Transalps 2012, Stage 1

Last things first, the picture is of Jamie and I at the end of Stage 1.

Perfect weather this morning in Mittenwald.  No extra clothes, no undershirts, it is summer here (well, today it was).  

The race got off to the normal gangbusters start with a solid effort up the first 5 minute climb to shed riders (pack management).  We were in a second group on the ensuing flats and first descent, but the lead pack slowed down so we caught them.  After that it was slowish to the bottom of the big climb (the Kuhtai).  About 10 km from the Kuhtai Geoff Duyker, Trevor Linden and Mark Sherman rolled up, so it was great to see them.  We had been joking about Geoff and Trevor delivering us to the bottom of the Kuhtai, so after they caught us they went in front and escorted us to the Kuhtai.

Once on on the Kuhtai the fireworks started.  Normally people feel good and think they can keep up a ridiculous pace, which they rarely can.  Anyway, we got behind Mark Sherman's partner who was going gangbusters.  So we followed him, which was probably a bad idea, but it seemed like the thing to do.  After about 20 minutes, he blowed up, and we settled into something we thought was sustainable.  After about 1:20 of climbing, parts that were just BRUTALLY STEEP, we crested the top of the Kuhtai and started the long fun descent.  Jamie and I seem well matched, and everytime I started to feel tired he was looking like he was feeling tired too.  Time will tell in that department, and my plan is to give him more booze and fatten him up a bit.  (He is looking a little manorexic).

At some point on the descent off the Kuhtai, in a sharp corner I decided to show Jamie the "proper" way to take a sharp hairpin, so I was yapping as rounding the corner and promptly skidded on my front tire.  Luckily I rode out of it, and wasn't going very fast anyway, but chalk one up to stupidity.  A while after that someone passed us, we got on his wheel and followed him to the bottom.  A 30 km slog from there took us to the finish.  We ended up 13th in the masters division out of 200 teams or so.  The running joke is that anyone who beats you is a doper, so...

After the finish we waited a few minutes for Trevor and Geoff to show up, grabbed some food with Andy and Daniella (Andy is a guide from Mike Wiegele's heli skiing and Daniella works there as well).  Daniella is from Solden.  (We will pass her mom's house tomorrow !).

And now it is rest and relaxation and praying for the weather to behave itself tomorrow.  Tomorrow we go over the Timmelsjoch and the Jaufenpass.  Two very big climbs, and there are always big snowbanks on the Timmelsjoch.