Miles from Home - 5370.1 miles
Firsts / Highlights - First century ride of the year. 7 km tunnel at –7% grade. 7 hours of saddle time.
Miles Ridden - 110.96 miles
Vertical Feet - 6,485 ft
Route - View Today's Route Here.
People - 5 of 7 guests riding today were from Colorado (?!)
Bruce & Tracy – Boulder, CO (last day)
Roger & Helen – Basalt, CO
Mika & Ira – Helsinki, Finland. (last day) Found out today that Mika is a harbor worker in Helsinki. This is their first trip away from their 4 children (3, 5, 7 & 9).
Nicola & Maurizo – Guides
Anrea – drove van
This post is from May 19, 2009.
Today nearly ended for me before it got started. We had a big ride scheduled with over 100 miles of riding and two substantial climbs. Departure time was set for 9:00, but at 8:57, I was in the lobby and everyone was just milling around. I assumed it would be another late start, so I casually went back to the bike locker to get my bike. I figured I had a little time, so I wiped down my chain, lubricated it and filled my tires. Apparently, as soon as I left the lobby, Maurizio realized that it was 9:00 and they needed to leave immediately to catch the ferry crossing Lake Garda at 9:50. He rallied the group and they were off. Five minutes later, I showed up to an empty lobby. The front desk clerk said that the van driver could take me to the ferry, but he was nowhere around, so I decided to start riding. I later found out that the route I selected wasn’t the most direct, so not only was I behind, I was taking the long way to get there (we won’t talk about the wrong turn and construction stops in addition to bad route selection). Fortunately, the van found me and drove me the last 3-4 miles and pulled right on board just in time to pull away from the dock. Other than a little ribbing the rest of the day, I was back on track.
The hotel rotates their rides so that a guest staying for a week will never ride the same route twice. Today’s ride is the pinnacle of their weekly schedule, and as far as I am concerned, their crowned jewel. It is the longest and among the most challenging that they do. It requires more logistical planning than others because of the distance covered and the time it takes to complete. Since we departed the lobby at 9:00 am and did not return until 6:30 pm, we had a van to follow us all day with extra clothes, lunch, snacks, water, and hot tea (very refined).
We crossed the lake by ferry like we did a couple of days ago, but this time had the van with us in addition to our bikes. Rather than ride back along the lakeshore, we headed into the mountains surrounding the lake. There is a narrow flat ribbon all around the lake, but as soon as you go 50 feet inland, the climbing begins. Let’s just say that we went more than 50 feet inland.
The name of today’s trip was “4 Lakes”. Not too much explanation required. The name doesn’t tell you, however, that we also traveled through 3 Italian regions. We started in Veneto, passed through Lombardy, into Trentino and back to Veneto. That is the equivalent of riding in 3 states in one day. Mountain ridges separate the lakes; so moving from one to the next took us over a pass into another world. The first climb of the day was the most spectacular. Leaving Lake Garda, the road passed through a national park-like area on a very lightly traveled road. It was a bit worrying when I saw a sign for the town at the top of the first pass that said it was 27 km ahead. After suffering on the 25 km Alpe di Siusi, I thought this might be a very long day. The climb was challenging, but nothing like Siusi. The grade was considerably less and there were opportunities to recover along the way. Several people commented that the road was a “cyclist’s paradise”. I couldn’t argue with them.
The lunch and snack breaks were something to look forward to. For snacks, they brought an industrial size pan of apricot pastries. Lunch was penne pasta and pizza.
Maurizio revealed the secret of his energy and power. He pulled out a kilo bag of Parmesan cheese chunks and started dipping them in honey. Not little nibbler size pieces, but chunks the size you would buy in a cheese shop (the photo is one of the small pieces). Not 1, but 2 or 3. I tried it, but couldn’t believe I was eating it. Yes, it was good, but it’s not a taste I think I should develop unless I plan to do a lot of 111-mile rides.
Tunnels were an interesting part of today’s ride. The first was close to a km long and was not lit. Fortunately, it was straight and you could see the far end, even though it was a small point of light. There were no cars, so navigating was just a matter of pointing your bike toward the light and hoping there were no big road divots. This is one case where "going toward the light" is the only good choice.
After the second climb of the day, we did something I have never done on a bike. We entered a 7 km tunnel that declined at a 7% grade! That is like descending a pass inside a tunnel. There is absolutely nothing to give you a horizontal reference, so it looks as if you are riding on a flat road, but coasting at 35 miles per hour. Fortunately, this one was lit and the van was following behind us to protect us from any cars. I wouldn’t choose to do it every day, but it was a pretty exciting experience.
For the techies, you may wonder how I knew that the tunnel descended at 7% since GPS should not work inside a tunnel. I was a little surprised at first too that I was getting readings, but then I realized that elevation is a function of barometric pressure which doesn’t need a satellite link, and speed/distance can be measured by the wheel sensor when the satellite link is lost. With elevation and distance, the GPS can measure grade. If you look at the GPS track of the ride, you will see a very straight segment running north near the northern-most point of Lake Garda. That was the tunnel.
Last comment is that the “The Machine” passed its first century test with ease. I have never done an “easy” century, but this was the most comfortable I have ever been. 110 miles without and significant neck or shoulder pain is something to celebrate. Thank you to Brock for getting the fit right.
Firsts / Highlights - First century ride of the year. 7 km tunnel at –7% grade. 7 hours of saddle time.
Miles Ridden - 110.96 miles
Vertical Feet - 6,485 ft
Route - View Today's Route Here.
People - 5 of 7 guests riding today were from Colorado (?!)
Bruce & Tracy – Boulder, CO (last day)
Roger & Helen – Basalt, CO
Mika & Ira – Helsinki, Finland. (last day) Found out today that Mika is a harbor worker in Helsinki. This is their first trip away from their 4 children (3, 5, 7 & 9).
Nicola & Maurizo – Guides
Anrea – drove van
This post is from May 19, 2009.
Today nearly ended for me before it got started. We had a big ride scheduled with over 100 miles of riding and two substantial climbs. Departure time was set for 9:00, but at 8:57, I was in the lobby and everyone was just milling around. I assumed it would be another late start, so I casually went back to the bike locker to get my bike. I figured I had a little time, so I wiped down my chain, lubricated it and filled my tires. Apparently, as soon as I left the lobby, Maurizio realized that it was 9:00 and they needed to leave immediately to catch the ferry crossing Lake Garda at 9:50. He rallied the group and they were off. Five minutes later, I showed up to an empty lobby. The front desk clerk said that the van driver could take me to the ferry, but he was nowhere around, so I decided to start riding. I later found out that the route I selected wasn’t the most direct, so not only was I behind, I was taking the long way to get there (we won’t talk about the wrong turn and construction stops in addition to bad route selection). Fortunately, the van found me and drove me the last 3-4 miles and pulled right on board just in time to pull away from the dock. Other than a little ribbing the rest of the day, I was back on track.
The hotel rotates their rides so that a guest staying for a week will never ride the same route twice. Today’s ride is the pinnacle of their weekly schedule, and as far as I am concerned, their crowned jewel. It is the longest and among the most challenging that they do. It requires more logistical planning than others because of the distance covered and the time it takes to complete. Since we departed the lobby at 9:00 am and did not return until 6:30 pm, we had a van to follow us all day with extra clothes, lunch, snacks, water, and hot tea (very refined).
We crossed the lake by ferry like we did a couple of days ago, but this time had the van with us in addition to our bikes. Rather than ride back along the lakeshore, we headed into the mountains surrounding the lake. There is a narrow flat ribbon all around the lake, but as soon as you go 50 feet inland, the climbing begins. Let’s just say that we went more than 50 feet inland.
The name of today’s trip was “4 Lakes”. Not too much explanation required. The name doesn’t tell you, however, that we also traveled through 3 Italian regions. We started in Veneto, passed through Lombardy, into Trentino and back to Veneto. That is the equivalent of riding in 3 states in one day. Mountain ridges separate the lakes; so moving from one to the next took us over a pass into another world. The first climb of the day was the most spectacular. Leaving Lake Garda, the road passed through a national park-like area on a very lightly traveled road. It was a bit worrying when I saw a sign for the town at the top of the first pass that said it was 27 km ahead. After suffering on the 25 km Alpe di Siusi, I thought this might be a very long day. The climb was challenging, but nothing like Siusi. The grade was considerably less and there were opportunities to recover along the way. Several people commented that the road was a “cyclist’s paradise”. I couldn’t argue with them.
The lunch and snack breaks were something to look forward to. For snacks, they brought an industrial size pan of apricot pastries. Lunch was penne pasta and pizza. 
Maurizio revealed the secret of his energy and power. He pulled out a kilo bag of Parmesan cheese chunks and started dipping them in honey. Not little nibbler size pieces, but chunks the size you would buy in a cheese shop (the photo is one of the small pieces). Not 1, but 2 or 3. I tried it, but couldn’t believe I was eating it. Yes, it was good, but it’s not a taste I think I should develop unless I plan to do a lot of 111-mile rides.Tunnels were an interesting part of today’s ride. The first was close to a km long and was not lit. Fortunately, it was straight and you could see the far end, even though it was a small point of light. There were no cars, so navigating was just a matter of pointing your bike toward the light and hoping there were no big road divots. This is one case where "going toward the light" is the only good choice.
After the second climb of the day, we did something I have never done on a bike. We entered a 7 km tunnel that declined at a 7% grade! That is like descending a pass inside a tunnel. There is absolutely nothing to give you a horizontal reference, so it looks as if you are riding on a flat road, but coasting at 35 miles per hour. Fortunately, this one was lit and the van was following behind us to protect us from any cars. I wouldn’t choose to do it every day, but it was a pretty exciting experience.
For the techies, you may wonder how I knew that the tunnel descended at 7% since GPS should not work inside a tunnel. I was a little surprised at first too that I was getting readings, but then I realized that elevation is a function of barometric pressure which doesn’t need a satellite link, and speed/distance can be measured by the wheel sensor when the satellite link is lost. With elevation and distance, the GPS can measure grade. If you look at the GPS track of the ride, you will see a very straight segment running north near the northern-most point of Lake Garda. That was the tunnel.
Last comment is that the “The Machine” passed its first century test with ease. I have never done an “easy” century, but this was the most comfortable I have ever been. 110 miles without and significant neck or shoulder pain is something to celebrate. Thank you to Brock for getting the fit right.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment