TransAlp stage race
Discussion
Hi Folks
I'm flying out to Germany on Saturday to take part in a 7-day stage race ending in Italy. The route crosses the Alps via Austria and Switzerland covering almost 900km and 19,000 metres of ascent. Although it's technically a race, I think most people 'compete' in the sense of just getting round. It's a similar format to the Haute Route only cheaper. The route takes in some big climbs, notably the Queen stage which takes in the Gavia and Mortirolo (although apparently from the 'easier' sides)..
I got my first road bike in 2011 and have been cycling regularly since then. I'm reasonably well prepared but I've never ridden in such an event so it'll be a learning curve. I've done plenty of long hilly rides this year so should have decent endurance, and I know that I should try to take it easy over the first few days, but I suspect I'll push myself quite hard, particularly on the climbs where I can hopefully capitalise on my weight.
Depending on how tired I am, and whether I can get internet en-route, I'll try to update this daily with details of the stage. Otherwise I'll give a full account afterwards.
Details of the route here:
http://tour-transalp.de/en/route/route-total/
I'm flying out to Germany on Saturday to take part in a 7-day stage race ending in Italy. The route crosses the Alps via Austria and Switzerland covering almost 900km and 19,000 metres of ascent. Although it's technically a race, I think most people 'compete' in the sense of just getting round. It's a similar format to the Haute Route only cheaper. The route takes in some big climbs, notably the Queen stage which takes in the Gavia and Mortirolo (although apparently from the 'easier' sides)..
I got my first road bike in 2011 and have been cycling regularly since then. I'm reasonably well prepared but I've never ridden in such an event so it'll be a learning curve. I've done plenty of long hilly rides this year so should have decent endurance, and I know that I should try to take it easy over the first few days, but I suspect I'll push myself quite hard, particularly on the climbs where I can hopefully capitalise on my weight.
Depending on how tired I am, and whether I can get internet en-route, I'll try to update this daily with details of the stage. Otherwise I'll give a full account afterwards.
Details of the route here:
http://tour-transalp.de/en/route/route-total/
Sorry for the delay guys, I didn't have time to update this due to spending ages trying to find our guesthouse, finding somewhere for dinner and sorting my stuff for today.
Stage 1 on Sunday took us from the small town of Sonthofen in Germany to Imst in Austria. This was meant to be one of the easier stages: just 75 miles but 7000ft of climbing. The most notable climb being the Hahntenjoch towards the end of the stage. This is a HC climb covering 2900ft over 9 miles, with an average gradient of 6%, although this is misleading due to a flat and downhill section in the middle. The gradient was over 10% for much of the climb.
Unfortunately my heart rate monitor wouldn't connect to my Garmin so I had to pace myself on feel and using the VAM (verticle metres per hour). The latter being a metric I have a reasonable feel for from tripsmto Mallorca.
I didn't feel particularly great for the latter half of the stage (more on that later) but got round with a decent average of 17.8mph.
I will update you on stage 2 later. I'm too tired to write more now!
Stage 1 Strava here for those interested:
https://www.strava.com/activities/334806764
Oh and one of the guys riding with us is doing a daily blog on Cycling Weekly. Hell paint a much more vivid picture than I'm able to:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/blog
Stage 1 on Sunday took us from the small town of Sonthofen in Germany to Imst in Austria. This was meant to be one of the easier stages: just 75 miles but 7000ft of climbing. The most notable climb being the Hahntenjoch towards the end of the stage. This is a HC climb covering 2900ft over 9 miles, with an average gradient of 6%, although this is misleading due to a flat and downhill section in the middle. The gradient was over 10% for much of the climb.
Unfortunately my heart rate monitor wouldn't connect to my Garmin so I had to pace myself on feel and using the VAM (verticle metres per hour). The latter being a metric I have a reasonable feel for from tripsmto Mallorca.
I didn't feel particularly great for the latter half of the stage (more on that later) but got round with a decent average of 17.8mph.
I will update you on stage 2 later. I'm too tired to write more now!
Stage 1 Strava here for those interested:
https://www.strava.com/activities/334806764
Oh and one of the guys riding with us is doing a daily blog on Cycling Weekly. Hell paint a much more vivid picture than I'm able to:
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/blog
So shortly after writing the Stage 1 update last night I went for dinner. Stage 2 didn't go well, I expended too much effort sticking with fast groups and didn't eat nearly enough. The second half of the Stage was a real slog and I knew I was struggling. Anyway I got to the end and had a small bowl of pasta and a coke, but this clearly wasn't enough. Sat down at dinner and basically bonked. Spent the next 90 minutes sweating profusely and unable to eat. Managed to drink some apple juice to get my sugar levels up, but I was on the verge of asking my team mates to call an ambulance. I've heard of the bonk before, but didn't appreciate just how horrible it was. BIG lesson learned.
Anyway here's stage 2. Notice how much slower compared to Stage 1:
https://www.strava.com/activities/335470901
So onto Stage 3 today. Last night I had two fig rolls and a carton of chocolate milk. I couldn't stomach anything more, even though I knew I had to replace the calories I'd spent. Had a pretty awful nights sleep, a combination of nausea and general pain. Woke up this morning thinking there's little chance I'll complete today's stage. Managed to have some scrambled egg and muesli and thought I'll at least start and see what happens.
I started right at the back with the broom wagon. I quickly made a decision to keep my heart rate below 140 and to eat more often. This translated into a very low average speed but today was all about conserving energy. I felt awful for the first few hours but started to feel better towards the end. I rode around pretty comfortably in the end and am chuffed I finished the stage. Tomorrow is the Queen stage including the Gavia and Mortirolo climbs. I'm regaining some form but still struggling to eat enough. Hopefully I've had enough for tomorrow.
Stage 3 here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/336208731
Anyway here's stage 2. Notice how much slower compared to Stage 1:
https://www.strava.com/activities/335470901
So onto Stage 3 today. Last night I had two fig rolls and a carton of chocolate milk. I couldn't stomach anything more, even though I knew I had to replace the calories I'd spent. Had a pretty awful nights sleep, a combination of nausea and general pain. Woke up this morning thinking there's little chance I'll complete today's stage. Managed to have some scrambled egg and muesli and thought I'll at least start and see what happens.
I started right at the back with the broom wagon. I quickly made a decision to keep my heart rate below 140 and to eat more often. This translated into a very low average speed but today was all about conserving energy. I felt awful for the first few hours but started to feel better towards the end. I rode around pretty comfortably in the end and am chuffed I finished the stage. Tomorrow is the Queen stage including the Gavia and Mortirolo climbs. I'm regaining some form but still struggling to eat enough. Hopefully I've had enough for tomorrow.
Stage 3 here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/336208731
Stage 4. The Queen stage, going from Livigno to Aprica. I was sad to leave Livigno - a charming and quirky little place, with some kind of duty free status. Sadly my saddle bag wouldn't fit a bottle of Scotch.
I started the day feeling quite fresh, but still not 100% having struggled to eat properly for the last 2 days. Anyway, I was decidedly better than the previous morning, and despite this being the Queen stage covering 140km and 3500 metres of climbing, I was reasonably optimistic.
It was already in the twenties on the start line so I knew I was in for a hot day. A couple of small climbs were ticked off with minimal fuss before starting the long ascent of the Gavia (from Bormio). This is by far the biggest climb I've done, covering 4500 ft over 15 miles at an average of 6%. As yesterday I stuck to a heart rate limit, increasing slightly to 140-150 BPM. I think it took me around 90 minutes and I was glad to see the feed stop at the summit.
A very quick descent followed on terrible roads (you think UK roads are bad!) and a headwind smash to the foot of the Mortirolo.
The Mortirolo (apparently this is the 'easier' way up) climb was tough. Temperature was 30 C and it's pretty steep. I was really suffering from the heat, as were many judging by the number I saw dunking their heads in streams. After the summit was a 10km plateau where I spun along easily and kept drinking to rehydrate. Another sketchy descent and there was only a km or so to the finish line in Aprica. I think my finishing time was about 6h30m at an average of 13.5mph. A couple of mph behing my fastest team mates but I'm reasonably pleased given the last few days.
Tomorrow is another lumpy stage covering 130km. A rest day would be nice...fat chance!
I started the day feeling quite fresh, but still not 100% having struggled to eat properly for the last 2 days. Anyway, I was decidedly better than the previous morning, and despite this being the Queen stage covering 140km and 3500 metres of climbing, I was reasonably optimistic.
It was already in the twenties on the start line so I knew I was in for a hot day. A couple of small climbs were ticked off with minimal fuss before starting the long ascent of the Gavia (from Bormio). This is by far the biggest climb I've done, covering 4500 ft over 15 miles at an average of 6%. As yesterday I stuck to a heart rate limit, increasing slightly to 140-150 BPM. I think it took me around 90 minutes and I was glad to see the feed stop at the summit.
A very quick descent followed on terrible roads (you think UK roads are bad!) and a headwind smash to the foot of the Mortirolo.
The Mortirolo (apparently this is the 'easier' way up) climb was tough. Temperature was 30 C and it's pretty steep. I was really suffering from the heat, as were many judging by the number I saw dunking their heads in streams. After the summit was a 10km plateau where I spun along easily and kept drinking to rehydrate. Another sketchy descent and there was only a km or so to the finish line in Aprica. I think my finishing time was about 6h30m at an average of 13.5mph. A couple of mph behing my fastest team mates but I'm reasonably pleased given the last few days.
Tomorrow is another lumpy stage covering 130km. A rest day would be nice...fat chance!
Edited by nammynake on Wednesday 1st July 21:09
Stage 5 from Aprica to Kaltern.
It was already in the mid 20s when we rolled over the start line at 9 am. After a 10km neutralised start down a slight incline, we hit the first of just two notable climbs today; the Edolo. This climbs just under 4000ft but spread over 18 miles, averaging 4%. Starting from the back of the lineup I passed many riders as I got into a niceneady rhythm, spinning a low gear. The first feed stop welcomed us at the summit; I topped up my bottles and ate some cake and a handful of nuts.
A long descent took us back down into the valley and eased up to wait for a group which was approaching. I jumped on and sat in the group for the next 10 miles until the route took us into what appeared to be a cycle route. This provided some much-wanted shade and a more interesting topography than the major road wed just been hammering along.
Soon enough we were onto the second big climb of the day; the Mendel Pass. Approximately 8 miles at 4%, but knowing it was the final climb I decided to push myself slightly, having riddennvery conservatively for the past 2 stages. I still didn't go hard and that was wise in the heat. I stopped at a feed stop half way to grab some more, refill both bottles and stick my head under a hosepipe. Heaven!
For the final part of the climb I pushed myself a little bit more but still kept my heart rate under 155 (I usually climb at 160-170), frequently squirting water onto my head and quads.
Once at the top we were treated to a great descent on glass-smooth tarmac and long sweeping hairpins. Descending into Kaltern through lush olive groves the heat was oppressive. It was close to 40 degrees and akin to that warm blast when you open an oven door.
Tomorrow is a flat start followed by more lumps!
Strava of today's ride:
https://www.strava.com/activities/33758348
It was already in the mid 20s when we rolled over the start line at 9 am. After a 10km neutralised start down a slight incline, we hit the first of just two notable climbs today; the Edolo. This climbs just under 4000ft but spread over 18 miles, averaging 4%. Starting from the back of the lineup I passed many riders as I got into a niceneady rhythm, spinning a low gear. The first feed stop welcomed us at the summit; I topped up my bottles and ate some cake and a handful of nuts.
A long descent took us back down into the valley and eased up to wait for a group which was approaching. I jumped on and sat in the group for the next 10 miles until the route took us into what appeared to be a cycle route. This provided some much-wanted shade and a more interesting topography than the major road wed just been hammering along.
Soon enough we were onto the second big climb of the day; the Mendel Pass. Approximately 8 miles at 4%, but knowing it was the final climb I decided to push myself slightly, having riddennvery conservatively for the past 2 stages. I still didn't go hard and that was wise in the heat. I stopped at a feed stop half way to grab some more, refill both bottles and stick my head under a hosepipe. Heaven!
For the final part of the climb I pushed myself a little bit more but still kept my heart rate under 155 (I usually climb at 160-170), frequently squirting water onto my head and quads.
Once at the top we were treated to a great descent on glass-smooth tarmac and long sweeping hairpins. Descending into Kaltern through lush olive groves the heat was oppressive. It was close to 40 degrees and akin to that warm blast when you open an oven door.
Tomorrow is a flat start followed by more lumps!
Strava of today's ride:
https://www.strava.com/activities/33758348
Edited by nammynake on Thursday 2nd July 21:29
Stage 6 from Kaltern to Trento. 125km and just over 2000m ascent.
A pan-flat 30km start in a group of 30+ ticked off the kms in rapid succession before hitting a short climb which instantly split the group apart. I crested the top towards the front and spun along on my own until the remnants caught me and I rejoined.
The day was a series of up and downs, each climb taking maybe 30 minutes. They were up to 15% and surprisingly my legs were feeling fine. The heat though...my god, this is the hottest day I've ever had on a bike. I drank far more than I've ever done and was constantly squirting water onto my head and legs in an attempt to cool down. The 'hosepipe man' at the feed stops was a very welcome sight.
This day more than any other was about counting down the kilometres on my Garmin. I don't cope well with the heat and today was just too hot to enjoy the ride. Even the descents provided little comfort.
Anyway, tomorrow is the seventh and final stage, taking us to Arco on the shores of Lake Garda. They've been kind and given us just 90km to cover, although they've managed to pack over 2000m of ascent in.
Today's ride:
https://www.strava.com/activities/338241357
A pan-flat 30km start in a group of 30+ ticked off the kms in rapid succession before hitting a short climb which instantly split the group apart. I crested the top towards the front and spun along on my own until the remnants caught me and I rejoined.
The day was a series of up and downs, each climb taking maybe 30 minutes. They were up to 15% and surprisingly my legs were feeling fine. The heat though...my god, this is the hottest day I've ever had on a bike. I drank far more than I've ever done and was constantly squirting water onto my head and legs in an attempt to cool down. The 'hosepipe man' at the feed stops was a very welcome sight.
This day more than any other was about counting down the kilometres on my Garmin. I don't cope well with the heat and today was just too hot to enjoy the ride. Even the descents provided little comfort.
Anyway, tomorrow is the seventh and final stage, taking us to Arco on the shores of Lake Garda. They've been kind and given us just 90km to cover, although they've managed to pack over 2000m of ascent in.
Today's ride:
https://www.strava.com/activities/338241357
I made it!
Stage 7 from Trento to Arco. The organisers were kind and plotted a short 90km final stage; although they still packed in over 2000m of ascent.
It was another hot day but fortunately the climbs had a decent amount of shade. My form was continuing to build since the disaster of stage 2, but I rode fairly conservatively again. I pushed it a bit on the climbs hitting 1000 VAM but was still well below my threshold climbing effort.
No idea on my final placing, but my partner pulled out on stage 2 so our team didn't finish. I had no lofty ambitions; my aim was to get round and enjoy the race. Which I did.
Some general comments on the race. The organisation was super-efficient (unsurprising as it is run by Germans), the standard of bike handling was far higher than any UK sportive, as was the level of fitness. I finished in the top 10% at the Fred Whitton this year, I'll be surprised if I'm in the top half of the TransAlp.
There is a rumour that Schwalbe may be pulling out as the main sponsor due to falling numbers. I'd hate to see this event finish. Hopefully the blog on Cycling Weekly has drummed up some potential entrants for next year.
Stage 7 stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/339735760
Overall race stats:
Stage 7 from Trento to Arco. The organisers were kind and plotted a short 90km final stage; although they still packed in over 2000m of ascent.
It was another hot day but fortunately the climbs had a decent amount of shade. My form was continuing to build since the disaster of stage 2, but I rode fairly conservatively again. I pushed it a bit on the climbs hitting 1000 VAM but was still well below my threshold climbing effort.
No idea on my final placing, but my partner pulled out on stage 2 so our team didn't finish. I had no lofty ambitions; my aim was to get round and enjoy the race. Which I did.
Some general comments on the race. The organisation was super-efficient (unsurprising as it is run by Germans), the standard of bike handling was far higher than any UK sportive, as was the level of fitness. I finished in the top 10% at the Fred Whitton this year, I'll be surprised if I'm in the top half of the TransAlp.
There is a rumour that Schwalbe may be pulling out as the main sponsor due to falling numbers. I'd hate to see this event finish. Hopefully the blog on Cycling Weekly has drummed up some potential entrants for next year.
Stage 7 stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/339735760
Overall race stats:
Edited by nammynake on Sunday 5th July 18:32
A nice documentary of this year's race. If you're looking for a challenge for 2016 then look no further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYFvvaDryDU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYFvvaDryDU
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