Migrated to wordpress

The blog has been moved to a new site: http://cpapenfuss.wordpress.com

Stage 7 - Crazy roosters, gentle garden gnoms and fist fights

Finally, the last stage of this race. We are getting tired yet the body seems to adjust well to the daily racing routine. The last stage promised to be a bit easier as it was flat with a net elevation loss of about 200m. The course would take us through the Valdobiadene region where the yummy Prosecco comes from.

Last night was fun. We hung around Feltre which turned out to be a vibrant city. The streets suddenly got busy right around 9pm and several bands popped up out of nowhere to play for people. Very special. We had two rooms at a small B&B 10 miles outside the city in a quiet small town. It was nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle and get ready for the final day. At 5 am however, several misguided roosters woke me up with their frequent crows. A big pot of chicken soup came to mind. The garden of our little private B&B had some great garden gnoms. All strategically placed by Signorina Claudia herself.

People seemed a bit nervous at the start. The sound of AC/DC's Hell's Bells marked the start of the final stage. Wow....people were gunning it right from the beginning. The first kilometer shook us through the cobbled streets of Feltre.What the followed can only be described as crazy. The whole group of about 250 riders accelerated to over 50 km/h (29 mph). We kept that pace for almost 1 hour. A few crashes forced the group to slow down a bit here and there. But there didn't seem to be any injuries thankfully.

Riding in a big bunch is something that I am not used to. The majority of my rides are solo. While there is a lot of coasting, there are a number of frequent high power boost required to hang on to the group. These type of accelerations can really wear you out. Along with the nervous accelertions one has to be very careful about the other riders. It is very easy to touch another rider's wheel which can cause a crash. Also, some riders tried ridiculous maneuvers to gain a few spots.

One particular guy was extremely dangerous and almost crashed into Adnan. Adnan then followed the guy and asked him to stop this type of behavior. The idiot then started pushing Adnan. Luckily, Adnan has the best bike handling skills and nothing happened. But he did give the idiot a piece of his mind along with the reminder not to mess with him.

It was hot. And there was a strong headwind. These two started wearing me out. The organizers decided to put an additional water stop 30 km from the finish line. We got tangled up in a big mess there as everybody was scrambling to get some cool water. Unfortunately, it took me a while to get out of the mess and I found myself alone on the road. I followed some guys to try and pace back the next back group. It was a serious effort that required a lot of energy. It was the highest 10 minute power output of the entire week. This took out a lot. Luckily, I found another group and Adnan was waiting for me (he is such a great team mate). We ended up arriving at the finish line in Bibione in 98th place for the day. It was an exhausting day - both mentally and physically.

Stats of the day: distance 150km, Avg Speed 39km/h, kcal 2664, normalized power 216, avg heart rate 141, TSS 220, rank 98

We finished the race in the top 200 teams (550 teams started), we ended up in the top 100 of the men's category. Jen and the boys picked me up at the finish line and we are now off to Siena to spend a week in a beautiful villa with a pool. More to follow soon.

Stage 6 - Rolling, rolling, rolling

Yesterday was tough. Really tough. It was so tough that I really wondered why we were doing all this. Today's stage promised to be an easier one. 'Only' three passes on the first half of the 115k stage. 'Only' 2100m of climbing.

After a great evening last night with nice people, good food and most importantly 'Gelato' we were actually in a really good mood this morning. It seemed to be a nice day - maybe not as hot as the prior day. The stage started with the first and the biggest climb right away (Passo Valles). Adnan and I settled into a good pace and realized that we were both feeling relatively strong. It seemed that we were overtaking quite a few people. The downhill was also ok and we passed a few smaller groups.

The next climb (Passo Rolle) then worked out really well. We cranked up that hill and made some good time. It seemed like we were flying. The views uptop were absolutely amazing and we took a few minutes at the rest stop. The downhill that followed was looong and really nice. There were some beautiful towns along the way with hundreds of people cheering us on. This is one of the coolest things of this race: The roads are clear, there are no cars and people cheer you on! You almost feel like a superstar.

Then followed the very last pass of this Tour - Passo Cereda! It was a bit steeper than expected but we did alright, again. What the followed can only be described as epic. An almost 50km downhill section around the Feltre national park. We found a great group to ride with. Everybody worked together and we averaged right around 38km/h for the last 1.5 hrs. Unbelievable. Adnan did the most work as he felt great. When we got closer to Feltre (the finish) I got a bit nervous about the increasing accelerations. This is something I don't do well. But my body was fine and we managed to clear a few people before we arrived in Feltre. Wow. That was bike racing at its best. Our average speed for the last 10 minutes was almost 50 km/h (granted it was a slight downhill...but still....exciting....especially when riding in an ancient city)

The great news is that we had our best result, yet. Place 88 for the day. We jumped from rank 213 in the overall classification to 181!

Stats of the day: 115km, kcal 3105, normalized power 231, ride time 4:23, avg heart rate 145

Final thought of the day: Adnan and I have been an awesome team. We see so many teams break apart and it gets really hard if you don't have anybody to rely on. This race is hard and the partner is absolutely necessary. We always make it a point to roll across the finish line together. Many thanks to Adnan for holding back his fire - he is a much stronger rider than I am after all.

Tomorrow is the last stage: 150km from Feltre to Bibione. The boys will be there to watch us arrive!

Hot day - cool Gelato

Stage 5 - Sexten to Falcade.

Today promised to be a really tough day: 130km, 3200m of climbing and hot weather. Yes, it was hot and it was hard. Today was the worst day for me so far. My legs were fine but the stage had a long middle section with rolling hills and strong winds - stuff that my body is not made for.

It seemed that we lost a lot of time initially due to me not being able to hang on during the flat sections. The micro accelerations and bursts are just not possible anymore. But once we got to the first really big climb (Passo Cibiana) I found my rythm and we made solid ground. The second climb (Passo Staulanza) was even better. It got hot, though, and we almost ran out of water.

Once we reached the top, we had a looong downhill section. Adnan did an amazing job setting the tempo downhill and we overtook many teams on this section. We were just flying. He is an extremely good descender and it is fund to ride on his wheel. It feels really safe since he always chooses the best line.

Once we reached the bottom with about 8km to go we reached the final climb of the day. It was really hot by that time. We pulled all our strength together and I actually managed to dig so deep that I put out my 20 minute best wattage of this Tour so far. Granted we have been riding to conserve energy but at this point it is difficult to mobilize reserves. Just to put this into perspective: In my training rides I put out around 280-290 watts for 40-45 minutes. On any of the climbs here we are averging 230-240. Can't do more and we are still overtaking many people. On the last climb today, I put out 275 watts for 25 minutes. That was pretty decent. But we were cross-eyed by the time we reached the finish line.

The hotel we are staying in is great. We met some fellow riders which was fun. Also, Matthias Kessler - the doped T-Mobile rider - is staying here. He seems like a nice guy and he is riding the Tour for training. We actually arrived only 18 minutes behind him....must have had a bad day.

In terms of stats of the day: Rank 109, Kcal 3900

Tomorrow is the last mountain stage. Yeehhawww

Pushing the limits while sightseeing

Stage 4 - St. Vigilio to Sexten

Short stage: 100 km and only 2100m of climbing. The tour director called it a 'sightseeing stage' across the heart of the Dolomites. The stage would take us across the Passo Valparola down the Falzarego (place of many Giro stages), posh ski town Cortina D'Ampezzo and up the Passo Tre Croci. The weather has finally changed for the better.

Despite the race director urging people to let it roll, many riders immediately switched into race mode and tried some scary moves to gain a few seconds. This is starting to drive us crazy. We have unfortunately seen some rather strange behavior. Granted it is a race, but we are not professionals trying to earn a qualification for the next Olympics.

Anyway, the day was great. But my legs are getting really heavy. The knees hurt a little bit and it is more difficult now to generate good power output. Also, my heart rate is not as elastic anymore. In a regular training ride, I would produce 300 watts for 20 minutes and my heart rate would average around 168. Now, the pulse is hovering around 150. This is a normal protection mechanism of the body. Professionals experience that as well in stage races like the Tour.

The first climb across the Valparola was ok. Great landscape but we just wanted to get done with it. Then followed a real treat for bikers: A really fast downhill section on the Falzarego. This is a pass that motorcycle riders love. And they closed the road for traffic today. So, we could use the entire road and let it rip! Holy smokes was that fun!!! We all had smiles on our faces at the bottom in Cortina (some believed they would have to surgically remove the smiles since the joy ran so deep).

The Tre Croci climb was ok as well. A bit tough to get back into climbing mode after a long fun downhill. But I knew the climb well and we paced ourselves. We ended up in a large group with a lot of tired riders. After a tired rider almost took out Adnan, we decided to perform a real attack - just like the pros: We put the hammer down on the last 14% section. It worked but I thought my legs would fall off. I put out almost 350 watts for 2 minutes which is a lot for me.

The last part of the stage was mostly downhill with a slight 1-2% slope. We found a group of great people and formed a fabulous paceline. The cheering people on the road witnessed a 15 people deep paceline that raced through the Dolomites with 50-60km/h for almost an hour. What fun. But riding in a paceline is not always easy. Somtimes people raise the pace and you really have to punch it to stay on. This is something my body is not made for and it really wears me out. After 30km of riding like that I was ready to give up. But we had only 6km to go. Adnan pulled out a miracle and raised the pace even more. My legs were screaming and I almost wanted to stop. When we got to the finish I was in so much pain that I almost cried. I have gone beyond my limits a good number of times in running races, but this experience today beat it all. So much for sightseeing...

It was very special, though, that all our 15 peloton members came in with us and we all celebrated together. That was a great experience and this is what these type of events should be a about! I have to say - it was very touching and moving. People that had never met before just worked together like a charm and really formed a team. Sweet.

Stats of the day: Rank 109, 100k, 3:52h, Kcal 2815, Normalized Power 228, Avg Heart Rate 143, Ascent 2100m

By the way, we have met some great people along the way. There is this guy Gerald that has been riding with us for two days. And there are two guys from Berlin that are in our hotel. That is fun.

P.S.: Look at the official pictures at http://picasaweb.google.de/TOUR.transalp

Stage 3 - Sunshine...finally

Stage 3 - Brixen to St. Vigilio

What a treat! We woke up and didn't hear rain. A quick look outside revealed that it was chilly but dry. Yesterday's stage in the rain was mentally very challenging and we were not in the mood to repeat that experience. Today looked like a relatively easy stage. Only 90km but with two tough climbs: Passo delle Erbe (loooong but not too steep) and Passo di Furcia (relatively short but very steep).

The start was right in the heart of Brixen - in front of the beautiful church. People seemed very eager to race and cranked it up right away. We were a bit surprised about the amazing tempo to say the least. Especially since we started riding uphill right away. But we settled into a somewhat comfortable pace. My legs were heavy and my knees hurt. It therefore took me a while to get into a nice rhythm. Temps were great (nice and cool) and we had some great views over Brixen. The climb was supposed to be relatively easy but it was long, indeed. We climbed for almost 2hrs. And that is a lot of climbing. The descent was fine as well.

We then looped around the ski resort Plan de Corones on some beautiful Alpine side roads 200-300 meters above the valley. There were some vicious little climbs along the way which sab your energy. I didn't feel all to great. Just tired and empty. So, we decided to conserve some energy and let it roll. People were still punching it and hammering up some of the smaller climbs. Very impressive. But I had done the Furcia a few times before and knew that we would have to be conservative at this point.

The Furcia went pretty well. It has long ramps of 1.5km with 17-19%. That is quite something. We made some good ground on our fellow riders who seemed to have underestimated the steepness. For me it felt like being home as I had ridden the pass five -six times in early June. It is amazing how much energy that gives you.

The final descent was easy and we arrived in perfect weather. We felt great!!! We are now spending two nights in Olang inbetween stages.

Stats of the day: Rank 123, Ride Time: 4:45h, Kcal: 3412, Normalized Power = 227, AVG Heart Rate: 143, TSS 287

Tomorrow will be an 'easy" day. Only 100km and only 2100m of climbing.....whoohoo. My legs are definitely getting heavy but so far so good.

Stage 2 - The beauty and the beast

Stage 2. Jekyll and Hyde. The Beauty and the Beast. 125km from Soelden (Austria) across
two monstrous passes to Brixen (Italy). The Timmelsjoch (2600m) and the Passo Jovio.

Luxury - I woke up at 7am this morning having slept for more than 8hrs.
Parents of young twins and active business travelers will appreciate that
amazing feeling. But ouch....I immediately realized that I wasn't feeling
well. Slightly cold, achy. A look outside the window didn't help. Dark and
waterfalls of rain. Outright nasty - the Beast. For some reason I also had
a hard time eating anything for breakie. We were already wet by the time
the race started. Ironically, we were amongst the last 20 people to cross
the start line. Our fellow riders were immediately pushing really hard.
Surprising. The road would climb for about 25km. The rain came down hard.
But we quickly settled into a nice pace and overtook a bunch of people. I
felt great. What a change - the beauty.

The first climb took over 1:43h. The descent was brutal - Mr Hyde. Freezing
temperatures, piercing rain and a really narrow road made for anything but
fun riding. Despite the high quality gear that I put on I was shivering so
hard at the bottom that I could barely hold the handle bars anymore. It was
disappointing that we couldn't enjoy the landscape. Too many clouds and too
much focus required.

Luckily the next climb (1:46h) followed right after and we warmed up again
(when is the last time you looked forward to climbing 1300m?). Adnan and I
continued to ride well. Despite near freezing temps at the top, the descent
was much better this time. No more shaking.

The rest of the day was fine. It warmed up and we had a nice and fast ride
into Brixen. Still a long day: 5:35h.

Kcal: 3471, 3000m of climbing, avg speed: 21km/h, avg watts 174, avg HR 139

Final comment: We are riding very carefully and try to save energy where
possible. Our average wattage numbers on the climbs are nothing to brag
about. Today, I averaged 238 watts on the first climb whereas my threshold
is at around 300 watts. It is not easy sometimes to hold back.  But with a
7 day stage race, the objective is not to have 1-2 good days but to
facilitate recovery over and over again. And that means minimizing power
out put where possible.