needed food and wasn’t sitting outside in the cold.
I got sat on a table with a few other racers and we excahnged tales from the road and our differing routes from CP2 to CP3, which varied to say the least.
I was pleased that my hillier and quieter route hadn’t slowed me down too much and I was still in the top quarter or so of the race, which was much higher than I expected to be.
The only thing on the menu was meat, so that was what I ate. That plus lots of carbs and it didnt take long to clear the plate and down a few pints of coke.
With no rooms at the CP, I managed to get a cheap last minute hotel in the next village, so I pedalled into the night and along the next 10 miles or so to the next village.
I was greeted with what seemed to be a party in the bar of the hotel and strangely they invited me in like I was a long lost friend. After some explaining and talking, it turned out there was a big sportive starting in the village the next morning and they thought I was in it. I was just pleased people were still up and I could get a room for the night. I was shown where to put my bike for the night, which was in a room full of bikes ready to go for the sportive the next morning.
I looked at myself in the mirror of the lift up to my room and agreed that it was definitely time to take the foot off the gas a bit. I could feel that I was pushing my limits and I needed more sleep. So I showered (which was always a struggle and at this point of the race I had decided that sit down showers are the only way, however the risk of sleeping increased with this move) and set the alarm for a little later than usual. It had been over a week of racing and with still a long way to go, I needed a bit of a pause to refresh my legs and mind, to ready myself for the next section.
Jordan Matthews 