Wow! What a ride! This was 76 km in total distance and 1704 meters in cumulative elevation. We had three big climbs today. The second one was Puerto de Otxondo. That proved to be difficult. It was at only 5 to 7.6% incline, not nearly as steep as what I have been using for training during the past few months, but it was 6.2 miles in duration. Every time I rounded a curve, with the expectation that things would level out, the ensuing view just demonstrated an ongoing relentless climb. That is nothing compared to what tomorrow and the next days will include.
The weather temp was comfortable, but there were very gusty winds and intermittent rain. On one of the long downhill runs, we had the combination of very wet road surfaces, gusty winds, no guardrails between the road and a long scary drop, and my acrophobia. As can be appreciated, I was going at a nervous crawl during a whole lot of that. (Then again, I hate downhills generally anyway, so that's nothing new probably!)
With the winds and also with the rain, I took few photos today. That is not to deny that the ride was breathtakingly beautiful. This really is a remarkable region of the world. It really is a privilege to see this area.
We were in Spain probably 40% of the ride today. I was generally aware of when we were in Spain, based upon the mileage that we had covered. Sadly however, there was no "Welcome to Spain" sign that I ever encountered. No photo opportunity with that.
Tomorrow we go to to Cette-Eygun, France. This will be a 103.6 km ride, with 3101 meters elevation. Wow! The first climb is Col de Burdincurucheta. That is a Category 1 climb. The first 4 km of that climb are at 12.3%.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh My Goodness. What have you done to yourself. I am so impressed that you are doing this ride. It sounds extremely difficult and I cannot imagine how terrifying the downhill runs must be. Good luck tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Dan. Today's climb sounds rather daunting. And tomorrow's climb sounds even more challenging. Regardless how ineffective you feel your training here in LaCrosse was I am sure that you will dig deep and persevere. As always ....... Envious !
ReplyDeleteDan, I sense that the wind will be at your back all day Thursday and your training will see you through. I'm right beside you all the way.
ReplyDelete