Stage Two: Trailside Sickness
After the cancellation of yesterday's stage - the first time a stage had been cancelled in 11 years of the Trans-Alps - today's stage was shortened because the final climb to Geiseljoch was almost 2,300m and well above the snow line. The start time was also delayed to allow time for the snow to melt. The advice to riders was to "wrap up warm", so it was a very strange scene on the start line at 11am - more like a winter training ride than a summer stage race.
The route out of Reith im Alpbachtal was clearly not designed for the first stage of the Trans-Alps. Narrow streets soon became a narrow trail up the first big alp of today's stage, which caused an immediate bottleneck. It took the best part of an hour before the field stretched out. We were happy to spin and enjoy the scenery, which was simply breathtaking, but the first warning signs of trouble ahead were already apparent.
Jon's heart-rate was way above his target zone, which initially we put down to overheating. Despite the dire warnings of the race organisers it turnout out to be a glorious day, with the temperature rising steadily as the race progressed. At regular intervals along the trail there were riders removing layers in a bid to stay cool. Jon removed his jacket just before the summit of the first climb, only to put it back on again for the long descent. As we started the second big climb of the day, Jon began to feel very sick.
The next 2 hours of riding were interrupted by regular bouts of vomiting at the side of the trail. Any food or drink that was consumed made an almost immediate reappearance. By the time we reached the end of the (timed) stage, Jon was dehydrated and looking very pale. We then faced a 38km ride to Mayrhofen where stage 3 start tomorrow.
Hopefully, Jon will recover in time for the 32km climb to Pfitscherjoch which dominates the first third of tomorrow's stage, because it's downhill from there to the finish in Brixen. The downhill sections on today's stage were real "brake burners", so were hoping for more of the same in stage 3. If we can reduce the gap between Jon's heart rate on the trail and his target heart rate we should be OK.
Pete & Jon's sponsors:
www.skins.net | www.cube-bikes.co.uk | www.bentleybirmingham.co.uk | www.mulebar.com | www.highfive.co.uk | www.camelbak.com | www.udderlysmooth.co.uk | www.thecyclestudio.co.uk |Gateway Cycles
