Thanks to an understanding wife I have been able to ride some great sportives over the years: the Amstel Gold (best atmosphere and fun), The Maratona (legendary), the GFNY New York (best race vibe) to name a few.
After a few years off I decided that I had another long one in my legs. I have always loved the Alps, and found what I thought would be the perfect challenge, the Dreilandergiro, Just over 100 miles and 3,600m of climbing including a chance to ride the Stelvio.
The race starts and finishes in the Austrian town of Nauders, but the basis of the race - as "Drei Lander" suggests - is that it takes in three countries: Austria, into Italy, over the Stelvio into Switzerland and back to Austria.
The town gives itself over to the ride totally for the weekend; on the Friday there is short circuit crit racing around town and there is a genuine party atmosphere. At this stage I will note the total absence of one thing: British riders. In contrast with the Maratona, out of over 3,000 riders I was the only Brit.
The ride started at 6.30am, and the start is typical of mass events with a relatively slow first few kilometres until the pack thinned out. The ride follows the main pass down into Italy and after the first 5km you start the first gradual decent into the valley.
The views are simply stunning: lakes, snowcapped mountains, and a wide open valley. In fact, the first 40km are probably the nicest, easiest 40km you're ever going to ride. You pass through a walled town of Glurns, shortly after which the route turns right and you begin the legend that is the Stelvio.
The temperature by this time was in the high 20s at 10am, so missing the feed station wasn't really an option. I was going ok, but for reasons I will explain I was on a compact groupset, and was feeling it. Personally I found being able to see the top helped measure my effort, and I got to the summit puffing and panting around 10:30. Another well equipped feed stop was waiting, this time not as crowded as the riders had thinned out, and after a few selfies it was back to the descent.
I had not had time to recon the route before but knew we were heading to another climb, the Offenpass. I did notice as all the riders left the feed stop they all changed gears into the easiest gear. Immediately after the feed stop the climb began, not Stelvio hairpins but long ramps upward, and it kept going up, and up.
The temperature by now was hovering around 30C, and I was grateful each little Swiss village we passed had a water fountain. I was drinking a bottle at every opportunity. The Offenpass just kept on going, and at about 90km in I passed my first riders who were walking,
I saw what I thought was the top of the pass, and had a brief moment of relief, but saw around 60 riders at the side of the road, in a layby, which was odd as we were near the top and a proper feed stop. Bang, a slight turn to the right and then I saw a series of brutal hairpins, and realised why they had stopped.
The last 6km to the top of the were hard and still not 100km on the clock; I had left the top of the Stelvio with two hours in the bank, but by the time I made the top of the Offenpass, I was about 45 mins ahead.
The decent from the top of the Offenpass is stunning: a long, wide, safe road, stunning views, good road surface. You're well into Switzerland at this stage and by the end of the main downhill you're at about 100km so another 68 to go.
There was now a long gradual flat/slightly downhill back to border. I would think this is the only real opportunity to feel your legs, and make up some time, on this course.
Although the weather was hot and sunny, this last part was into a killer headwind. Using the universal cyclists' language I teamed up with a group and we took turns and chain ganged to the last feed stop and the border back to the finish. It was now about 35 degrees and the last feed stop actually had a water spray which was badly needed.
According to the website you now have about 7km to go, in what is described as "gentle slopes back to Nauders" - which proved the Austrian sense of humour. Gentle slopes is 500m of climb in just under 5km and by this stage there were lots of walkers. I was struggling with cramp, and that last 5km of climb were for me brutal. At the top you have the last 2km straight down and beer.
This was a hard ride, the weather was hot all day - even at the start it was 20C plus - but in other years there has been driving rain at the top of the passes. This is a well-run, well organised ride: the police in Italy and Switzerland are at every junction and stop the traffic to wave you through. A chance to ride the Stelvio has to be on most riders' bucket lists; add on the Offenpass and the last pass back into Austria, this is a hard ride.
As for me, on the day before the ride, I went for a little leg stretch and my rear mech sheared off. The resort is a mountain bike centre, two bike shops no spares, no bikes to hire, I was truly stuffed! In desperation I went to the only bike exhibitor at the event, Baldiso bikes, and asked if they would lend me a bike for the day?
With grateful thanks they showed pity on a 65-year-old foreigner, and lent me a bike for the day - a lovely bike, one of the top of the range, lent out on trust alone. There are some good people out there!
Howver, beautiful as the bike was, it had a very compact rear cluster and at least 100 times during the ride I was checking to see if there were any more gears!
My ride time, in total was just over 10 hours, and I claim with some certainly I was the first Brit over the finish (and the last!).
Hints for anyone doing this ride, stop in Glurns and miss the first feed stop; and if you can, ride or drive the route beforehand: the Offenpass was a killer, more so than the Stelvio, and that was due to not knowing the climb.
I am a 65-year-old rider, 83kg, so not a climber by any measure, living in East Anglia where a speed hump is classed as a climb. I had done as much as I could in distance beforehand, but this was a hard ride: not an easy, gentle ride but a serious challenge. Across the age groups the average DNF rate was around 15%; in my age group 168 finished, with 28 DNF.
The following weekend saw the Maratona, which - without checking - will have had loads of Brits riding. I am at a total loss as to why the Dreilander isn't on the radar for UK riders because in terms of challenge and scenery it absoluetly matches the well-known granfondos.
Finally, after the usual recovery beer, and saying never again, an hour later, it was "next time on my own bike with the right cassette I can knock an hour and a half off..."
The response from my wife is certainly not fit for print.
Find out more about next year's Dreilandergiro at www.dreilaendergiro.at/en.
0 Comments