Time: 07:00, Location: Feltre in the Italian Dolomites. Andy Wylde, Jack Burgin, Gary Stevens, Alan Moules, Roger Tyler & Richard Neil gathered nervously in the starting pens with approx. 4000+ other riders, seeming to comprise mostly of immaculately turned out Italians for the start of the annual Sportful Dolomiti Granfondo (20th anniversary edition!).
Before we knew it, we were off, rolling along the flatlands on the outskirts of Feltre in light rain/drizzle. It was obvious from the outset that some of these riders meant business, setting a fast & furious pace. I tried not to get suckered into this, thinking about the 208Km & 4569m of climbing ahead!
I had made what I thought was the wise decision to remove my rain jacket at the start, but with the rain getting harder I put it back on going up the first major climb of the day, the Cima Campo. It was during this climb that I was passed by Gary, going at a very impressive pace, and a little later Jack & Andy came past, followed a short while later by Alan, doing a good job on a hire bike; he had to rent an aluminium steed after the front derailleur mount parted company with the frame on his usual carbon weapon!
The course split after the descent of the Campo, and quite a few riders took the option to do the ‘Medio’ (medium) route, as by now the rain was properly set in & the descent was ‘cool’ (understatement!) even for us hardened Brits. I decided to press on with the ‘Lungo’ (long) route, as did Gary (some way ahead of me). Alan, Roger, Jack & Andy opting for the shorter (but still tough) option.
Onto the main course of the day, the climb of the Passo Manghen. With 1,626m of elevation gain over 22.2Km, this is a beast, with an average gradient of 7.3%, getting harder towards the top with near 10% towards the summit & some sections of 15%. It was a relief to reach the top of the climb & get to the feed stop – it took me over 2 hours of grinding with the sky increasingly leaden & just as the climbing, getting harder towards the top.
After jostling with dozens of other knackered cyclists at the feed point I stuffed my face & refilled my bottles as quickly as I could & began the descent.
In some ways the descent was tougher than the assent. Under other circumstances this would be a lovely, technical descent, full of twists & turns, & the scenery changing as elevation is lost (if one can spare the concentration to look out to the sides!). However on this occasion it was miserable, very cold & treacherous in the wet.
I was glad to get the valley below where at least it was relatively warm & the rain had abated. I got into a good group as we made our way along the valley floor towards the next climb – the Passo Rolle. We were just getting to the foot of the climb when a plastic bag flew up from the road & got stuck in my chain. I was just considering whether to wait & hope it would free itself or to stop & untangle it when the decision was made for me. With a large bang my rear tyre blew out. Surveying the damage the bag had got caught around the rear derailleur & the tyre valve, ripping the rear derailleur off and deflating the tyre in the process.
After about 15 mins a support moped came along – he quickly realised there was nothing he could do (he was just patrolling the route doing wheel changes), so he called the event mechanical support. After what seemed like an age (at least the sun had come out!) during which I was passed by umpteen cyclist (giving me looks which varied between curiosity & sympathy) the mechanical support wagon arrived and rapidly set about trying to fix the problem.
Most impressively he got out a wide range of derailleur hangers from a box to find one that would fit – there were none, so he snipped & filled one so it would fit! Game on I thought! Not so fast – after all his efforts the derailleur was buggered…
I called my wife – game over. I waited for the broom wagon & endured the miserable crawl back to the finish. On the bright side at least I was not going too fast when it happened & I was not injured. It could have been a lot worse….
I understand Gary made it round in less than 9 hours, which is a seriously impressive ride given parcours. Well done Gary, brilliant ride!
So some unfinished business for me, and maybe others who did the shorter route & missed the challenge of the Manghan – it would be great to do this in better conditions.
I’m not sure how us ‘flatland’ cyclists can best prepare for an event like this. Literally hours of climbing & long periods of rapid descending put strains on all those places I never knew I had!
Overall an incredibly well run & well organised event, and given the support, feed stops, the contents of the goody bag (inc. Sportful cycling jersey!) is not bad value for money. And the area boasts some great rides & stunning scenery – it’s just the cost of getting there that’s prohibitive! But as an experience, it’s hard to beat.
If you are interested, more details of the event below.
http://www.gfsportful.it/en/
