141.93 Miles
11:00:00 Moving Time
11:55:38 Elapsed Time
7,848ft Elevation
12.9mph Average
1 Volcano
We finally set off in the early afternoon, when the temperature was at its height for the day. And what better way to raise the heat, by climbing up Mt. Vesuvius!
The pace was high and I was mindful of staying close to the front, but not putting any really efforts in. As soon as the slopes of Vesuvius rose up, I reeled in and my main aim was just to get the the top.
Cycling led to walking, which led to sliding on volcanic rocks. Somehow I made it to the top and what greeted me was a panoramic view down to Naples, the gulf of Naples and a long tarmac descent. I didn’t complain as freewheeling was well needed by this point.
Getting through central Naples on a bike kept us all animated and switched on, passing and swerving round cars, pedestrians and tram tracks.
The route for most of the day followed the coast quite closely and mostly on road, which saw the miles tick over nicely.
The only thing that did let the first day down was the grupettos that formed in the event.
The organsier was adamant that this wasn’t a race, so this shouldn’t have bothered me, however these events are still contested, so any advantaged gained from other riders shouldn’t happen. It did in this race, alot!
Trying to let those pass me who wanted to ride together was tough, but this is not the reason I ride these events. It supposed to be unsupported and it is against a lot of written and unwritten rules in these events. I could speak a lot more about this, but it is what it is and it wasn’t good to see.
Into the night
As the race didn’t start till just after midday, most people were planning on missing a nights sleep or riding into the night. I didn’t want to totally ride through as I was still slightly sleep deprived from the past 2 nights lack of sleep and there was still a long way to go.
I stopped in a town for some food and the first real time off the bike since the start, around 10pm. I ordered 2 falafel wraps and lots of water and fizzy pop. A few riders were milling about the town. I ate one and tucked the other in my jersey for a late night snack/breakfast.
After a slight miss judgement on my behalf, I found myself following a walking path near the beach, which it sounded like a few others did the same, it was my final climb of the day. I planned to reach the top, then find somewhere to sleep on the descent. The last climb was a tough un. Off road, and too steep to cycle with a lot of hairpins in the sea mist. It took around about an hour and it took quite a bit out of me.
After a mixed terrain descent, I found a place in the woods where I put my sleeping and bivvy bag down, ate a wrap and listened to the sounds of Italian racers passing by and the different bird call in the woods. The race had started.
Jordan Matthews 