Haute Route Dolomites Stage 5, three time trials...!

Stage 5 was our first look at Switzerland. We Drove across the border yesterday afternoon and what a stunning part of the world. The roads are silky smooth, wide and cycle friendly.

Todays stage was a long 180+ k, of which only around 40k being timed. The local authorities did not want riders to be racing on the descents and through their villages. Who am I so argue, I am all for that on every stage! So first up was a 7k climb, then a slightly longer one around 11k. and finally 21k although I think it was a little bit shorter in the end. This final climb had a 10k false flat section to start, then the grade picked up for the final 6-7k.

If you were in the top 100 riders you had to start the day at 06:30, so the alarm was a very pleasant 05:00, I keep thinking what the clocks would say back in the UK, an awful 04:00...! Never the less we rolled out the 5k until the timing section started and I spotted someone who I recognised. I had read a tweet during breakfast saying Emma Pooley was going to be joining us for a few stages, and there she was. Pumping the pedals away on the front of the lead group as we started the timed section. I made my way through the group and joined her group of five or six. Annoyingly she was not breathing as heavily as I was, I could see why she had only a couple of weeks ago won 2 silvers at the Commonwealths! She's a great climber that is clear.

Our group ended up being 4 of us and we continued to stay together until the final kilometer where the Leader of the race wandered off the front and beat the three of us by a few seconds. We all then stopped as the time was now off and had ourself some snacks and drink. We were then put into groups of around twenty to descend to the start of the next climb where everyone would again hit it hard.

This descent was super cold and going into the clouds I was dropped off that lead group. I never saw them again but just got picked up by the next twenty riders along the road. There seemed to be a lot of people struggling off that descent from the cold, and we hear now a good couple of dozen have dropped out.

After many kilometers of neutralised riding we arrive at the next timed climb. This one started with a reasonably good grade for around twenty minutes then turned into false flat where a group would have been good but most people who I caught I rode straight past. That climb done there opened up a huge amount of distance until the third and final ascent, maybe 70k, at neutralised speed that takes a long time! For what seemed like hours rolling throught pretty villages, a few (quite challenging) climbs and a few descents we were approaching the last 20k of timed climb. As the group spotted the timing mat everyone took a final trip to the toilet (which was an official tree). Then we were off, this first 10k of flat/false flat, the guys went off like rockets. The big guys turning the power up big time. Five minutes in, and the pace chilled a little so I decided to move to the front to keep the groups momentum going. It seemed most had gone a bit fast a bit early. Some were drifting off the back now. So me and the swiss guy Raphael worked together and pulled the group along until we hit the 6% mark and the peloton exploded into groups of 3's and 4's.

I enjoyed this top section, my style of climb. Mostly 6-7% and a decent length. So after crossing the line I thought I had done a good job with all three climbs. Good wattage over all of them, even so I got a pleasant surprise from an answer machine message informing me I was 2nd on the stage. Jolly good. I was asked to go to the prize giving, super.

Anyway I am going on rather. Tomorrow is a similar affair to today with neutralised sections of flat and descents. I think we have three climbs again, lets hope for slightly warmed and none of this wet stuff from the clouds!