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Climbed the Angliru today. I've been a bit obsessed with it for some time now. Proper obsessed. I bought a limited edition Angliru Jersey 6 months ago and refused to wear it till today. Lying in bed visualising the ramps, worrying as much about the descent as the ascent. I was awake half the night last night. Got up at 6, pitch black and foggy here. Had 2 breakfasts to keep myself occupied until it got bright.
My training was going well until a few weeks back but bereavement and a 2 seperate leg injuries left me a bit short of where I wanted to be. I drove over to La Vega, the village at the base of the climb and went straight at it. It's a climb of two halves. The stats show 12.5km @10.13% but the first 6km is a really nice climb. Good road surface and fairly even gradient, barely hitting 10% and realistically about 7-8%. A decent climb but a thoroughly enjoyable warm up with a km at Viapara @2% just to really set you on your way.
Then you get the living shíte kicked out of you for the second 6.5km. The first ramp after Viapara, Las Cabanes hits 21% and thats just for starters. That 6.5 km averages 13.5%. There's a 3km stretch that never drops below 15% and a full km @18%. No mater what training you do for this, you're going into the red and staying there till the end. The ramps and corners all have signs with names on them. That's good if you collapse and die. Your family will be able to find the spot handy enough.. "Irish man? Si si, he is over there at Cobayos"
I had great ambition and tackled the first really steep bit in great form but by the time I got to the aforementioned Cobayos I'd been way up in the red for a good half an hour and as I rounded the corner and hit yet another 20% section I took a wobble, put the foot down and then just slumped onto my ass. I lay on the roadside for a couple of minutes and then went again. Clipping in was fun. The only way up now was weaving over and back the full width of the road. I think my average speed was around 5kmh for a kilometer. I had to stop again a few minutes later but only for a few seconds. And then after another insane curve it just levels out , rises at about 2% for 100m and then drops down to a car park overlooking mountaintop meadows.
The relief was incredible. I genuinely felt delighted at having made it. I didn't give a monkeys that I failed to get all the way without stopping. The only way you'd get here without a break is if you were an 8 stone Latino on EPO.
Seriously, how the hell the pro's race up this is beyond me.
The descent was tricky but tbh after the climb everything else is easy. Stopped twice to let the rims cool a little, and still made a top 50 time. Didn't manage that on the way up.
I drove the car up afterwards to take some better photos, I thought the clutch was going to go.
After a while I decided the legs were OK so I set off up La Cubilla. A completely different climb, 28km @4.5%. I did about 2/3 of it before the earlier efforts caught up with me. Had a bit of a bonk and rather than push on I just said Feck it and came back down.
All in - 76km with 2600m climbed.
Angliru- https://www.strava.com/activities/728749762
La Cubilla- https://www.strava.com/activities/728971966
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Do you intend racing or why get a bike geared for racing if you're inexperienced? (I'd be fairly experienced but wouldn't like a racing set up).... But the bike is set up for racing I made sure of that when I got it....
By the way, presuming from your previous post that you are in the Swords area, if you are considering joining a club, there's a fairly large one near you with plenty of members on boards.ie.
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Wishbone Ash wrote: »Do you intend racing or why get a bike geared for racing if you're inexperienced? (I'd be fairly experienced but wouldn't like a racing set up).
By the way, presuming from your previous post that you are in the Swords area, if you are considering joining a club, there's a fairly large one near you with plenty of members on boards.ie.
Fairly humble too!;)0 -
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Wrapped up 3 days cycling in Asturias today. I had notions of doing 3 days of big mileage and stupid amounts of climbing but as I've previously mentioned, things happen, plans change. Another Boardsie told me not to push to hard, just go with the flow and that's what I did. Instead of cycling for hours I just drove close enough to the places I wanted to go and then did the parts of the spin that mattered to me.
Yesterday I climbed Lagos De Covadonga. It's a stunning climb. Depending on the segment you look at it's in or around 13km @7.5% but in reality it's 9km @9% with a couple of flat and downhill bits. The long ramp called La Huesera (The Boneyard) is tough going, 800m above 12%, maxing out at 15 and it pretty much sustains that kind of suffering until you pass Mirador De La Reina a kilometer later. After doing the Angliru the previous day I really felt the strain there but I made it and the views at the top were well worth it. There's a nice cafe there (careful though, there's horrible concrete on the way up to the door) so a cool drink was horsed into me followed by a nice coffee and doughnut before setting off back down. The weather was glorious until I started the descent but Los Lagos is notorious for fog and sure enough it rolled in really quick on the way down. Dodging cows and oncoming traffic with limited visibility was interesting to say the least but I had a blast
45km, 1628m climbed
https://www.strava.com/activities/729685013
Today was La Farrapona, 18.5km@6%. I parked up about 10km from the start of the climb proper and had a leisurely spin through a beautiful Gorge to the first tunnel. The sun was shining but it was cool enough in the shade. I said to myself not to push too hard today, just enjoy the scenery but after being on the steep stuff for a few days I felt great on 5-6% so I started to give it a lash and like an eejit managed to drop my chain and mangle it. I had a spare quick link but while repairing the chain I dropped the link on the ground and spent five minutes on my hands and knees scouring the roadside for it. Just goes to show how quiet and remote this area is as not a single car passed me in either direction the whole time I was stopped or indeed for a good 5 or 10 minutes either side of it. There's Wolves and Bears up here. Thankfully they weren't interested in wiry Paddies today.
Anyway, back on the bike and this time I just stuck to my plan of being a tourist. Nice and steady all the way, sitting up, looking around and soaking in the sights and sounds of the Somiedo National Park. It was breathtaking. I honestly think it was the most enjoyable cycle I've ever done.
The very top was exposed enough and I'm glad I brought a gillet and arm warmers as it was well below 10 degrees and breezy up at that altitude. I got a few pics, had a quick chat with some hikers and then set off down the descent. God, I love descending. There was some very fine sand on the first bend so that had me a bit cautious but I still let fly when I could. I ended up 4th overall on the full descent according to Strava!
Total for the day, 58km, 2170m climbed.
https://www.strava.com/activities/730935090/overview
Total for the 3 days was 181km with 6400m. Probably half the amount I intended, but I'm not wrecked. I feel pretty damn good right now (with a cold beer inside me and another on the way)
Flights to Santander were €78 return with Ryanair. Dirt fking cheap.
For accommodation I stayed in The Bike Barn, a great little spot run by a cycling nut and genuine good guy called Martin. He has a website http://bikeasturias.net/ that has all the info on the famous and not so famous climbs in the area. He was on the internet constantly for the past few days checking the weather and giving me loads of tips and advice on where to go and what time was best. I can't say enough good things about him other than if I ever come over here again I wouldn't even have to think about where I'd stay.
Asturias...it's an undiscovered paradise. It's the complete opposite to the tourist hotspots on the Med. Green lush mountains, rivers and lakes. Manageable temperatures (I managed to avoid all the rain) No high rise accommodation, no lager lout night life. Just perfect cycling country.
Now to have that beer 0 -
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