Granfondo Campagnolo

Yorkman

What an amazing event on Sunday, started off in glorious sunshine, by the top of the Passo Valles people were riding into a blizzard, followed by a 40km descent in freezing conditions.

First time I have ridden on the continent, and I'm well and truly hooked.

Event was won by Alexander Bezanhov who I think was a Discovery domestique.

English lad was second as well.

agnello

I did this last year.
Epic- beautiful weather, awesome scenery and almost entirely Italian riders made for a great atmosphere. Coffee at food stops is an idea that should catch on over here!


I'm doing the marmotte this year. Am hoping the weather will have cleared up on the Galibier in a couple of weeks!

Yorkman

agnello wrote:

I did this last year.
Epic- beautiful weather, awesome scenery and almost entirely Italian riders made for a great atmosphere. Coffee at food stops is an idea that should catch on over here!


I'm doing the marmotte this year. Am hoping the weather will have cleared up on the Galibier in a couple of weeks!

Hot fruit tea was a welcome as well, along with individually wrapped sandwiches to stick straight into your jersey.

The litter was incredible on the way round though, they have no regard for their countryside.

ricadus

That's what I hate about the dilettante cyclists, this chucking stuff away like the pros do in races. On the plus side, the organisers have a following caravan of sweepers who pick up every item of dropped litter along the route. Very impressive aspect of the organisation that some UK events should copy.

the flying hernia

Just did the Campag - medium course (110k's / 2200m). My first gran fondo...and in fact, my first ride on a road-bike for 25 years.

I can see what the fuss is about. Stunning scenery, great roads and company, really good organisation...Probably the most fun I've ever had on wheels.

Its easy to feel a bit overawed by the whole 'big european epic thing' but I had a brilliant time despite doing everything 'wrong'.

1) I struggled to find time to train and made do with 3 months worth of 40min early mornings rides around a park on a mountainbike, I did use a heart rate monitor and do reps, but I don't think i ever managed more than 80 miles in a week. Turned out this was fine. Although i was skeptical to start with, the HRM (a Garmin) was really helpful. Made climbing much better knowing what rate to stick to -even when the last climb went to 18%.

2) i got a new bike two days before flying out. Plus new everything else. Totally un-tested and tried. I just bought good stuff and hoped for the best. This was my first road bike in 25 years so i didn't even know if i could cope with the riding position. As it was, it all worked splendidly.

3) I took off at the start way too fast trying to keep up with my racer sister in law and her Padova Athletico club mates. Just about held on until the first hill, then found that all those mornings spend 'winching' my mountainbike up gravel paths really paid off. After that, it was easy to find your own space / pace and relish the roads and views.

4) No experience of fast mountain descents. This had been my biggest concern. Turned out to be an absolute highlight - fantastic, exhilarating fun. Can't believe how good modern side pulls are (Chorus), or how strong and stable my bike felt braking down from 40+ (Enigma Effusion - a brilliant piece of kit by the way. No aches - went like a rocket, climbs like a dream. Even the Italian Pinarello pilots thought it looked 'bella'). The potential for pain is clear but lots of riders took it really steadily down hill and there are some many down-hill bends that I had time to get into it, gain confidence and - by the end - really let fly.

5) don't know the first thing about energy drinks or gels. Had porridge - lots of pasta the day before and ate bananas on the road - worked a treat!

The rush from doing the ride was tremendous - I'm still buzzing. Its less about the thrills though, and more about the purely personal satisfaction at having made it. The stuff i was worried about beforehand turned out to be fine. Even the baggage handlers failed to ruin the weekend.

So - if you're thinking about doing one of these things, I'd say 'go for it'. There's already enough advice about so I will just add these top tips:

1. knowing the heart rate range that lets you keen on going is really useful - stops you getting knackered early on and brings the mountains down to size. So long as the number never went above 165 i was happy and told myself i could keep going. Worked!

2. arm warmers. rather useful, as i discovered. It gets bloody cold on the long descents.

3. in training, four mornings per week doing 5 x 3min reps, where you push really hard for 3 mins then rest for 3 mins, takes you a long way. Don't panic if you don't have time to do a bunch of 100 milers in the months running up (unless you're doing the full 220k/ 5300m ride. in which case, panic a lot. Its bloody hard!)

4. porridge: food of the gods!

Yorkman

The flying Hernia - I wasn't by chance talking to you on top of the Croce d'Aune waiting for her husband to come over the top, was I?

the flying hernia

Could well be - were you the Bristol / clifton cycle club guy staying up the road from the final summit?

Yorkman

the flying hernia wrote:

Could well be - were you the Bristol / clifton cycle club guy staying up the road from the final summit?

Aye, that's me.

Did he get down in one piece? - the descent looked treacherous once the rain had set in.

the flying hernia

Hail fellow!

yes, the Brother in law absolutely flew down. quite astonishing. by the time we got in the car, backed up and set off, he was gone. we never saw him. I guess he was doing 50, 60+ down the road - in the rain.

I followed him down a (dry) mountain road once, a long time ago. the boy really knows his lines...and clearly has faith in his Conti GP4000's! (either that or he was so buggered he just thought - 'dont care. need to get home...')

I can't remember if you saw Gian Luca or not? He's a big guy - really not designed to get up mountains with ease. He was 12 hours on the bike in total (6 in the rain, as you know) and according to his Garmin, burned off 11,000 calories! Seeing the amount he ate afterwards, i wouldn't doubt it.

de_sisti

Well done to Dr Stephen Pierini of Cheltenham who finished 73 rd.

Yorkman

the flying hernia wrote:

Hail fellow!

yes, the Brother in law absolutely flew down. quite astonishing. by the time we got in the car, backed up and set off, he was gone. we never saw him. I guess he was doing 50, 60+ down the road - in the rain.

I followed him down a (dry) mountain road once, a long time ago. the boy really knows his lines...and clearly has faith in his Conti GP4000's! (either that or he was so buggered he just thought - 'dont care. need to get home...')

I can't remember if you saw Gian Luca or not? He's a big guy - really not designed to get up mountains with ease. He was 12 hours on the bike in total (6 in the rain, as you know) and according to his Garmin, burned off 11,000 calories! Seeing the amount he ate afterwards, i wouldn't doubt it.

I did see the big fella, and that's some energy he's burnt there. Were you still around when that bloke came up who had had a very bad fall and smashed his left leg up?

His left leg was all strapped up and his foot out of the pedal.

He'd spun his way up the Croce d'aune using only his right leg, unbelievable strength!

mozwyn69

I got stopped half way around by the police as they would'nt allow any riders up that 3rd mountain due to the weather. Just as well as I was shaking with cold at that feed on the valley floor, think i would had been in big trouble i'f i'd gone up higher. I probably spent too long at that feed drinking the warm fruity drink trying to warm back up anyway.
Awesome scenery up until then and it would have been a seriously hard ride. A chap in our group did it in about 9.18, he had done the 06 etape in 7.20 and reckoned this one was in another league.

veryslowtwitch

We were waved through the stopped group at Cencenighe and headed up the hill while loads were being sent down. Soon regretted it on the descent from Passo Valles, freezing, then snow on the Rolle and a body-numbing descent pedalling on jammed brakes to try and generate heat for 25k.

My mate bailed out with hypothermia at the last feed stop and I had my race number charmingly and ceremonially stripped at the bottom of Croce d'Aune because the organisers had closed the course and could not take any responsibility for me carrying on. Finished in 12 1/2 hours.

Wonderful day. I wore a pair of full finger gloves bought the day before and, over a week later, I'm the only one of four who can feel my fingertips. The others all still have numb fingertips from frostnip. From Italy. In June.

Hope to hear more tales.

Regards

Alan