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
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