Distance: 61.7 miles / 99.3 km
Elevation: 8,848 feet / 2,696 m
Time: 10 hours and 33 minutes (7 hours and 27 minutes cycling)
An earlier start
I managed to wake up at 07:30 and this was good because I had a huge day of climbing in the Dolomites ahead. Since I’d sorted out my gear better, the aim was to have everything packed away relatively quickly and be on my way by about 09:00. This didn’t quite happen because of the alluring smells of a bakery across the road from the campsite, but even with an unplanned visit I was on my way at 09:18. Not too bad.
The campsite had washing machines and I had chosen to wash my used cycling gear the evening before and hang them out to dry on the washing line. Despite not even having to get inside my sleeping bag at all throughout the night, it wasn’t much drier in the morning.. which was frustrating. It wasn’t a disaster for the clothes I chose to wear today as those were wet with sweat within 5 minutes. I was a bit more worried about the spare set that needed to go in my luggage though. With a bit of creative juggling about and reorganisation, they went in their own bag. I would inspect them later to see how foisty they had become.
A hard day ahead
This ride was 80-85% uphill. I would start the day at 246m above sea level, and finish at 1,580m above sea level. The only real downhill was courtesy of the fact that I was slowly climbing a mountain whose peak was at 2,239m – and I needed to get down from there. The total climbing for this day alone would exceed the total climbed for the entire trip so far.
The first ascent to 1,000m was a bit busier than I hoped. As I neared the top of this, I could feel the heat of the exhaust trucks on my legs as they were straining to overtaking me.. some of them a bit closer than I’d have liked. Even though I’ve done a lot of long climbs before, I don’t remember ever noticing that. When I was hot enough already, it wasn’t exactly welcomed.
In the town at the summit I was looking for some more food, and there was a small café and shop called ‘Martin Speck’. Pretty much the only thing they had for sale was speck (dried ham). I know sometimes shops name themselves after their produce, but I wonder whether that’s Martin’s true name or whether it’s a pseudonym. If it is high true name, then I wonder what inspired him to sell his namesake. The language barrier was too different to do any sleuthing. What I will say is that his speck selection is probably the best I have ever laid my eyes on.
Up and up
As I gained altitude, I was seeing a lot more ski lifts and cable cars to the summit of various mountain ridges in the area. I imagine they’re most popular in ski season, but even now they seemed to be doing a good trade. Whilst the cable cars especially were going in all manner of random directions, a couple of them did climb up the same mountains I was ascending by bike. That would have saved me a lot of time.
The higher I got, the colder it became. Compared the balmy 28°C temperatures at the start, it was down to single figures as the day drew to a close. I could see my breath by the time I reached Arabba, which was a surprise.
The Passo Pordoi climb, up to 2,239m, was really hard work. I had been carrying an apple strudel in my luggage for nearly 24 hours, so I thought I best eat it to shed the weight. Even though it was pretty old, I really got in to it.. the second half especially.
The strudel wasn’t the only food I ate in a box from my thighs. Latest in an unplanned series of updates, I found a supermarket that sold chicken nuggets. They weren’t as good as the lasagne.
Passo Pordoi
The Passo Pordoi summit seemed to be playing some sort of Amy Winehouse soundtrack. I was the only person up there, and it was really cold, so I didn’t really stick around.
The descent back down to slightly warmer climes (11-12°C) was such a physiological boost after all the climbing, and I had been dreaming about it for hours. There were lots of cows stood in the middle of the road on certain parts of it, and luckily they were all predictable and well behaved.
Feeling tired
When I arrived in to the town I was expecting to stay in, it was already 20:00 and dark. My back was aching quite a lot and I thought the best thing for it would be a proper bed. I was also quite cold, so a hotel it was to be. Another benefit is that I would be saving at least an hour both in the evening and morning by virtue of having no tent to erect/pack. It wasn’t very hard to convince myself.
The hotel was only very slightly off route, but unbeknown to me up a steep hill. I think the steepest of the trip so far. Certainly, my HR reached its daily maximum. It really was the last thing I wanted but the allure of making it there was so strong.
The next stage is another that starts in the dolomites, with another >2,000m climb. This one will be much easier though, given I’m at 1,580m already. Phew!
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