Cycling the Giro, Tour and Vuelta routes in 2010

honkjelly

Am planning on cycling the Giro, Tour and Vuelta routes in 2010. Will be kicking off around April 19th and should take approx 100/120 days.

Is currently a solo tour but anyone is welcome to come along for some/part/all of it.
The general plans is below but have done up a blog with a bit more info here http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/3tours.

I know there has been talk about doing some boards touring in Ireland next year now that the TOI CC looks like it may be canceled so just throwing out the European option. Doing some of the Giro in April / early May would be great training for a Marmotte or Etape in July!

The plans as it stands right now:

1. Will NOT be doing a stage a day*. Will prob try and average 130k a day. Trying to do each tour stage for stage would just make it a complete suffer fest. While I expect there to be a healthy dose of suffering over the course of the 3 tours I still plan on enjoying the tour as much as possible. *There will be a few exceptions to this. The toughest stage of each tour will have to be done in one day. For the the TDF this will be the Etape du Tour.

2. Will not be carrying camping gear so will be paying for accommodation each night.

3. Will never pass a boulangerie without purchasing something if hungry.

4. Will only get trains between stage finishes and starts if they are more than 100ish kilometers apart. So this means some bonus cycling during each tour. Depending on how the legs feel this may involve some more climbing. For example Mont Ventoux will deffo not be on the TDF route this year but if the route goes anywhere near it then it will have to be climbed.

5. Will try and do each tour straight through without 'no cycling' rest days (apart from cross country train journeys) For rest days will limit cycling to 50/60k. Don't know how many rest days there will be. Depends on the legs I suppose.

SACH Central

Did you win the lottery? What do you do (or don't do as the case may be) for a living that allows you such free time.

I'd defo come along but: (A) the wife would divorce me (B) the kids wouldn't recognise me on my return, if I made it back (the wife may well, in addition to the divorce as laid out in point (A) above, put out a hit on me) & (C) the dog not recognising me would savage me to death.

So to sum up, I'll take a rain check on 2010, contact me this time next year and I see how I'm fixed for 2011.

Seriously though, best of luck with the plan

SunshineCyclist

Dude, seriously, update your website! Use wordpress! PM me if you want help!

blorg

That looks seriously cool and you seem to have a good approach that looks realistic (as realistic as such an endeavour can be!)

May well be on for joining you for a week of this- what sort of bike are you planning on? Road bike or tourer?

honkjelly

SACH Central wrote: »

Did you win the lottery? What do you do (or don't do as the case may be) for a living that allows you such free time.

Taking unpaid leave from work for a year. Been planning it for a while and have been saving towards it. Lotto win tonight would be nice though.

SunshineCyclist wrote: »

Dude, seriously, update your website! Use wordpress! PM me if you want help!

The guys that I've toured with before all use the crazyguy website and recommended it for ease of use on the road. Will have a look at wordpress - plenty of time to fine tune blog choice before the cycling starts.

SunshineCyclist

I would definately recommend it and look forward to following your blog and being insanely jealous of all your miles! Go for it!

DirkVoodoo

Wow, despite the 1990s website design I was really enthralled by the content. Best of luck with the challenge, sounds amazing!

Definitely keep up the writing too.

full gas

ya could have trouble getiing over some of the mts in italy that early in the year , gavia was still closed in the first week of june this year , rode over the giau in white out conditions ,not trying to put ya off , i still had a fantastic trip, just saying weather pretty dodge at 2000m ,and that was last week of may first week of june , sounds like a great trip , nice way to send a few months

honkjelly

blorg wrote: »

May well be on for joining you for a week of this- what sort of bike are you planning on? Road bike or tourer?

Good stuff! Will be doing it on my first road bike - Trek 1000 with a triple on it.

full gas wrote: »

ya could have trouble getiing over some of the mts in italy that early in the year

Very True. Have a website saved somewhere where I can check to see if the passes are open. Worst case scenario would mean having to skip them and fit them back in before Rome but I really would like to do it stage for stage. Want to start early to allow for a bit of time away from the bike when i'm done.

honkjelly

Ciao!!!! Kicked this off nearly two weeks ago.

In a town called Bitono (near Bari) which is at the end of Stage 10. [missed out the first 4 stages because i got delayed by the ash cloud but will get them in before the tour de france] The cycling is going well and my legs have come on a fair bit since day 1. Climbing being all about power to weight ratio never were made more clear than on the first climb on Day 2. Had been getting in training spins in Austria with about 2000m of climbing leading up to d-day but that wasn't with 12 extra kilos in pannier bags. Really struggled up the measly 200m which had sections of 10% and was really worried about getting through the tour after it.

BUT since then the power had increased and I might have lost a bit of weight too. Had about 3 days in a row there with about 2000m climbing and made it through fine. The toughest climb i've done so far was to Montalcino – section of about 5 hairpins of 15% was a killer. Way harder than the longer monte terminillo.

Stuffing my face pretty much all the time. Generally get 2 pizzas for each night, 1 for dinner and 1 for lunch on the bike. Usually start at 9am and keep on going till I reach my planned destination – all eating is done on the bike.
Had about 4 days of really bad weather last week. When it rains here it fuppin pours.
Oh and italian drivers are pretty bad. The driving test here must be a right laugh.
Don't get to the blog (link in first post) much but here is a link to my photos in picassa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnwkelly1

Raam

I love the sound of this:

honkjelly wrote: »

2000m climbing

This is making me very jealous:

honkjelly wrote: »

5 hairpins of 15%

But this one seals the deal

honkjelly wrote: »

2 pizzas for each night

Sounds like a very cool trip.

honkjelly

Just managed to catch the highlights of the stage to Montalcino and looks like the weather was crap all over italy cos it was lashing along the Adriatic.


About 40k into stage 13 now. Stage 12 had a loop through Porto Recanati which i'm sure is nice when it isn't monsoon season. Will be hitting some serious hills next week but thats the whole point of this tour. Am planning on watching stage 15 somewhere on Monte Zoncalan (near the bottom!) so watch out for an Irish Flag on TV.

Esroh

JK are you who I think you are. Would the Foyle Express mean anything to ya. If so You have come a very long way and good luck with the rest of it:D

honkjelly

Esroh wrote: »

JK are you who I think you are. Would the Foyle Express mean anything to ya. If so You have come a very long way and good luck with the rest of it:D

That would be me and yes I have very fond memories of the Foyle Express!! Any plans for 2010 seeing as there is no TOI this year?

Esroh

A venture to the Apls hopefully. Ballinrobe is twinning ith a town half way from Lyon to Alpe d'Huez and they have a strong Cycling club so it looks likes we have an invite:D

I have had a quiet winter as no TOI for incentive. ill ride the usual suspects this year.

GearoidP

We convinved Honk Jelly to do a "minor" detour from the actual Giro route to take in the 2757m Stelvio Pass - in my opinion the mother of all Alpine Passes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelvio_Pass

We're flying out from Dublin to Bergamo for the June Bank holiday weekend. Just read on a website that the pass is currently closed but is due to open just in time on 29th of May. Watch out for updates on Honk Jellys' blog:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/3tours

honkjelly

After my last post i got a nasty dose of gastroentoritis in Asolo (base of Monte Grappa) which kept me off the bike for 5 days. Also missed out on Grappa but will do it before leaving italy. Since getting back on track have done Monte Zoncolan and the Kronplatz. So here are my memories of the two from the blog plus a few pics.


Zoncolan
So i headed off towards the inferno and it didn't dissapoint. When it ramped up it RAMPED up and didn't let up for about 5k. I was all over the road and at one point cycled into a grass verge and toppled over onto it. My average speed was between 4k and 5k so it was going to be a long one. Every 500m or so there was a picture of a Giro great whcih was good for marking the distance but was also a bit depressing given the time it took to get to each one. At 2k i had to stop for a breather. The incline was so steep for the previous 2k that i was finding it hard to control the bike which meant that i wasn't really eating and drinking. After the break my legs felt crap so i decided not to stop again and just try and catch moments here and there to drink. I was seriously doubting that I could do it but just kept on grinding away. It was almost unbearable to look at the gradient of the road as I rounded each hairpin but always had to look in the hope that the steepness would let up. At some point i don't know if the incline did actually let up (didn't look it!) bit or if i just got into a (horribly slow) rythm but it seemed less painfull.
When i was staring at the speedometer all i could think of was watching basso and evans tearing up the climb with people running beside them shouting encouragement. If there had been fans watching me they could have ambled up and would probably of had to stop now and again to let me catch up.
Apparently there were fifly thousand people watching the Giro on the mountainthe day before and the only sign of them now was the rubbish. The climb was completely deserted. I suppose any big tour is like a swarm of locusts. Arrives in mass and before you know it it's gone.
Anyway back to the pain. At about 5k the gradient relented and then there were 3 short (cold) tunnels before the final steep section. I knew i was near the top at this point so the stepness didn't feel as bad. Just 4 more hairpins and I was at the top with a sign of relief and a clench of the first. Was delighted to have made it to the top but felt terrible, really really cold and weak. It's a climb that I'm happy ive done but don't ever want to do it again.


Kronplatz
Started into the Kronplazt and thankfully the first ramp relented after a few hundred meters and the gradient wasn't so bad. The first kilometer was also tarmacced. Then the gravel and hairpins came. I really had to concentrate on picking the right line thorough the gravel on each hairpin becasue if I got into the deep stuff the back wheel would loose traction. Also had to put a extra bit of effort in and try and drive up each turn making sure to stay sitting in the saddle (like on Montalcino). At one point the line i was taking just disappeared mid hairpin and i just about unclipped as I lost traction and balance.


The good thing about the gravel was that i was so focused on try not to fall that i didn't give the gradient much thought. Before long i'd done all but the last hairpin and at it the road was paved again. This paved section lasted about a kilomemeter till the finish and contained the max gradient of 24%. Had to get out of the saddle to stop the bike from tipping back and was shattered when i had passed it. Kept on going to the finish which was clearly marked because the Giro finish was still there!


First Zoncolan Ramp
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RUXVL9dNmshjOC1VhrdsbQ?feat=directlink


Nearly there when you see this
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nfZSMfTG4yJQYXKlYOsKJA?feat=directlink


Top
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/59H57UVluxV_5KbysjUOzw?feat=directlink


Ramp near the top - first 2k was that steep
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GYQqDnVHlAQzbox9uHNV9w?feat=directlink


Furkellpass (road before the gravel to Kronplatz)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1sEGxwWtMlSaiiK8fCbGnw?feat=directlink


First Kronplatz ramp
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BPZKrC6-2jzbCO9zCceumQ?feat=directlink


looking down at 24%
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7yMfDeyj9ztM8mX3vuorfg?feat=directlink


Gravel
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C8wHxlgGGJQom1vnP9qqdw?feat=directlink


Now thats a stage finish
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Eookm4uiqLkmIpCOLKLCyQ?feat=directlink

honkjelly

Finished up the italian leg of the giro on the evening of the 8th on monte grappa. Had gone there after stage 21 in verona to complete the climb where i gotten sick a few weeks earlier. Ticked off a few major climbs including Mortirola, Forcola, Gavia and Stelvio from both sides. Met up with some of the lads from the Malin to Mizen tour last year to do stelvio from the Prato side and Gavia and they were two amazing days of cycling as we got great weather but there was still loads of snow up high. If you like your climbing then Stelvio really is a must and from a bormio base you could do all the climbs i've listed above over the course of a long weekend. What made our climb of stelvio more special was the fact that the road was still officially closed with a bulldozer blocking cars and motorbikes which left it free for cyclists. You did have to push your bike the last 500m through snow but it was worth it! My Gramin stats are so far:


Distance: 3,592.47 km


Time: 181:40:14 h:m:s


Elevation Gain: 46,232 m


End of road on Stelvio from Prato


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sN8U-_LTTUYIynUK6TNP2g?feat=directlink


That shot of the hairpins of prato


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/USU7fPVyXPtWPJIkmTeBwQ?feat=directlink




Initial descent from the summit through walls of snow


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ajLAkIlcEmqmHkXV_ZoYfw?feat=directlink




the hairpins on the bormio side


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nGzqCZo6Ym-W5Olm8kOT6w?feat=directlink




on the way to Mortirola. Great panoramas


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cjO7FX7lOAv59cznCQRusg?feat=directlink


Ouch


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Xb29_d5-7vRctJxFhaQk2Q?feat=directlink


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eB_x7qD_OrtIPTLtp8zAIA?feat=directlink


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PAr9ph6ZBukUf4wqhrd9jA?feat=directlink


into the snow on gavia


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iCcjNQXFZso8RCxc6OVpuQ?feat=directlink


gavia descent


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-7CI-odqWNgCEoqblBKEpA?feat=directlink


Don't think those rocks would help much


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/137KN3PDGekt0AoOVwyVyA?feat=directlink

honkjelly

What Albeto will be having bad dreams about

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WkaB05XLMacMlWZ80E6oMA?feat=directlink

honkjelly

I know it's the wrong tour now but finished up the giro by doing the final dutch stage (3) to Middleburg by he north sea on June 20th. Got some horrible weather in holland and picked up a bit of a head cold that still lingers – well i'm still launching snot rockets. From Middleburg it was a short train journey to Rotterdam for the start of the tour. Am mid way through stage 10 now so have done a few of the big alpine climbs. Managed to avoid falling on the descents to Spa and tipped along the pave at a gentle pace. Had initially tried to gun it but it was just impossible with the panniers and retreated to the gravel edge which I was surprised to see the pros do as i'd assumed the space would be taken up by spectators. On the flat (no flat roads – just rolling up and down) stages 4 & 5 and the heat in France really got to me - no va va voom. Struggled through the days and the numerous drags uphill were just horrible. Stage 6 had a fair few cat 4 climbs but they were not so bad as I was stating to get used to the heat a bit which was just in time as Stage 7 took place in the Juras with 6 climbs and a mountain finish. Did the climb up to Station des Rousses on the same morning as the Marmotte and was glad not to have a 5000 hm in store! Next it was onto the alps and a stage finish in Avoriaz where I went skiing yonks ago. The climb up reminded me a bit of alpe d'huez with tons and tons of hairpins. Stage 9 was probably the queens stage of the alps with 2 cat 1's and cat 2 and the hors Col du Madeleine. Broke the day into 2 doing all the climbs up to the Col du Saisies on day 1 leaving the 24k of the Madeleine for day 2. I used to dislike stages that had a final climb followed by a long descent but having descended a fair bit over the past 2 months and having enjoyed Aryo's balls to the wall descent of Mortirola in the Giro to do it well takes skill and guts and the Madeleine is quite a tough descent to some time should be made on it by a gc guy who guns it.


prologue
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DiTQyh_yd9NrEFV8LedVmA?feat=directlink


final k's of the columbier.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7uKAKxskOKzDRujFhs0Qkg?feat=directlink


what goes up..
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ji117j5dnpWFsH0Q6j5RmA?feat=directlink


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ecL_-ffslWw1hocDFvlUYg?feat=directlink



madaleine
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BndemTcDfRLeMEP9UQedBA?feat=directlink


18k descent
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RiTzenKXbSho7fERpvBPfg?feat=directlink

honkjelly

Well 2 down and 1 to go now!

After the queen stage in the Alps I had a few reasonably hilly days in the scorching French heat. The Cote de Laffrey on stage 10 had to be one of the worst climbs i've ever done. The average 9% over 7k was hard enough but it turned out to be on a a really busy 2 lane highway. Imagine cycling on the M50 in rush hour and then add the gradient! Was cursing Mr Prudhomme all the way up. The stage was redeemed by one of the best descents of the tour down the Col du Noyer.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/07/2010_tour_de_france_-_part_i.html#photo35
Then finished the stage into Gap taking in the corner that ended Joseba Beloki's chance at winning the tour and unfortunately his cycling career,

Was pretty dull from then on until I met up with 2 guys cycling the tour route day for day on stage 13.
http://pedalbiker.blogspot.com/ Quentin took part in the 2009 TOI Cycle Challenge so some of you may have cycled with him. http://sowhere2next.wordpress.com/ Steve was working for Sports International who were supporting Quentin. Was very envious of their support van that would wait for them at the top of climbs with a cooler box of coke and all the m&m's you could eat.

From there i skipped forward for a bit of a break that included the etape du tour before returning to stage 13. Luckily i was pretty much straight into the Pyrenees which were just stunning. Way way better than the Alps. Got hit with terrible weather when doing the hors cat Port de Pailheres but it wouldn't have been an authentic Pyrenean experience without getting lashed with wind and rain in the face. Got so cold on the descent that I had to ask another guest in my hotel in Ax Les Thermes to open my room door as my hands were so numb.

The next hors cat was the Port de Bales where Andy Schleck dropped his chain. The last 4K of the climb when it opened out into the valley was just ridiculously scenic. The following day i started with the Peyresourde before the combo of the Aspin and Tourmalet which were in the 1910 tour. The legs felt pretty good all day and it was just a joy ascending and descending all three. Finished the climbing of the Tour the following day on the Aubisque and i definitely saved the best for last. On the ascent i was passed my a guy in full livestrong gear and what looked like a livestrong bike. Got chatting to him on the descent and he was indeed a pro. http://www.livestrong.com/teamradioshack/riders_MatthewBusche/
Talking on the descent was fine but when we hit the flats with the odd drag into a headwind I found my breathing got a bit shallower while he was still yammering away. When i was at my Max HR for the day i bit the bullet and asked if i could drop back behind him but after 82 days of cycling grand tour stages i had earned a professional domestique for a few k!

The remaining stages were fairly flat. Must have passed wine worth hundreds of millions of euro around Bordeaux and then finally finished up the tour by the Arc de Triomphe. Swinging a right onto the cobbles of the Champs Elysees and seeing the Arc was a pretty special moment!

As the stage maps for the vuelta weren't out and my legs were feeling rather the worse for wear (since staring on April 28th i've done over 8000km and 100,000m of climbing) it was time for a well deserved break so am back in Dublin enjoying some home cooking. Have not cycled since i got back but my legs seem to be returning to normal now and I plan to kick off in Seville in 10 days. And i'll have a nice new boards jersey of the opening time trial too!

Col du Noyer.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HXfd1_pHNP1GJsiUZN8aZw?feat=directlink

1903 winner was a bad-ass
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RfgfhovR8hrlcQGgZN0BiA?feat=directlink

It's not a TDF without
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FweEz_fD1UfGH02sUFpc6w?feat=directlink

Quite a good shot of Contador's arse
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Er4QZkM-7U3MUOvk5FgXrg?feat=directlink

Good man Jens
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnwkelly1/20100723#5498272809776653538

A cow unintentionally sums up team sky's tour
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KxrMlbuWL3bN1heU-QlRAA?feat=directlink

Port de Pailheres summit
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l3SGFf2ZOV7tZB5Kf2z9wg?feat=directlink

Maith an fear Nicolas
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nE5f_AX_KqwuJ369-p2Ysg?feat=directlink

Port de Bales
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DwTG6w4ghF61noMsm31e5A?feat=directlink

Col d'Aspin
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/I5MTW9VgFS4FDgHEGiR_jQ?feat=directlink

Tourmalet descent
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iAzw8FnGN1rd2OWh1cUmeQ?feat=directlink

Aubisque
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aT7jpcLcHBnHVM-m2t8yYA?feat=directlink

Finally a proper domestique!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l8LJXyYbTwvQJHw66J_-ZQ?feat=directlink

Go Andy
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nDNgly0iUfJxihrYi0nWbA?feat=directlink

Go Alberto
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cu3cu7LkD5SkBZCB-yOGGA?feat=directlink

Finally
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YZA3cfrovG5B1KLWDD9L0Q?feat=directlink

GearoidP

Hi Honk,

Great to get the updates and well done! I know it might seem unglam compared to the Champs Elysees, but hopefully you'll be able to get out some evening for the 80km circuit via Airport perimeter fence, St.Margarets, Garristown, Clonalvy, Ratoath and Kilbride and back to Santry! Let me know!

honkjelly

So after 3 weeks rest (and the odd boards TT - sorry Gearoid!) in Dublin I flew to Sevilla to kick off the the Vuelta. Was pretty complacent going into it as it was 2 down and 1 to go and sure my legs would be great after the break. Day 2 from Sevilla to the stage 2 start in Alcala de Guardaira and onto the small town of Sentinil was probably my worst day ever on a bike. It had been 40 degrees in Sevilla the previous day but it had been really hot for the tour de france so i though i could handle it.
Cycled off a straight road and crashed early on (fittingly outside the town of Moron) cutting my left leg and hands pretty well and the then ran out of water for about 20k after miscalculating the distance between 2 towns. As a result got dehydrated and probably got slowly cooked alive and was in bits by the time i hit the small cat 3 climb of the Alto de Pruna. Near the summit i had to get off to stop myself falling off and sat in a gutter in the shade for about 10 minutes trying to catch my breath. My HR was about 45 beats higher than it should have been. Stupidly didn't call it a day in the next town of Pruna but slugged and cramped on another 30k before collapsing into Sentinil. Did not know what had just hit me but one thing was for sure, the Vuelta was going to be tough!


For the next week i was obsessive about staying cool and not running out of water. I'd drench my clothes before setting out each day (they would be bone dry in 10 mins) and also carried a spare 1.5l bottle of water at all times. Was watching my HR like a hawk the following day to Marbella to make sure that it stayed in Giro/Tour limits and was happy to get through the few small climbs in the right zone. Thankfully the temperatures retreated back to the mid 30's after about a week and survival mode stopped.


Was pretty baffled by the first few stages that were classified as plain which was just a joke. Think the Vuelta only had 6 official mountain stages bit as far as i'm concerned it should be more like 12. I have not done a single day without a proper climb and am now in between Burgos and Santander on stage 14. The day to Jaen with the nasty finish had over 3000m of climbing and was plain. And while i have not done any massive climbs (well maybe to Andorra) but what they lack in distance they make up in gradient. Have been some really nasty fuppers so far but there are plenty more to come which i'm really looking forward to.


The contrast in scenery has been incredible too. Andalusia was so so arid and brown and today was like cycling in Wicklow. After been treated to torrential rain along the Med and Adriatic in Italy it was class to cycle along the costa blanca in the sunshine and was pretty impressed but the hills about 10k in from the coast. Later on i found out that Spanish teams do their winter training there The food is great too as you can't go wrong with tapas but times can be a bit of a problem. If i get it wrong i might have to wait a few hours to get a proper feed in but thats life.


Just six and a half stages to go now. All roads lead to Madrid.


The first week in a pic
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fNBa59mR5K21SkUOiG5WLA?feat=directlink


Just another plain vuelta stage
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-7Bq5LOUdN8XV6dn8J_qEA?feat=directlink


Messages up the climb in malaga
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sOr7m1mB7UKDodNqcrw9tg?feat=directlink


New boards kit
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tF5FJe1YMgRIFJlcgj4Ozg?feat=directlink


Nico
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/niPjAA-BqKOGBmQWrYlMsQ?feat=directlink


More Nico
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fjfZz6RP1bUOVpVDtpx3Hg?feat=directlink


ouch
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QGtQf8P93M1odSKo8RSnZQ?feat=directlink


Costa blanca hills
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3VRR3uZyPAUPswbEHRKtNw?feat=directlink


not a bad road
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oQK4oW3zCK9Baquj8AYonw?feat=directlink


Andorra
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5JHB5KmFLwmHq6WHlubJ4Q?feat=directlink

Bunnyhopper

Wow - how did I manage to miss this thread until now? Love the pictures and reports.

honkjelly

Ola from Madrid which only means one thing. Finished!!


I left off the last time mid way through stage 14 and I had 3 summit finishes in a row including the queen stage. The first up Peña Cabarga reminded me of some of the Giro climbs in terms of steepness. Having done it I looked at the finish of the Vuelta stage and saw that Nibali went way too early as the last k and a half was the worst at mostly 15%.


Next up i had a cycle along the Atlantic on stage 15 where I saw oscar freire out training for the worlds. The final climb was up the Covadonga which is like a reverse of the gap of dunloe with a lake at the top. Then i was into the mammoth queens stage with the same amount of climbing as the Marmotte. I always worked of average gradients to figure out if a climb was going to be a killer and anything over 10% was! A poxy downhill section on the first cat 1 Puerto de San Lorenzo made the 8.5% average useless and pushed it into +10% territory. Easily in the top 5 hardest climbs i did with bags. Called in a day in Pola de Lena about 25k for the finish of the stage as i's seen that the 2008 Vuelta had gone through Lena on it's way to the summit of L´Angliru which would not be David Millar's favourite climb. After doing Zoncolan in the Giro i had to detour to do it and it was class. Very different to Zoncolan where the toughest few k's come at the end and you can see some of the road zig zagging up the hill whereas zoncolan is toughest in the middle and hides the ramps from you which is probably for the best as I'd of had a breakdown if i'd seen too much of what Zoncolan had in store for me! As it was impossible to get to Peñafiel for the TT i subbed in l'Agriliru and the climb to it and back to Lena in as a mountain TT. Much more fun than a flat road.


Had a few easy days to Salamanca and Toledo before the final mountain stage and the last climb up the bola del mundo on the concrete service road. Really enjoyed watching Mosquera (was gutted to read about his failed test) and Nibali go toe to toe up it and was looking forward to having a go and it was a fittingly tough and enjoyable final summit. Man i'd be scared to count how many times i got summit fever in the entire tour!! Might try and summarise the entire trip at some point but for mow it's menu del dia time and you can leave the bottle!

Portillo de Lunada
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mSWTfLSHGCD3__MVzRxPdw?feat=directlink


Was the best valley of the entire tour
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bVB5OrV34BpwqNDbez4PGQ?feat=directlink

Cavagonga
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jbCLzzceqE5Ft80WZDwYYQ?feat=directlink

Lake near summit
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yo-WN_D2Z6ZdDugDbTkbfw?feat=directlink

Some signs really do get your attention
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yo-WN_D2Z6ZdDugDbTkbfw?feat=directlink

Hairpin on L´Angliru. I didn't take an inside line!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FESf8LFj7eBN4VqnsKNDyA?feat=directlink
Bola del Mundo
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Uv7QXH0lDEEnzdXvWCbQIQ?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C2ytchoGRMsbyuX9lGHfVw?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vf1w3DZxDpxXGJIwAxlkJw?feat=directlink

Finished
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HZrro2f63fbGyf8MLWqn1A?feat=directlink

Funkyzeit

honkjelly wrote: »

Ola from Madrid which only means one thing. Finished!!

Brilliant achievement. Kudos !

rughdh

That was uber epic, honkjelly. Thanks for the reports and pics. I'd like to do the Stelvio myself one day.