Granfondo Sportful
pmannion9
Posts: 286
Anyone doing this in Dolomites next weekend?
If so are you doing medium/long route?
Any previous experience would be gratefully appreciated.
Haven't decided on which route yet but the 220km long version could be a tad too far with all those climbs !!!
Obviously weather on the day will also be a contributing factor.
Cheers.
If so are you doing medium/long route?
Any previous experience would be gratefully appreciated.
Haven't decided on which route yet but the 220km long version could be a tad too far with all those climbs !!!
Obviously weather on the day will also be a contributing factor.
Cheers.
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Comments
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I've done both routes before, was scheduled to go this weekend but work means i've had to cancel.
The long route is tough, it doesn't hide the fact, it is what it is.
the shorter route is still testing, almost 3k of climbing.
Beware the weather is my advice. it was hot in Feltre when I started and snowing heavily at the top of the passo valles, making riding and particularly descending, murderous.
Awesome rides, though.0 -
Done the medium route a couple of times, as said by Yorkman do the long one only if you've a good training otherwise it's gonna be a very hard one.
And as for weather, it changes very quickly around there.
The start will be around 50km/h on the first flat section.
One of the best organized Granfondo.
Enjoy!0 -
I'll be there this coming weekend. I was riding around there a month ago and am doing the long route. To be honest I'm more concerned about this than the Pantani, Marmotte or Etape that I'm doing over the coming weeks. The climbs in the Dolomites are both severe and relentless. The others are just three or four long climbs.
Hoping for some lovely sunny weather.0 -
Guys, keep an eye on the weather forecast and bring some winter stuff like winter gloves and so on cause at the moment it doesn't look very nice.0
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Cheers.
Been following the weather allright. Not looking promising at all !!
Typical. !!0 -
Oh Dear,
looks like the organisers are changing the route in light of the expected extreme weather conditions. The Gran Fondo is now down to 200km and 4400m ascent.
I arrive in Feltre tomorrow evening. The weekend hardly looks Summery....0 -
Indeed weather forecast say heavy rains which means snow on top of some passes.
Last year they blocked the way to one pass (cant recall which one) after the first guys passed as the weather up there was really horrible.0 -
'Twas a horrible day. The Gran Fondo was cancelled because of the snow and ice and it rained heavily throughout the Medio fondo which was the only option.
Great event -so much more atmosphere than the Marmotte. Surprised to see so few Brits taking on the challenge. I'll be back for the Gran Fondo next year - once thawed out and dried off.0 -
'Twas a horrible day. The Gran Fondo was cancelled because of the snow and ice and it rained heavily throughout the Medio fondo which was the only option.
Great event -so much more atmosphere than the Marmotte. Surprised to see so few Brits taking on the challenge. I'll be back for the Gran Fondo next year - once thawed out and dried off.0 -
Well I just arrived back and if you did the granfondo sportful as well, how cold was that. The long course was cancelled, due to snow on the Passo Duran, Passo Vallas & Passo Rolle!!! Chucking down with rain, honestly that has to be the hardest sportive I've done n the cold, I thought my hands were going to turn blue! Having said all this, the climbs were good, Croce d'Aune is a really tough climb, imagine coming into that climb after 190km. Anyway we never found out. Its a great course, I was told by another few the long route is the toughest 1 day cycling sportive in Europe, more so than La Marrmotte in fact I was told a lot harder!!!!
I'm still cold thinking about it, at one point coming down a steep decent, my hands almost couldn't pull the levers. A lot of people neither turned up or just stopped! I'm just glad I finished in one piece. Everything was wet, impossible to stay dry even with the best kit!!0 -
A mate of mine did the ride and said that a woman crashed in front of him and fell over
the barrier. She was in a serious condition and airlifted to hospital. Hope she recovers well.0 -
My first experience of cycling on the continent. And boy what a baptism of fire...
We went for a short ride on the Saturday after registration and got soaked to the skin.
But the weather on Sunday was horrendous.The only thing that saved me was that i wore almost all the cycling gear I owned. It was the first time in an event that you were praying for some steep hills in order to keep warm.The descents were just a case of trying to control speed if you had any feelings left in your fingers...
Great sense of achievement in finishing though.
Think I would have struggled doing the long route.
Hope to be back again some day...
Hope there was no serious injuries and everyone got back OK.0 -
De Sisti wrote:A mate of mine did the ride and said that a woman crashed in front of him and fell over
the barrier. She was in a serious condition and airlifted to hospital. Hope she recovers well.
The descents were pretty dangerous. As with all sportives, the ability levels varied enormously and in the wet, so did the braking distances. There was a lot of close shaves if you could descend competently.
The Garmin claims 3,300m of climbing which seems a tad optimistic given the comparative ease of the route and the reasonable average speed.0 -
OMG 1st visit to the Dolomites for me in less than 2 weeks and now seems even more daunting :shock: I was concerned about the heat best I pack my winter gear
Hope everyone returned home safely from this event although there may be a few unavoidable mental scarring by the sounds of it :? Just off to check brake pads !!
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