"Alpe d' Huez", Le Bourg D'Oisans, RA, France - Day 2 (GBF13)

After a good 4 hours of driving from Bern to le Bourg D'Oisans, France parking at a big supermarket in Oisans, little lunch shopping and lunch time.

Then changing into the cycling kit and heading right up to visit the famous Alpe de Huez. This climb started right out of town with a decent 10..12% ramp,

but then levels into a moderate 6..8% climb. Fairly easy going from then, passing Huez then approaching the top of the Alpe. The top is not really spectacular in any means -- pretty much it ends in a big honestly not very pretty ski resort and big parking lots. Py went to the very end and around some ski lift base stations.

Obligatory attempt to find a good photo spot...

 

Then it's actually turning into a nice ride proceeding via Col de Sarenne -- passing a very pretty valley!

And a great descent down to Mizoen and Lac du Chambon on Route du Col de Sarenne. I can hardly describe those super fun descents with tight switch backs lined up one on one -- you have to go and ride and experience them your self! This was the 1st significant and little more demanding descent on his own bike with those EVNE wheels and break pads. Still a little unfamiliar with the behaviour, needs a good squeeze to get break performance. Little close call test on one faster approaching switch back breaking down form near 80 km/h... just worked -- whooho... wake up call!

All the way down checking breaks and rims -- pretty warm but not really hot to touch at this point any more.

Then picking a Hotel "Hotel des Alpes", checking, shower, little exploration of the cycling-awesome town and picking a restaurant for dinner. 

   

Back in our "chambre" sorting items and pre packing our packs for a two day ride with remote stay en route. Discussing options where to go and deciding on a direction going a little into Italy. Unfortunately the Gallibier pass is still closed, but we plan to give it a try and see what we really get -- always can return and proceed on an alternative route. Sounds like fun -- bed time now.

Let a great week proceed! So far weather was very cooperative and it's looking great! -- Come back to read about day 3 soon...

SwissiTP Aare Rhein Classics - Day 1 (GBF13)

Some time ago while planning the trip Ben found that this race he liked last year was just at the beginning of the week we were looking for our upcoming week of riding. Great, a quick look at it and agreed -- let's do this! A little some thing new -- 1st race in Europe for Py scheduled!


http://www.gippingen.ch/web/index.php/swissitp-aare-rhein-classics

So Py signed up online for the SwissiTP Aare Rhein Classics heavy:
Renndistanz: 2 Runden á 15,0 km, 5 Runden á 10,1 km= 84,5 km

Interesting, no license needed! Only professional racers (UCI license holders or in the past 5 years) are not permitted. OK -- so that's some CAT12345 equivalent event in some way.

Finalizing flight dates, that's going to be tough and will be on a tight schedule as the only reasonable travel option turned out to be a same day arrival.

Leaving home with his bike in a travel case in the early Saturday afternoon. Heading to JFK for the LX14 (18:00) flight landing scheduled for 8:00 Sunday morning in ZRH/Zurich -- typically this flight is a bit early and Py landed by 7:37. A little delay at passport control as some unusual crowd appeared all at once.

Picking up luggage and bikebox with zero further dealys, rolling it over to the airport train station. Just missing one train of many going via Winterthur. OK. Time for a little breakfast -- Nussgipferl & Cappuccino. Taking the next train and arriving at about 9:15 in Winterthur where Ben was already waiting. Good and just in time. Driving to Gippingen -- about a good hour drive.

Contrary to all forecasts -- overcast sky in Zurich, no rain. And even better -- sunny and hot!! in Gippingen. Great!

Time is running... about 10:15. Race start by 11:30, staging by 11:10 or such.
Bike assembly while Ben picked up both numbers and race packages including a full kit (jersey and pants!) coming with the registration -- great deal!
Love it -- so relaxed, so easy, no signature, ID or what so ever needed, just the name(s) and good -- no even in person.
Bike assembled and checked, number pinned -- oh wait, need some more food... a banana and a cliff bar. In a hurry stuffing a few items in the jersey pockets.

 

Still need to fill up bottles, water at registration/bathrooms. Then a little riding around town to check out a few key positions, no time to do any of the laps. Then proceeding to the staging "Aufstellung" area. Topping off water again. Hot!

 

 

Here the bunch of racers, Py a few rows back with Ben on his right.

It's getting hot waiting in the sun! The race started 4 minutes delayed as we had to wait for the Postauto to pass.
The race started pretty much at full speed ahead out of the box. Hurting a little going from zero to 100 so fast, warming up slowly as race progresses moving speeds around 40 km/h -- the roads were fully closed and all space was used, need to watch for those road dividers...! OK. Heading up the first climb was not near limit but for a cold start pretty tough. In numbers about 300 +/-50 Watts needed for this 10 minute climb sitting back in the pack to conserve and get a chance to warm up some what.

Unfortunately Py was about  3 riders too far back as in some near U-turn around a very narrow "pinch" at the top a rider in front went down and hit the pavement -- so narrow that this bike blocked the whole way and a few seconds delay until he got up and going again... opened a way too big gap to be chased down by just a few riders left behind :-( Trying hard for a while -- but the following flat part, then downhill and a even longer flat gave us just not any chance to catch up.
Working with a small 3..4 rider group, a pointless chase attempt -- long lost sight -- then no more but riding to finish the race as good as possible. Second "big" lap done, then 1, 2, .. of the smaller 10k laps with a great climb, putting a little hurt on at about 3/4 to the top with a steep section. Great to have a good crowd of cheering spectators up there!!! Just adds a whole lot of fun and motivation :)
No place to recover or sit in. Hurting badly with big efford in 2nd but last lap following a big guy... little odd cramp at odd position on upper left leg, easing up for 2nd but last lap to go, getting lapped on the last climb... and finishing with one lap down. Wow, that was fun and tough the same time -- and a great new experience as well! Py never raced on completely closed roads with all space available, even those both lanes may be narrower than a single regular lane in the US! Also a fairly good crowd of spectators at several climbs and locations along the coarse :-)
Calls for more and better knowledge of the laps!

http://www.gippingen.ch/web/index.php/swissitp-aare-rhein-classics

Great event -- some what calls for one more attempt in 2014 -- may be a bit more ideal preparation and eventually even lined up post some big riding with a little recovery and not just right out of the airport??

Then, short cool down ride with Ben. Packing up and driving to Bern.

What a "crash" start into some riding to come -- stay tuned for 6 more pending ride reports in preparation of the past week!

Solo to Orient Point, a the scenic Tour of the North Fork

A little busy with timing experiments still. First missed to sign up for BBB in time. Second, redecided on a little race at FBF, signed up for 3/4s. Then exiting and well working experiments keeping Py a little on a short leash -- while checking on Saturday and then last minute on Sunday morning at 5:30am on the progress it all looked fine and all important sets were just about to finish while having breakfast and preparing to ride. Good, last sets coming in -- monitoring the progress at the lab 12 miles away remotely... Deciding to finish it up. Taking two final reference images manually and putting the system in a safe mode -- giving enough time now for a good worry free ride before any need to show up in person at the laboratory.

In the mean while it's 6:20 -- time to roll, but no constrains today, just riding on known roads all the scenic way, as scenic as possible... out to Orient Point State Park. With about 15 miles to the park a sudden pffffff and a flat front for no obvious reason -- well some sharp scrap cut a near 3mm hole high up in the thin side wall -- holy crap. New tube. Patch on inside of tire plus some Cliffbar packaging... pumping it up, looking OK. Rolling on. Good to meet RPC Tom at the park next to the BBB water station out there. Borrowing a new spare tube -- thanks!!! -- just a better feeling with still over 120km to go -- but good from then on. Proper early lunch stop in Greenport, little sight seeing before heading on into the cross/head wind. Last stop at Camp Upton, feeling a little sticky and just running out of water -- good timing. Recharging fresh cold water -- tast so gooood!! and taking care on the to be refilled cryogens and check a little more on data...
What a day -- little over 200km!

Lenny Birds or such... Memorial day ride.

Memorial day. Let's ride South once in a while and add a little of the North. Coffee and snack break at the Briamere Farms.

Early Birds once in a while

Sunday... still a notch chilly, but fine weather finally! Let ride and add a little extra today! Nothing special so -- just the Birds. Then heading to work to check on experiment and finally home.

GFNY 2013 -- a wet misery but good ride and race beyond that!

The 2nd GFNY for Py. Saturday -- taking the LIRR train with friends to Pennstation, NYC to Sign In and pickup the race package, numbers, jersey, etc. -- the day before at the GFNY Bike Expo with Doug, Jeremy and Mark:

 
Sunday, barely Sunday -- wake up 1:50am... drive up with Doug's to carpool with Doug, Mark and Jeremy. Getting wet more and more on the way/LIE, yikes.... arriving in Manhatten, parking, unloading, little misery in mind, putting shoes on... -- raining, foggy, the clock is nearing 4am, dark, wet still rainy. About 45min easy ride to start, more and more green jerseys merging the bike path until hitting a slow moving crowd up toward the pre-staging assembly area with the only porta potties. Too early, this is the usual annoyance... We were supposed to start staging -- entering the bridge, lower level -- or entering the GW by about 5:30am. There in good time. Moving up to the bridge, no facilities on GW. Still almost 1h30 to go.

 


Thanks to the organizers for picking the lower lever so we had at least cover from the rain. It may have been near death waiting in a little wind and rain for that long in just a jersey. A notch of chill setting in. Cowering low at the side of the road hiding from the elements a bit. The dense crowd helps a bit warming... staying low. Still 1 hour to go. More and more riders rolling on. Moving up a notch. Chatting with some unknown riders from all over the world, a Canadian and others. Talking bike... it does not matter, some thing to make time moving. Almost feels like Py knows the guys forever... holding the spot/seat for a while. Then some activity moving up a bit more. Loosing the good spot. Sitting down n the pavement seams to best bet now. So what. 20 minutes... 5min... 1min .. and off we go!

     Flying out of NYC in a fast paced pack around 22mph moving, front pace vehicle in sight for long, awesome, fun -- just a little wet and foggy ride up to Bear Mountain. Entering the beautiful palisades road, a few climbs moving up in a rush. The pace still just up there, the photographers moto moving back and force... cool! Nearing 9W, still a hard pace up hill the pack stretching out a bit and separates, a few attempts to bridge up from the 2nd half Py was in now -- but no way to catch up solo, but keeping up a high pace solo for a while, a rider snagging on. A few more showing up from behind. At some point working with two others all the way up to bear mountain. Cruising via a few towns at high speed... not even realizing any food stops.
On top of bear the only stop. Grabbing 1/2 banana. Gone. Finally visiting this urgently needed bathroom right up there to drop some weight. So dump carrying all up, but no earlier chance. So what. All good now -- new energy. Still plenty of water and fuel -- pretty much 1/2 way. Good to fly on! Let finish this up and get out of that wet misery. Descending, little unnecessary slowed behind one other rider, passing at next safe opportunity. Tucking down, minimizing exposure to the elements. Woooosh... Hitting 73km/h on wet roads.... no problem, plenty of room, new Fredestein tires feeling good and giving secure grip. Let the fun begin. At some point loosing the two riders, so what. It's a GF -- pick, go pick a new rider if any... what so ever works -- right? Pulling long, good to be in front -- less dirty water from other wheels, most safe, best sight, views and best line to pick.

   

Have there been more rest stops? -- not noticed any but there must have been some. Good to go with two bottles, a cliffbar and 1/2 banana. Most fun part of the ride were the last 15km or so -- for a long time "we" -- two other riders and myself Py pulled a lazy bunch of about 15 or more guys around... I did not minded the front so much, less spray and drinking dirt water... plus most safe -- hehe!! -- and then on the last few climbs we just shelled those guys all off with ease... and had a nice steady good move with a huge gap to the "timing" finish!

    Results -- 5h16, 73rd over all: http://results.bazumedia.com/event/results/event/event-3985?entryID=4308689

LINK TO SPECIAL VIDEO PENDING -- come back!

Grabbing a few snacks before hitting the last few miles to the all over finish and ferry. Pasta and Choban Yoghurt waiting :) Then a long wait and little shivering at the Ferry dock, at least in doors. Quick warm face rinse off... a hot chocolate, so good! Then about 1..2 hours later taking the ferry back over to Manhattan. What a day!

    

Hunter Spring Classics -- a wet group ride or was it a race?

Saturday morning 6am leaving for a road trip to Hunter, NY. Few showers on the way, not too bad. But looking pretty dark up in the Catskill Mountains...

Signing in, preparing, a little drizzle...
As the start time got closed the rain intensified a little.

Staging in the rain was never Py's favorite scenario, but so what, at least not to cold or windy.

The race took off, soggy dirty roads, a good shower from other riders wheels and from out of the sky. Within minutes every one was soaked from head to toe... and slowly a steady comfort zone of misery was reached. The pack was moderately and with decent care moving along, no incidences for 99.9% of the 80 miles or two laps. A little effort at the only one climb of significance, but never anything really happened. A temporary minor gap, a few attempts in front where Py was mostly part of the game. But nothing worked out.

Group ride to finish. Within the last km RPC rider Tom managed to get up and did hell of a job pulling and setting up his team mate -- what worked near perfect and he could sprint to 2nd! Congratulations to Mark!


 http://velocityresults.com/results/445/hunter-mountain-classic-hunter-ny

Cleaning up... dinner with friends at Last Chance in Tannersville. Drive home.
Prolonged shower and multiple attempts to finally clean up from that nasty road grit left mainly in face and hair... yikes.

One more great ride -- SKM #2

A notch of chill this morning and a temporary cloud cover, but good for shorts :) One more good ride on "old" route now getting to new life with a bigger group! Just fun out there, thx to all for joining. Why not a new Sunday venue?