Epic Italy Day 4 - Up and Running Again

I’m sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Cortina in at 5 am on Thursday (I think it’s Thursday I’m sure it’s day 5 of Epic Camp). Before I get into my report on yesterday I have to share something amusing that just happened uber climber Jo just came down to put here Garmin GPS outside to let it locate a signal before she and Steven took of for a run and she walked smack into a glass door on the way out. Given her petite figure it reminded me of a small bird just plowing into a window. I wouldn’t say it if I hadn’t done the same thing more times than I care to remember. It probably had more to do with it being 5 am than anything else but I suspect there’s a little fatigue involved as well as the little lady has been racking up some most impressive running and cycling mileage. Her volume on those two is higher than anyone else on the camp except perhaps Steven. Fatigue does set in as these camps progress and leads to some amusing behavior: (i) complete abandonment of strict nutritional regimens in favor of nutella, candy and chips: (ii) reduced fine motor skills such as an inability to get your helmet put on and (iii) poor judgment which probably had a lot to do with my two crashes at Epic France. When you are fatigued and your mental and physical skills are further off their peak than you realize, you can get yourself into to some real trouble coming off the top of these mountains on your bike.

Day 4 was another great day. I awoke early and my legs felt recovered enough to go for 10km at 6 am after taking the past two days off to leg with leg condition improve. They are still sore and a bit tight and I took it easy wanting to avoid a relapse. I ran on a path that was partially paved and partially crushed rock that runs behind our hotel and up the valley through some woods. It was really pleasant out and right at the 5 km mark I came to a tunnel going into the mountain. It looked a bit sketchy for my tastes (perhaps fatigue had my mind conjuring up images of ogres from the Lord of the Rings) so I decided to head back into town. It was gently uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. I kept my heart rate in the 120-130 range and plodded along at 8:30 miles or so.

After the run we had breakfast at 7:30 and then all mounted our bikes for a 55 km ride down to Brunico to swim. The ride took us up a climb from 1200 meters elevation here in Cortina to 1500 meters then we descended into Brunico which I think is around 800 meters elevation. Today’s pool swim finished with the 4 x 100 IM competition for points. Someone else will have to tell you who the top finishers were. I’m not positive but am quite confident that my record of finishing last in each of the 4 x 100 IM’s I’ve at Epic Camps remains intact. Usually I am slow but can get through the butterfly ok. That was not the case today and while I didn’t stop and hang on the lane line my recovery was barely above water after 25 meters. It’s a pretty comical sight and I have happy to provide some entertainment. Douglass our speedy cardiologist from Auckland who turned (49?) earlier in the camp and will be heading to Kona in October dryly stated that he now knew what a drowning man looked like. Another camper said the lifeguard had gotten out of his chair and was looking concerned. I hope so-I was struggling. I think everyone did 3 km except Steven who continues to bring it with 6 km for a 3 point swim. Needless to say we were in another immaculate 50 meter outdoor pool in the mountains. This one had an aluminum bottom and looked like they most drain and polish it every night. A few of the lads were a bit taken by the attendant a petite woman in a leather jacket and a cap.

After the swim we had breakfast in the parking lot outside the pool. As usually Julie Wright had hooked us up with a bountiful selection of options. I went with turkey and avocado on pita along with a couple tins of rice pudding and some salmon. Several of the campers took off quickly on the 55km ride to get back to Cortina for some rest. Another group of us Gordo, Molina, Steven, Jo, Russell from the UK and Randy from NY took the scenic route. It turned out to be unbelievable. We were on a bike path riding through a fairy tale countryside. The path was paved at some points, packed dirt at others and also had crushed stone sections and clearly had been well maintained although I could have used a mountain bike given the surface. The path was mostly in wooded areas paralleling streams, lakes and little waterfalls taking us through tunnels and quaint Bavarian villages that look like the Bavarian village you would see at a theme park except these were real. This area may be part of Italy but it is German for all intents and purposes in language, architecture and dress. We saw a number of touring cyclists on the path and well as couples out just cruising. Apparently it runs all the way from Venice or Verona and into Austria. In one town the seemingly kids on their bikes everywhere. Molina ascertained that they were heading home from school for lunch. One of the youngsters was feeling pretty frisky and I think he was racing Gordo up a hill on his mountain bike. I couldn’t help but think of my wife Karen and our daughters Lindsay and Lauren and how much fun it would be to spend a holiday riding that path. It was sunny for this part of the ride and a really enjoyable relaxed pace was maintained.

After about 30 km the path rejoined the road and after another 5 km a decision had to be made. Molina had identified a nasty climb (the Auronzo) and originally the whole camp was going to do it but Newsome/Gordo wisely convinced him to make it optional. The climb main part of the climb is 6 or 7 km mostly at 14% or so with some portions kicking up closer to 20% as it takes you up over 7000 feet elevation. There was also a substantial lead that gains 1500 feet or so. The weather was not looking good with dark clouds all around but Scott, Steven, Jo and I decided you only live once and it was unlikely we’d ever get another shot so we packed as much clothing as we could carry went for it. It was a true Epic adventure as the rain came and came big. We slogged our way up the final portion into a driving rain averaging 6 to 8 mph with Scott in the front, Steven a bit back and Jo and I bringing up the rear. Seeing the names painted on the road from prior Giro d’Italias for the local heroes was motivating and honestly I didn’t want to be anywhere else. Climbs like that in tough conditions are what Epic camp is about for me. Having spent a half day riding around in the van while the other lads were training I was more than happy to be out riding in a driving cold rain. By the time I got to the top my hands were completely numb and I was soaked to the bone. Jo made the top just right behind me and let out a well deserved yell. Thankfully there was a restaurant at the top or your truly may ended up really hypothermic if we had descended immediately. I had to have Steven unbuckle my helmet as my hands were completely numb. I had a couple bowls of the best warm soup I can remember along with a cappuccino. Molina of course had a beer. The local beer here is called Horst and there is picture of the mountain we ascended on the label. Jo, Steven and I each had a bottle of that fine brew at dinner last night to celebrate. The restaurant had a wood burning stove and we sat next to it and laid on wet clothes on it to warm them up and dry them a bit. Fortunately the staff seemed happy to have us there and didn’t seem to mind that we were dripping water everywhere. We met a California native who had come to Italy to race bikes and liked it so much he bought a house and stayed. He said he had ridden the same climb a couple weeks ago and it was snowing. So we then descended off the pass (fortunately the rain had let up a bit but my teeth were still chattering) and turned left at the bottom to tackle the paso Tre Croci a pretty solid little climb after all the work we had done earlier in the day. From there it would be a short descent into Cortina for hot shower and good meal. I was having a hard time keeping up despite my legs feeling good at this point. Eventually I realized I had a puncture on my rear tire (that bike path was wonderful but not friendly for lightweight tires). Thankfully the rain had stopped and it had warmed up so I had a nice time changing the flat. Unfortunately my super lightweight carbon pump only seems to be able to get about 70 psi into my tires instead of my preferred 120.

So I was back onto the bike with about 10 km back to Cortina. About 3 km out I heard a big pop and my front tire went flat. As the Aussies say, no worries mate, I had another spare and changed it out and rolled back into Cortina. At that point I was feeling fresh so I decided to ride a bit more as I had “only” done 135 km and wanted to get in few more miles having had to cut Monday short due to my leg issues. I road about 13 km back up to 1500 meters elevation (this pass has a name but I can’t remember what it is) and turned around to give myself time to shower before dinner. After about 3-4 km my rear went flat again (I think it was a pinch flat due to the low pressure). Fortunately my mobile was working and I was able to reach Ian who brought the van and picked me up. It was a solid day after 8+ hours of training on Tuesday, today I had a 10km run, a 3 km swim and a 156 km ride that took about 6.5 hours. I know that sounds awfully slow but it was very steady. In these mountains you just can go uphill very fast and I’m taking it cautiously on the descents as I promised Karen I would.

Dinner was awesome as usual and the aforementioned beer sure was tasty.