Epic Camp Day 9 - Last Day and a Livigno triathlon

 Epic Camp Day 9 - Friday 26 June.

The Final Day !  It was an early start as we were doing a "handicap triathlon" . Or perhaps triathlon for the handicapped was more fitting given it was the last day. 

After another night of subpar sleep in the tropics of the room, it was an early start for a quick brekky . day bags out and myself and a few of the others left to navigate the bike paths out of town for approximately 6 km until we got to the offical start of the 26km TT.  The end point of the ride was at the top of the second climb around 9 km before Livigno....with around 1100m of ascent although it was pretty moderate 5/6% climb apart from a few steep pitches on the smaller second climb and very pleasant winding through a couple of small towns to reach the Passo di Foscana then a small descent and a climb back up again to the Passo di Eira which was the finish line . It looked suspiciously Swiss and rightly so as we were v close to the border. 

I started 20 mins after the 0 starter and somehow was first to the end of the 26 km which was stoked with, the small descent was v wide and curvy so didn't lose too much time there, for once! 

Once everyone arrived and obligatory photos snapped, we descended down to Livigno which sits at ~1840 m and is a popular altitude training spot. T2 was at the swimming pool ar park and next up was a 10 km run, since I was first , I was starter zero and whoever finished behind me started with that amount of time on the run. It was hot by now and when I started running my legs had this weird wobbly feeling plus deja vu with the hot/cold chills we had experienced up the Stelvio, which I can only put down to altitude in combination with all the other silly stuff. Wasn't running too bad pace wise so just tried to keep it consistent and not be too ambitious and risk explosion, plus Iain had 10 mins behind me so needed to ensure he wouldn't run 10 mins into me. Luckily had learned from mistake on day 1 and had a gel around 3 km in which did the trick and ran a 52 min 10 km and kept my lead.

A few salty crisps and a cup of coke later, it was time for the swim. This was a to be 1600m in a 50 m pool, again first person goes off first and the time differentials after the run is where you start behind The facility in Livigno was the most amazing pool I have ever seen, down to electronic wrist bands that let you in, opened doors, locked and unlocked your locker!   We had 3 lanes booked so instructions were up the LHS of one, down the LHS of the next and the 3rd lane was 2 way then duck under ropes and start again. You can imagine what kind of melee that would be by the time everyone was in the pool.I was expecting to feel absolutely awful swimming, which I probably did to begin but the water was at the appropriate temp for swimming and not like a bath so eased in. Iain did catch up to although would have been a few lengths behind then over took me then I was on his feet and probably slapping his toes ( sorry ) as I think I sped up a bit which is usual for me swimming; takes an age to get this old duck warmed up in the water - and he possibly slowed down. The breathing was a bit laboured due to the altitude then I caught my watch on the lane rope and it pulled the strap out of the socket and the watch fell to the bottom! OMFG... big deep breath and down I went to get it, must have been blue in the face by the time I surfaced and kept swimming. Finished but was told I hadn't done enough, needed another 200m ( despite Garmin saying 1700m although I know it had added an extra 50 or 2 as I went under r the ropes) so duly swam another round and then finished but was still first and victorious ......I couldn't believe it . Shane our super mechanic managed to fix my watch ( RELIEF) then it was time for a quick lunch of peanut butter sandwich and the dread of having to climb back out of Livigno in the reverse of this morning's ride and get home.. It was a pretty steady climb and nothing too fierce...suppose that's all relative now after Tre Cime and the Stelvio ...we grabbed a Fanta at the top as a cold drink and more energy was needed and I made it through al the tunnels without incident and a then it was ~25 km of downhill to Bormio.

We fittingly ended the ride at the gelato shop and celebrated with a coconut gelato. YUM. Then back to the hotel to pack up bikes . organise luggage, shower and be down for drinks at 6.30 and a photo with our Epic kit on. I took home the red jersey for my triathlon win today, although felt a little undeserved given didn't do the mahoosive ride on day 2 but maybe that's also a bit of wisdom with age and experience and understanding my limits !! Who knows eh . 

So that's it for another Epic camp and another reason to keep this blog going, I vowed this was my last one and that I would retire after this but of course that may be a lie. 

For now tho I have 3 days left in Milan ( it's 36 degrees here.) and basking in an air conditioned room. Bliss. Then onto Singapore for a night and back to reality - but can't wait to see Bella and give her cuddles. I thought about my Barry every day while I was here and just asked him to look after me and he certainly did. 

Epic camp Italy Day 8- Ballers+ Bettys do Bormio

 Thursday 25th June

Today's plan was a bit of an unload day as thankfully John decided attempting the Mortirolo and the Gavia might be a little ambitious the day after the Stelvio. You would sense the wave of relief sweeping the camp!

We had walk/yog round town by the river for 5 km before brekky  then after brekky the new plan was to ride 30 km with a climb uo the Torra de Fraele. You ride about 5 km out of town on bike paths then climb up a narrow, winding road  which was v pretty and not so busy, although we were on a parallel road actually until we joined the proper road due to Garmin mapping snafu. Well - tired peeps with the fatigue brain scramble. I had a panic attack as somehow couldn't unclip as my left foot was stuck in the pedal, hard as I tried to  literally sprain my ankle ligaments to get out it still wouldn't budge and I had to keep rolling up a steep road with internal voices catatstrophising and screaming about what would happen if I still can't get out, but Cam, one of the other campers from NZ came to the rescue and sprinted up the road in his bike shoes and grabbed my bike and was able to unclip so gave my pedal a clean and a quick lube of chapstick from Julie then we went up the switchbacks and made it to the top. It felt like mediaeval type of road and a little further down was a lake - was interesting to look down at the road and all the zig zags set in the hillside but the climb felt pretty sedate - suppose everything will do now after the Stelvio!

I gave my pedal a good clean and realised there was some muddy stuff/ small stones which had stuck and made worse by the chapstick but it caused no issues after that. The descent was my least favourite and felt relieved I made tt down without incident or gravel rash :-)

The rest of the day involved a little sightseeing, shopping, a trip to the pool in Trentino ( lame effort by me to do 700m. Just CBF but recovery was good!) then of course a drink at the hotel and dinner.

Again we are in a very salubrious place, well designed for the ski season but not so much for the 28 degrees outside so the bedrooms are intensely hot like a sauna and even with the balcony door wide open and a window, there is little air flow and any  that does draught its way in is also warm. No amount of HRT can fix that discomfort so I'm hanging out for a decent nights sleep; maybe an igloo might be the answer.

Last day tomorrow which , as with Epic tradition, is a triathlon.......ride  40 km to Livigno ( which sits at 1800m, its 1200m here) with a 26 km tt in the middle. Run 10km then swim 1600m in the 50 m pool at the alititude training centre. Then ride  40 km home.  I'm already having nightmares about it. Handicap start!

Epic camp Day 7- Scorcher up the Stelvio

 Woke up at 4 .20 am today, WTF?!!  Decided against a morning run  to ensure no piriformis/ glute flare ups and went for a walk round the block with a little stop in at the pasticceria/konditorei for ride snacks then back to the hotel to finally get a coffee ( ..why is nothing open in Europe before 8am....sigh....) and another invasion of the breakfast buffet.

A small group of us decided to get a lift in the van to Prato and avoid the navigating of the bike paths to get there as potential for getting lost and it taking forever especially in the inclement weather ( = heatwave). It was hot enough at the rear of the van to arrive in Prato slightly frazzled so felt absolved of any self deprecating inner voices that I was soft, lazy, too old for all this kind of carry on etc etc...yeah right!

Of course Epic camp being what it is, we were ascending the Stelvio the hardest way. 25 km up, 48 switchbacks avg grade 7% but wikipedia warned me there were a few 12% pitches thru the forest. Prato sits at 913m and the Passo di Stelvio sits at 2873 so you get the picture.

It was so f***** g hot , I can't describe the heat any other way. No shade at the base either, but all you can do is pedal and keep the intensity as low as is feasible knowing it will get cooler further up!  I only watched the elevation and profile on my Garmin screen and concentrated on watching the metres go by. Stopped for a stretch of the glutes and my back then on again until came across a water fountain spouting fresh cold water. ....that felt like Christmas! Tanya caught up to me here so we spent the rest of the way about 30m apart. The road is so busy with motorbike and cars and other cyclists and it's not particularly wide. So many very tight hairpin bends to swing the bike around without colliding with any oncoming traffic made for several adrenaline spikes , worst through the forest section which had several 12% pitches, as anticipated. However the shade of the trees was a bit of reprieve from the heat. Once out of the trees we were met with a startling view of dramatic mountains with a few small. patches of snow and that sense of how we humans are just tiny specks amongst the majesty of Mother Nature. It was getting a little cooler up here and I was getting strange shivery periods then feeling hot again when we hit a patch of sun but I figured was normal given the heat down below, the altitude and general exertion of doing silly stuff like this at age 52 :-)

It was so gratifying to watch the numbered switch backs tick off and tell myself "Only Mt Pleasant road to climb". "only to the sign of the kiwi" etc etc. Arrived at the top to a Piccadilly Circus of motorbikes, people, cars and general chaos but found the support crew, jacketed up and had a snack and a rest then we had a quick stop at the shop to purchase a fridge magnet then it was down the long descent to Bormio. The road was definitely better on this side in terms of surface and slightly wider in spots. I'm not a fan of the tunnels though as the amplified noise of motorbikes while you ride through is downright spooky ( and terrifying).

Stopped to disrobe as the hot fan appeared again and after an eternity and cramping triceps, we made it to Bormio and our hotel- which was good enough for the Swiss ski team at the Winter Olympics so good enough for us lot!!

As you can probably imagine there was a whole bunch of wasted but satisfied people in the dining room that night, enjoying a wine or two and an impeccable dinner. Man, could get used to this lifestyle !  

Two days left and then we are finite. John has scrapped the idea of the Mortirolo tomorrow, realising  we are all 50 and over ( apart from one) and smoked with the heat . Well that's a relief as I wasn't going to do it anyway with my 36-28 and an avg grade of 11% for 12 km.

Stelvio was def one for the Grinder :-) and filled my bucket in a weird type 2 fun kinda way

Epic Camp Day 6. Medium Rare.

 Day 6  ( Tuesday  23rd June).

Schedule was - morning elimination run before brekky, minimum 1hr or 10 km

                                  -bike from Canazei to a lake somewhere . Option of 91km or 50 or 40 

                                 - swim at lake

                                - bike 17km from lake to Bolzano.

The title sums up accurately my state of being on day 6, partly due to the efforts of the previous days and partly due to calorie deficit. I could barely get moving this morning and it was a monstrous effort to get the body moving, aside from legs like wooden planks; the whole body felt like I was a donkey dipped in cement. Thus was eliminated in the first round ( YAY) so filled in the rest of the time with a slow trot through Canazei.

Back for a big brekky, coffees and the usual lugging of luggage and various bags for various vans then we set off. John assured us it was an easier day, and after making it through the treacherous hazard ridden bike paths, then it was up , up and up a gradual climb and it was HOT. I felt bloody awful on the bike today. Sciatic pains starting  from the l glute and radiating in weird places down the leg then the right piriformis etc, not to mention my foggy brain finding it hard to concentrate. and it felt like a struggle ! Took us 3hrs as 1100m climbing in the first 50km so was more depleted by the time we got to the van. Some of the others had taken the van to the 50 km and were riding the 40 downhill to the lake but I packed a sad so got in the van and a lift down the hill then through miles and miles of apple orchards, vineyards in around 35 degrees then we arrived at the lake, had a quick bite of lunch thanks to support crew then swim time. 

It was so warm out John designated a non wetsuit swim #grateful. have you ever tried to get tight rubber over an already  sweaty body ?! My that water felt so good to jump in !  

We were informed it was a swim elimination race with handicap starts, 2 laps per round and 3 gone each round. My handicap was 13 secs , likely after the woeful performance at the 800m pool TT. Somehow I managed to stay in the game and finished in the final 6 amongst good company, which was even more astonishing after the pathetic whingeing mess of a cyclist I had been prior. Managed to get 1750m in then dressed and only 17km to Bolzano, our home for the night.

It was a light downhill and solely on a network of excellent bike paths. God, I love Europe and the culture where everyone rides a bike- to get places. We arrived in town and after a slight missed turn were back on track and found the hotel. This was a much less touristy place but very pretty. A little confusing as it's in the German speaking part of Italy. 

Luckily only one night here as was in the smallest hotel room ever, twin share and we had to put the chairs in the wardrobe to allow room for our bags. BUT they had aircon units in each room which was a massive plus given it was 35 degrees outside and only dropped to 25 overnight!

Next up for the Wednesday is the Stelvio as we are off to Bormio for the remainder of the camp. I have to say I am mildly alarmed at the prospect having just looked up the stats on Wikipedia and of course, we are doing it the hardest way ( from Prato side)

Ah well, it's not Easy camp as John says. 

                                   -

Epic Camp Day 5- Swimming Special Olympics, Sella Ronda and a slovenly shuffle

 After a subpar sleep due to the tropical conditions , having to open the balcony door fully at 2.30am only to be woken by the rubbish truck doing its thing at 4.30am , I was not feeling particularly chipper this morning. 

Add to that no coffee available anywhere at such an early hour so the trip to the pool was met with zero enthusiasm as I had an inkling of what was in store.

We warmed up then started with a 50m kick race ( no boards). Then a 50m sprint race. Then a slow/ fast towing swim comp, then a  handicap relay race ( our team Europe won thanks to ex pro support crew Christine...phew!) then an 800m time trial which I admit, I didn't time trail as needed a few rests.

Swimming altitude is the absolute worst. Imagine a fully blocked nose then trying to mouth breathe through a very narrow straw....only a few strokes and you feel hypoxic! I muddled through another 1900m after that and didn't make the minimum 3k but that was enough.

The breakfast spread here is a magnificent feast fit for a king; or perhaps Epic campers is more apt! So had a massive brekky then time to roll out as we  were riding the Sella Ronda clockwise. What a fabulous ride- it's down there with one of my faves of all time. 

I was feeling pretty good given my shortened ride the day before so hung with the bigger guns on the first climb and rejoined them at a set of traffic lights after the first descent as I'm a cautious descender ( = a bit terrified at tight switchbacks). We then spread out a little and I rolled along ensuring to take in the scenery and listened to some good music. I can't say much more than that, rolled in to the hotel with a ~ 4 hr ride time. 

We had a compulsory run to do either an hour or 10 km, whatever came first. I had a bit of food fatigue today, perhaps from my gorge at breakfast or possibly chewing felt like too much extra kJ to burn.... so only managed a slice of cold pizza post ride and 2 boiled eggs ... prob not enough calories  but managed to slog out an hour , feeling horrendous as if I had wooden fence posts for legs+ similar to how it feels 25km into an IM marathon when you are about to hit the wall. But got 'er done.

I was awarded the red jersey for the day as John presumed I was doing some kind of FTP test  behind him on the Sella, well, I wasn't as only had the mapping page on and didn't even glance at my power - but guess it made him feel better about his ride?!  Haha.

Dinner was the usual salad, soup then I had spare ribs as wasn't tempted by the veal with tuna sauce for main course but the sheer mental and physical effort to prise meat off the ribs became too much so I hadn't really eaten enough for dinner . 

The heavens had opened and a thunderstorm was on outside which cooled the night down . Thank God !!

This would bite me a little today ( Tuesday) but you will have to wait for the next instalment for the low down:-) 

Epic camp Day 4. Trail tootle, "no chain" and a dismembered pedal

 Sunday 21st June

Finally a decent nights sleep thanks to massage and possibly the fine vino Rosso I had at dinner. 

This blog will be in brief bullet points as its Monday evening now, have another day to write up and I'm a bit knackered!

- Up early, sourced a coffee from the signor at reception then we bundled into the van, back up the hill to a trail head to take us to Lago di Sarapiso. Judging by all the cars already there, it must be akin to Roy's Peak and one with views for the gram. 

It was stunning, we didn't make it down to the lake as it was pretty technical and rocky so was more of a hike in places and by the time we returned it was a highway of trekkers coming towards us.We  ran down a ski field track to the van and made it up to 10 km, a slow 10 km at 1h 45 but it loosened me off nicely

- Demolition of breakfast buffet and bags loaded as we are on to Canazei tonight

- Departed on the bikes and back up the Falzarego as per day 1 except no turn off for the Giau this time. I can safely say I felt a hell of a lot better climbing today, in fact I felt smooth and a "no chain" type of day. We descended and luckily saw the turn off on a VERY sharp corner which took us down a quieter road ( less motorbikes. Omg they are so courteous towards cyclists as are most drivers here but the noise just ruins the serenity of such a beautiful place and there are SOOO many of them ). and we ended up in a small village called Caprile so the 4 of us decided to stop for a quick espresso before we tackled the Fedaia.

-Left the coffee shop and I couldn't clip into right pedal; the rear plate which catches the back of the cleat was half hanging off. Eh?WTF?  I pushed it back in but as soon as clipped the cleat in, it came loose. 

So that was the end of my ride  as certainly wasn't attempting a 13km ascent one legged ! Waited an hour for the SAG then spent another couple of hours doing support duties and filling bottles etc for the others still on course. Who assured me it was hot and  the last 2-3 km were NASTY. Humph would still have rather had a ride but anyway, c'est la vie.

-Arrive Canazei, sort gear. It's very hot. The hotel is very salubrious although there doesn't seem to be any air con and it's so hot inside it feels as if central heating is on. Great for the ski season I guess

-Had time for a bimble around the town and found a cup of tea that I had been craving for about 4 hours then dinner in the sauna of a dining room, which also had poor acoustics so was glad to return upstairs for a cold shower and put my ear plugs in.

Monday's schedule starts with a visit to the pool which John has booked for 2 hours, yikes. That means swim races and other atrocities ahead .We are riding the Sella Ronda after that which I am looking forward to. Pedal has ben screwed back together so fingers Xd no  more mechanicals.

- Back tomorrow with Monday's musings :-)

Epic camp Italy day 3 ( Sat 20th June) .Shut Up Legs!!

   Today's plan was to ride from our base in Cortina back up yesterday's descent and then on to Tre Cime de Lavaredo  and do a small trail run at the top then bike back down with a stop for a swim in Lake Misurina on the way home.

Easy right !!  I had no reason to be complaining given the previous day when the others had endured a mammoth ride , also in the heat ( although seems we received the worst of the thunder storm and rain, guess that's penance for being slack)

It was a pleasant climb with a freshly surfaced road, smooth like velvet. A delectable treat for those is from NZ who understand how much the big chip seal sucks the lifeblood ( and velocity). That was until we hit the last 4 km where the road suddenly hit 15% for eternal stretches and my cadence hit an all time low of about 20, the Grinder was struggling to grind!  It wouldn't have been so bad but was moving so slowly I was weaving a bit and the sheer terror of large buses also attempting to get up there and swing round the bends was making me more jittery .....rounded a corner and saw a few of the others had dismounted as there was a small lay by and we all needed a reprieve. My quads were actually trembling at the effort. Sadly , it was nigh impossible to get on and attempt riding again as the pitch at that point was still 15% and I didn't like my chances of not ending up like a squished possum so I did something I have never done before and walked the bike around 1-1.5km up ( calves screaming , cycling shoes aren't built for pedestrians) until the road "flattened off" to 11% so was able to ride the last ~ 2km to the car park. Bloody Oath!

We got changed and I went to spend a euro then scrambled up a steep trail and realised I was supposed to way down below and didn't have a map so yogged back to the car park and then set off with a couple of the others so we just did an out and back as would have been out of time... we got to see the Tre Cime though, breathtaking ! The Dolomites are spectacular. Did you know the actual stone IS called Dolomite. My inner geography nerd had to google it last night.

Managed to get down the descent without incident and  stay on my bike, we stopped at Lake Misurina with John stating minimum swim was 20 mins. It was not highly appealing and the floor full of triffid like weeds - but actually, felt so good to swim and get a bit of recovery. Just as we were getting changed a few plops of rain appeared then it was properly raining - you gotta be kidding, right ?!! Deja vu from yesterday... but actually was nowhere near as heavy and it had ceased by halfway down and certainly wasn't cold. 

Kylie gave me good pummelling on the massage table in the evening, I'm such a cry baby on the massage table but I felt soooo much better for it today. The support crew certainly look after us well! if only life was one big Epic camp right ...:-).... well, as long as I could bring my dog of course.

Epic camp Day 2. Fustercluck

Remember the episodes of Friends where Chandler got a roommate called Eddie; well, I woke this morning feeling like one of Eddie's cantaloupes .At least I had managed to sleep until 5.45 am which was a bonus despite what my Garmin metrics were telling me.

Next surprise was that the tentative cable-bike computer connection had not, in fact, been connected at the correct angle and thus my Garmin Edge had been on all night, slowly draining the battery which left me with 15% charge to start the day which ain't much when you are using the map function in a strange country!  Panic ensued when I also realised I had left my DI2 charging cable and rear light charging cable in the basement of the hotel in Venice, searched everywhere and finally found it  after looking for the second time in my laptop bag. Still semi-sedated from the previous nights medication, apparently !

 -Arrived at breakfast at 7.12 am with a large queue for the coffee machine and John reminding me of a 7.31 am departure for our group, so it was a last minute fumble to be ready , tough when you got out of bed the wrong side, not to mention all the other maladies. 

I decided to start easy and ride with the grupetto of Di, Zarnia and Liz .. lots of navigational snafus on and off bike paths, bike paths which turned to deep gravel , busy roads with no shoulder where we couldn't locate or had missed the bike path....jeepers. The good part was it felt like a pretty easy recovery spin and that's probably what was needed today. .we decided to make it to the first aid station at 51km ; this was in a small village and despite no sign of our aid station, we found the fountain in the village square and duly filled bottles, dipped heads in as the mercury was rising!  There was no way , given that this had taken us THREE HOURS  that attempting the 175 km loop ( this was the loop excluding the Zoncolan)  was going to happen so we thought just turn back and head back up the valley to Cortina.

Oli + Kylie appeared not long after and sorted us out and advised they drive us across a short cut road which would leave us at the base of the last climb, 37 km from Cortina and would be a much prettier and more enjoyable ride so we concurred with that and dismantled bikes and ourselves into the van.

By the time we started the ride up to Tre  Croces it was toasty hot , there was no shade on our side of the road. This must be what it's like as you approach the furnaces of hell!! I spotted a caravan selling cold drinks by the roadside although was convinced it was a mirage until I heard the two Italian guys cry out and ask if I wanted a drink or a beer. "Fresco?" "Si, signora" so a bottle of  limone and a packet of salted crisps later which averted the ( literal) meltdown I was ready to ride again. They assured me it was only 10 mins to the top, in which time there was an ominous darkening of the sky and it had cooled quite a bit, then a quick flash and a huge rumble of thunder and thus the heavens opened in monsoon fashion.

Be careful what you wish for kids!!  I continued on after deliberation on whether to bail or just to htfu given I had only ridden half of the ride schedule for the day so duly pedalled off to the end of the climb but the rain was so bad I could barely see and the surface water across the road was about an inch deep so I let common sense prevail and was picked up ~ 2km down the descent by Oli and Kylie. Soaked and shivering with goosebumps. A stark contrast to half an hour ago!

The day ended on a high note however, with an Aperol Spritz and a fine repast , not to mention a successful charging of the Garmin having it balanced on one of my Hokas.

Tomorrow is a ride up hill for 24km then a trail run up at Tre Cime Lavaredo followed by a lake swim somewhere. Fingers crossed for a good zzz and a better attitude tomorrow :-)

Epic Camp Italy - Day 1.Aquathon then a wee ride from Cortina

 After another early wake up, this time around 2.30 am despite my Garmin telling me I am slowly acclimated to the new time zone ( only 1.5 hrs ahead as opposed to 3 , the day before) it was eventually time to load bags and bikes in the vans then coffee and attack the hearty breakfast buffet before departure for Cortina d"Ampezzo  via Lago di S. Croce.

We arrived at the lake around 75 mins later, after an uncomfortable trip squashed into the back of the small rental where the windows don't open and the aircon don't reach!! Emerged with cramp and a drouth before had even set foot in the lake !!

It was a stunning location though, water temp was perfectly fresh and pleasant given it was quite toasty and a quick wriggle into wetsuits, a warm up swim then John gave us the race briefing - 5 laps of 300m with an Aussie exit each lap. Then a 7km trail run after. It was a blind handicap with mass start, Blind and handicapped is literally how I feel at swim starts so it was an apt description of a race.

I have to say I enjoyed the swim , apart from the Aussie exits  - transition was very relaxed as am way out of practice with these type of activities , also remembered the zip on my trisuit isn't fully functional anymore so had to roll it down to my waist, fortunately Epic camp doesn't adhere to Ironman rules so I wasn't disqualified. Had a pretty good run but could feel myself running low on fuel and it was getting hot hot hot ...! No sign of the forecast 10.5mm rain ( yet)

After such an auspicious start to the camp, was looking forward to our afternoon ride. After a van ride to Cortina, sorting of bikes and lunch we set off at 1.45 through town and were soon climbing. First climb of the day was the Passo di Giau.. It felt a lot harder than it looked, possibly due to the heat and the lunch regurgitating in my tummy. I had a mild panic attack about the fact that I haven't changed any of the gearing on my bike for this trip ( smallest I have is a 36-28) as this felt really hard, harder than I thought it should. Then found myself questioning why am I not bumbling round museums with a Lonely Planet guide and admiring fine Italian architecture - or even enjoying the hiking trails which were visible as we climbed- like normal people do?!! FFS. Why? Why?

I threw back a gel at this point, which turned the frown upside down and got rid of the nihilistic thoughts plus it was getting a little cooler as we neared the top. 

Descent down was dry and not fraught with too much anxiety - the next part of the ride was very pleasant then we started the next ascent of the Falzarego which was enjoyable although I could feel aches and pains in places, as you do and mild annoyance at the noise of the motorbikes....plus the gang of middle aged men in Porsches ( about 10 cars came whizzing past us at breakneck speed ).

Ominous dark cloud were visible in the distance and I was a bit worried we would get caught in a thunder storm, the lower half of the road was quite wet but luckily we missed the rain as the faster guys got a soaking apparently. Benefits to being in the grupetto !!

We rolled in after 4h14 mins at 6.30 pm and ready for dinner, dehydrated and def low in calories.I was so tired after that big day even eating dinner was a struggle but the excitement of salmon and veggies for dinner overrode the desire to lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling for the evening!

Fingers crossed for a longer zzz tonight, better throw back some pharmaceuticals I think.

Big day on tap  for day 2 so we will see what it brings, one thing for sure - it won't be bringing me the Zoncolan. Done it on Rouvy anyway, pfffffftt.

Epic Camp Italy - -prologue and random ramblings

Well, well, well. Here we are again putting metaphorical pen to paper in advance of another camp. Asking myself existential questions as to I why I choose 10 days of type 2 fun and extreme exhaustion as a holiday. Then I get to Epic camp and realise I'm with a bunch of people cut from the same cloth and also define this as a favourite way to vacazione, something about mutual suffering - right?!!! Perhaps us A types all need to pedal away from everything for a period of time, who knows?!! This build up has been rather less focused than previous camps. The joy of riding my bike for long distances and general enjoyment of cycling has waned over the last few years along with other aspects of life that have taken priority Epic camp is not to be disrespected however. I'm approaching this with less aerobic fitness ( esp cycling ) but a more robust chassis from a good focus at lifting heavy shit in the gym ( as Stacy Sims says:-) which has ironed out many of the niggles I used to be plagued with while racking up volume of triathlon training. Still have a bit of run speed in the legs and swimming, well, mehhh- that will just be a showcase of my innate talents in the water as usual. My main concern for the camp ( apart from the usual trepidation about the task(s) ahead) is that without the burning desire for long distance triathlon, can I keep it rolling when it gets really tough ? I'm not sure my mental fortitude is what it once was but I suppose I'll find out and attempt to live up to the moniker of my alter ego: The Grinder. Broke up the journey with a 2 night stop in Singapore, then arrived into Milan a day after the rest of the NZ crew who had undertaken the mammoth journey in one hit. We had a longish day travelling to Venice yesterday and picking up hire bikes en route. Thankfully John spared me the ordeal of navigation ( given I was riding shotgun) and we made it to the hotel with car intact despite agitated Italians blaring horns and appearing behind us at ~100mph. Or massive trucks changing lanes with no indication at similar speeds, jeepers. I thought Christchurch was full of ignorant,road entitled w*****s but this was an extra level!! We had a pleasant tourist jog round the beautiful Venice this morning before the masses arrived ( tourists that is, not the rest of the campers ha ). then back to the hotel to demolish the breakfast buffet ( in keeping with daily Epic camp traditions, right?!). Bike built up and ready then time to spend the the day to do some more touristing and relax, probably for the last time until camp is done! I'll add some photos from our Venice run, aim is to blog daily and document each day as I have done previously. Fingers crossed I can sleep a litte later than 3.30am ****** No pics sorry as having some issue with Google saying I've denied access to cookies or something , couldnt make sense of how it told me to fix and another night of 3am wake up means comprehension is even less likely today. Will try later when have to write Day 1 blog, if I make it through an aqua thon and a ride !!****

Taper Tourist Wednesday

Bloody oath. A day off to rest and taper.... well, could have done a wee SBR but actually by today, I just couldn't be bothered and felt a day off was in order as hadn't had a total rest day for 12 days .... and 40 hours of training later...... Main goal was to keep moving and stretch today so a bit of walking......also must avoid putting my body into some acute shock with the abrupt halt to training. Not much of interest to waffle on about today ( no need to report on the minutiae of triathlon race prep........yawn). so this will be mainly made up of photos- post lunch , a group of us took the telecabine-lift-stairs- to get the cable car up to the top of the mountain - well, not strictly the top but up to Dome des Rousses at 2800m. The actual top is at 3300m and required a walk across to get another cable car.Amazing views, some perma snow and the odd little Alpine flower.

VAUJANY.

Will hang mid air for views. Best ice cream ever. Dinner at the big chalet and a wee glass of red to help relax and alleviate my heightening anxieties about ( wetsuit) swimming in a lake with 1800 other people. It's been too long then bed time....luckily found a plunger and some coffee in our chalet given I was housed with some non coffee drinkers. Some choices I will never understand :-)

Tuesday- La Grave>lost>lake> Bourg d'Oisans. > Vaujany

I think I had a good sleep here, benefits of being higher up in the mountains is that it cools down extensively at night. Yay. I'm at the point in my life however where I 'm not sure if it is actually summer heat or hormones .... likely both I'd say. Woke early so had a wee walk round the village. Very pretty. Gutted we weren't going to be there long enough to take the cable car visible opposite.

Bags down, brekky then off on the 30 km descent to Bourg d"oisans. Of course the group splintered by the time we got to the Bourg and somehow, following what Garmin was directing us, Dave, Steph, Tanya and myself ended up at. the other end of town realising we were not anywhere near the lake! We checked the Life 360 app which showed everyone else at the opposite end of town.... thanks to some actual navigating, Tanya got us back om course and we finally arrived at the car park to see the vans which were all locked up and no support crew there.........the lake was 1km down a path/ gravelly road so Dave volunteered to go down and grab the key while we decided that by the time we got there, the others would be finished swimming so no point. Have to confess was slightly cranky at this point.........anyhoo, we made it down then was time for a scenic team photo in our Epic camp kit ... and a group excursion by bike to the Intermarche ( supermarket) to stock up on any goodies needed for race and snacks....then was time to have coffee in Bourg, check out the bike shop before heading to Vaujany which was 21 km away but a 5km climb ( 900m up from Bd'O). So excited just couldn't hide it :-)

Cool bunch of peeps.

Bourg d"Oisans, coffee.....shopping for TdF + bike propaganda....... Once caffeinated we set off for Vaujany, winding through town on a bike path which took us almost all the way to the Lac du Vernay ( swim location for Thurs. Its a hydro lake, not for general public use) then the climb up to Vaujany. Jeezus!! Beautiful ride on a narrow, winding road through little villages but steep. I was starving having not eaten since brekky apart from half a nutella filled crepe....it was baking hot by this time too.......lots of groaning and moaning from the group and we finally made it..... to the main chalet anyway where lunch had been waiting, already devoured by the others...

Extra chamois time for sweaty and hungry humans Post lunch then had to navigate my way to my chalet, a room to myself for the next 3 nights and a double bed !! BLISS. The chalets are luxurious and like a proper home. Front loader washing machine, dishwasher, comfy lounge, decked out in IKEA. Can I just stay here forever? Just kidding, would miss my dogs too much.

Chalet Polaris. Views were magnificent.

Monday, Monday......so good to me....

St Jean de Maurienne to La Grave via Telegraphe, Galibier. Had a great sleep and felt a touch more refreshed after an easier day prior.... butt and legs slightly recovered/healed and ready to face getting back on the horse today. Quads still a bit tender tho. It was cloudy and humid this morning although a bit cooler than previous days which was very welcome. After a little roadworks detour which saw us stray off course, we made it to the start of the Telegraphe climb which was 12 km. It wasn't raining but the air was damp and quite sticky. I had a great climb up here, amazing what an easy day can do.... joined up with Pete, Lisa and Marisa who had left just after us but must have passed us at some point on our detour.... .

We stopped and had a coffee at the top here, and a pit stop then put a couple of jackets on as it was cloudy and a bit more chilly. I can't remember how long the descent was but it wasn't too long before you start the climb up the Galibier... we passed through a small town and had a wave from Oli and Kylie in a cafe then it was 17km to start the climb ( its 1250m ascent up there)... oof, too hot again so jackets off and luckily Ian came past in the van so were able to throw those in. Scenery wise, this was similar to the Iseran with some snow bowls visible in the rocky peaks, alpine wildflowers, cowbells, thin air...the last few kms felt a bit struggley, mainly because I think I hadnt fueled enough on the Telegraphe and after.... its quite bizarre as you turn the corner to reach the top and its like a Piccadilly circus of motorbikes, more motorbikes, cars and a few cyclists and more gangs of motorbikes...was bloody freezing up there too!!

It was quite a pleasant descent ( compared to others.... although hopefully after all the riding I'm descending a little less Granny like ) to the top of the Col du Lautouret then spotted the support crew who had lunch ready. SO hungry. Amazing scenery and we were all chanelling our inner marmotte ( see photos below )

Once lunch digested it was 10km down to La Grave... through a couple of tunnels but a nice descent to our base for the night with views to die for; at 1500m. Quick throwing of stuff into rooms and bike to the sheds then into the van for a mass exodus to Alpe d"huez to register and have a wee run at altitude and round one lap of the course. The ride up the Alpe did not fill me with much excitement about the race I must say...we tropped to registration which was rather busy so decided to run first. I was a bit CBF mode and weary as well as still lacking in energy #hangry much?! so Tanya and I just toddled easily round the course chopping off about 1.7 km to make for a 5km. Then rego time and an extensive debate ensued between myself and the reg lady who couldnt understand my Tri NZ membership declaration. Mostly my fault as I only uploaded to my registration the day before...........she was also confused as I was down as Scottish but affiliated to Tri NZ. Anyway much begging and pleasding and agreeing that Brexit was a terrible idea, I was able to register. Phew ( or not??!) Back down in the van ( thank GOD we don't have to descend that on race day) then back to the hotel for showers, organisation for the next day then wines and dinner. Can't even remember what we had that night but I did rejoice that it wasn't melted cheese. "Easier " day tomorrow and on to Vaujany where we will reside for the next 3 nights in chalets. So good to not have to be moving on and packing up, that feels like a more monumental task every day as the fatigue sets in deeper and deeper.

Spent Sunday.

No, I have not forgotten to complete the sentence.....just an apt description of the mind and body after my biggest training week since 2019!! Not much to report on today so will keep it brief and a few photos.......... Slept til 7, leisurely brekky with a little food fatigue in the mix too. More bread, ham and cheese consumed. Off to the pool for some "games".......nooooooo, I know exactly what this means. After an auspicious start and what felt like a good warm up, it was time for the handicapped ( literally and metaphorically in some cases...!) 400m. based on half IM swim times. Well, I havent' swum a half ironman swim since 2019. The fishies all started first then it was time for the rest of us , although Dave D and I had an interloper in our lane doing back stroke while we did ours ( Molina) who kindly mentioned he thought we were just cooling down like him. No, we are just fucking slow......!! St J de M pool - site of some intense battles :-)

After the 8 mins of thrashing and general questioining of life choices, it was a 50 m kick race. Actually I was not to bad at that though was so starved of oxygen after 25m I thought I was going to explode! Then team relays based on where you reside, sorry John. Was always a ganble being stuck with a big handicap ( Dave D and myself). So Team Chch were DFL in that!! A quick trip to the supermarket for snacks before it shut then back to the hotel and an afternoon sleep for me. Finally dragged myself out for an easy 5km round St jean du Maurienne stopping to take photos.

Tomorrow, we ride to La Grave via the Cols de Telegraphe, Galibier and Lautouret. Hope my quads have recovered after a day's rest!

Saturday -sucking in air then sizzling hot

Val d "Isere to St Jean de Maurienne 106 km. 1523 asc. 5km shuffle before brekky.

Sunset in Val d'Isere Had a sub par sleep in my sauna style bunk room and a rebellious tummy , likely from the overload of melted cheese or, in fact, any cheese. Dragged myself up at 5.45 nd joined Kylie and Tanya and we had a cruisy jog down throught the main st until we hit a rocky track. Kylie went on to join up with the guys and we turned around as rocky trails are hazardous on fatgued minds and bodies.Running back up to the hotel was hard work- altitude ( Val d'isere sits at 1800m) and fatigue. Kinda like that post Ironman feeling when your breathing muscles are tired and you can barely walk up a flight of stairs. After a decent brekky and gallons of mediocre French coffee we set off...16km of uphill up the Iseran, which I had only climbed from the other side and had in my head that today was the super steep side. It was actually a pretty pleasant climb ( most are when related to Ventoux or Forclaz..!) and stunningly beautiful with Alpine flowers and glaciated scenery. Much to our delight the Jumbo Visma team car came past and following suit were a few of the non TdF riders who were apparently doing "reps" on each side of the Col. jeezus!! The team car went past me at one point around 4 km from the summit; windows open so I yelled out "STicky Bottle" but wasn't obliged.... likely because I don't know you say it in Belgian.

Grinding on the Iseran. It was pretty busy at the top with motor bikes, cars, bikes and hard to get a photo of the summit which is 2770m; the highest sealed road in the Alps. Another long descent and Ian waiting at the bottom with the van so that we could disrobe of all the warm gear ( chilly up top! Still some wee snow patches). Then we headed down a long hot valley through a couple of beautiful wee towns towards lunch stop in Modane - the Garmin was directing us on the "route panoramique" - uh-oh, another grind up hill. Yes. And road works so it was a dusty ride in the searing heat through fresh seal /light gravelly bits until we hit a long gentle descent and made it through Modane until we founbd the lunch stop - the support crew had done a fabulous job and a huge spread on a picnic table for us. Yummy. Guzzled down a wrap, melon and some apricot juice then the heavenly nectar that is a cup of coke with ice in it. We had to take a detour due to roadworks ( large landslide) which again meant a steep , hot and dusty grind up through a tiny village then a descent to join the bike path on the main road, slight downhill all the way to St Jean de Maurienne. It was a little windy too but luckily Gordo had joined our group so he and Daryl did a fine job of sheltering us 3 girls and made for a swift ride to the hotel. But oh my goodness it was HOT!! Again, bikes offloaded, into the rooms, showered and it was beer O clock again. Dinner was at a restaurant owned by the hotel approx 500m away..... food was pretty good but it took an eternity to be served and in between courses - I think we ate dessert at 9pm... I had to have a cold shower when returned to cool myself down, it was only the next morning we spotted the air con unit above the door in the room. Not the only ones to miss it tho!! St Jean de Maurienne- famous for the home of Opinel who invented the knives. And a bike race dedicated to his memory. How cool.

Big day in the saddle - La Clusaz to Val d"Isere via Daisies, Cormet de Rosalind. One for grimpeurs ( and grinders)

Our grupetto was under instruction to be driven over the Aravis and start at the base of the Les Saisies climb. Half of our group ( us 3 girls) are reasonable climbers but slower descenders then the boys so we would have probably managed the Aravis in good time. However, after a twisting, slightly nauseating van ride over the Aravis and relief that in fact, I wasn't having to descend it we got out, a little green at the gills and regretting some over indulgence at the breakfast buffet ready to climb to Les Saisies. This was a fabulous climb with views of Mont Blanc. Another perfect bluebird day and shaping up to be another hot one. Bloody oath.

First one done !! Pleasant descent down then through Beaufort and ready to start the climb up the Cormet de Roselend which is 20 km long. I've done it fron the other side and remember it being very scenic and reminiscent of scenes from Heidi. The lower kms average around 8% ish and it felt a bit hard on the leggies, especially after a long descent where I find my legs stiffen and feel like I'm trying to rotate logs of wood. I concentrated on some banging music and focussed on the views and feeling #blessed. I had , for some reason thought lunch was 12.5 km up so much to my dismay when I spotted Ian ( support) at the roadside helping Tanya fix a flat that lunch was another 8km away. Eh?? #hangry. But that soon passed when was rewarded with views of the lake ( which I must have descended past 8 years ago but had no recollection). I did stop to take a photo here and then the gradient eased off a little after that and also we were out of the trees so it was a fabulous grind up to the summit and breathtakingly beautiful. Our sensational support crew were at the top ready with a table of delectable goodies for lunch. And a coffee from the wee Nespresso machine in the van. Oh my, that was like a celestial treat sent from the gods!

Luckily lunch had 20 km of descent to aid digestion, by the time I reached the bottom it felt like I was in some kind of tetanic spasm in my neck/ shoulders. Death grip on the brakes on all the switch backs lower down in the trees as well as motorbikes, cars, campervans all competing to get around cyclists on the road. Aaaaargh, a bit terrifying although all the vehicles here are great and either wait or pass with plenty of room ( unlike the entitled attitudes we receive from NZ drivers). From Bourg St Maurice the three of us girls then headed up the valley twards Val d"isere, our final destination and the promise of a long drag uphill to finish. It was super hot and dusty down here and we were all a little weary by now. I have to confess I was also a bit grumpy..........and had some ( a LOT) of trepidation about riding through the upcoming tunnels. We saw Julie part way and were able to refill bottles and throw down a load of Haribo lollies. Da bomb. We made it through the first couple of tunnels which luckily had some lights , but HELL the amplified noise of impending traffic is terrifying to the very depths of the soul. Three tunnels later and we were almost at Val d "isere which sits at 1800m elevation... straight up the road to the hotel. I couldn't contain my excitement when I spotted sheepskin covered stools in the lounge/bar area. They must have known my ass was coming for a vist haha. Shame we were only spending one night here as it was very luxurious ( albeit reminiscent of a large sauna...pine everywhere)................dinner was a traditional Swiss border feast of fondue or Raclette ( another variation on the melted cheese theme). However the raclette came with crunchy veggies and salad so mosyt of us opted for that. The potatoes were delivered to the table in a denim bag, much to our amusement ....as did the dehydrated bits of pepper and mushroom ( a la Eddie - Chandler's brief roommate..IYKYK)

We have to climb the Iseran tomorrow then a "cruisy net downhill" to St jean de Maurienne. Right. That means a few wee climbs thrown in I can imagine. Oh and a wee run before breakfast...

Toasty Thursday

This will be brief as I've been slack with the blog updatesthanks to being a bit frazzled by the heat as well as general CBF by the time I had a spare 10 minutes. And those who have done camps before, you know we don't get a lot of spare minutes in between meal schedules, bag logistics and then extensive prep for the day ahead as well as enough clean kit.....!! Today's plan was: Bike 30 km from La Clusaz down to the Lake Swim in the lake 5km run Bike 60 km back via Forclaz, Col de marais, Thones. After a reasonable night's sleep and another breakfast of scrambled eggs, jambon and some fresh bread and a flagon of coffee, we set off in our grupetto to the lake. Net downhill so was pretty quick. Swim plan was JN's favourite- an eliminator contest. I'm always out in the first round so was chuckling with internal glee that I wouldn't have to kill myself through rounds of 400s. Wetsuit still felt as if it was choking me round the neck and the chest, despite letting water in and doing all the things and I started to feel a panic attack coming so I took it off and just swam in the trisuit as the water was a very pleasant 21dgrees. Aaaah thats better although being an already disadvantaged swimmer , not wearing the wettie would definitely knock me out first round, which it did....... but then I enjoyed some relaxed swimming while the others fought for glory. next up was a "Guess your time 5km" ( another JN favourite!). It was a bit of a shoulder to shoulder battle between the Colonel and the Grinder and I was taken out by the Colonel.... but good to be pushed along and also run 1min13 quicker than predicted although in hindsight with the mercury already rising fast, I should probably have taken it a bit easier. All in the name of type 2 fun tho, right?!!

Run done, changed, sugary snacks on board and time to ride home the long way. I can't possibly print on this blog the word I'd like to use to describe Forclaz. It started off at a relatively steady grade but then kicked off at the top with pitches varying 12-17 %, combined with about 32 degree temps. It was a war zone of athletes at the top begging the support crew for coke and cuddles......and then the descent was just as nasty as the road was only the width of 1.5 cars with very tight corners and steep drop offs. We cruised on up the Col de Marais then regrouped and found the short cut avoiding the Croix de Fry and toddled up the valley through Thones and up to La Clusaz which was hot , rely hot, dusty and we were all dreaming of a cold beer.

Fake it til you make it

La Clusaz - stunner of a place. Beer. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Dinner tonight was trout ( tasty) and the accompanying vegetable was half a stewed tomato. But no strawberry soup for dessert tonight at least :-)

Vaison la Romaine- Annecy-La Clusaz

Apologies dear readers for missing a day - laptop was in van en route to Geneva with the rest of the luggage to pick up the other campers. I'll keep this one short and concise, peppered with photos to tell the story and of course ensure it doesn't turn into a tedious monologue of wattage and other metrics.....yawn.

Pizza dinner post Ventoux and sampling the local fermented beverages...

Vaison la Romaine and the Roman bit. Day after Ventoux dawned bright and early at 3.30 am, hurrah for jet lag !! Made it out for a run at 6.01am, a minute too late to join JN's 6am run group but hey, who wants to run at 4.45/km that early anyway?!! I used the run to actually be a tourist and take a few photos as am a bit slack in that department and rely on everyone else to take photos...... After brekky and bikes, multitudes of day bags which had to suffice for overnight stay we were off to Annecy.... 3 hrs or so later and lots of busy traffic, we were dropped at our hotel then JN and Dave sped off to Geneva so we appointed Gordo in charge til we were reunited with the others in La Clusaz. Quick change and we headed off on the Semnoz loop - 51 km around 2100m asc. Once out of town its a 16km climb, I found it a pretty nice climb and had expected it to be steeper; had a few pitches but a pretty pleasant 7% average for the 16km. Altho its all relative, after the abject misery inflicted by Mont Ventoux the day before. It was a bit cloudy uo top but oh the sweet, sweet sound of cowbells. Yes, am finally on hols, in the Alps.

Top of Semnoz- winners are grinners A long descent followed by another long descent ( thank GOD we hadn't done the loop in that direction!) and once on the outskirts of Annecy it was designated bike path all the way back to the hotel- these were terifying actually - e-bikes whizzing past at top speed, kids, scooter... felt more hazardous than the road and I could feel a bit of rage building internallyu but then remembered I'm on holidays and its time to be zen and grateful and #blessed so just CTFO

Me CTFO . And getting some of my 5 a day. Dinner in Annecy was a pleasant affair... we found a restaurant that wasn't serving pizza ... much to the waiter's amusement the order was for 7 burger with fries. Bien cuit. ( well done- didn't want to risk burger tartare....)

Thirsty work this triathlon stuff :-) Today ( Wednesday) after thankfully a long and quality sleep, we started off with a swim in the lake. How beautiful, clear 21 degrees, flat and glassy. Had a struggle to start with as felt my wetsuit was strangling me and stiff back abd shoulders from all the long descents but that eased off although I stil felt as if it was really hard work- but of course, tired from all the riding etc. Until I got out and realised my float bag hadnt been fastened properly and had been slowly catching water as I swam.........so I emptedout about 10 litres or more... haha. #resistance training

Will swim for views. After a hearty repast at the hotel, where I had to exercise (some). restraint on the baked goods and a pleasnt wander by the lake it was time to leave for La Clusaz( 37.5 km 900m asc). Gordo had stated it was a no drop ride so after another fraught expedition along the bike paths, we were out into some beautiful wee villages and rolling climbs albeit toasty in parts we arrived at the hotel in La Clusaz to the chaos of bike assemblyu, bags etc etc as the others had all arrived from Geneva. Its very ski town? Sound of Music here..... but thats what we come for, right?!!

Will also ride for views...as long as its sunny. Right its almost dinner time - then John gives us a brief on whats on tap tomorrow ( bike/ swim/ run/bike I think ) which fills me with trepidation although I have to remind myself this isn't quite so intense as a tradiitional Epic camp so its OK - just CTFO Chrissie and #wine o clock. Living the dream.....

Knocked the bastard off- Mont Ventoux pre Epic camp adventure

Well, after an eternity of travel involving long layovers in Singapore and long tranist time in Frankfurt combined with Lufthansa's highly inefficient bulk baggage system. "Go over there to the bulk baggage queue" he said. "Since you have a bike". Sweet, this wil be alot easier given I'd just spent an age to clear immigration with my European passport that is now persona non grata post Brexit so had to stand in the queue with half the population of CHina and the Arab emirates so it wasnt quick! But no, arrived at the bulk baggage queue to find around a hundred people waiting with trolies laden with multiple Cases, small dogs with large animal carriers, backpacks, golf clubs.....and it moved at the rate of an advancing glacier. An hour and 10 mins later I got to the counter to find out that the extra bag I had paid for needed to be specified as a bike; anyhoo.... the lady was very helpful so one meltdown later it was al;l sorted and I could finally get through security, have a shower. Got to Geneva with my luggage, emerged into the smoky fug at the arrivals door and Dave was there to greet me with the hotel shuttle. Nailed a good sleep that night after a short run and build of the bike, managed a 10 km run into Geneva to finally snap the lake ( all for the 'gram you know....) then once packed up we set off for Vaison la Romaine - home for the first 2 nights. Staying in the same place as 2016, within the walls of the medieaeval village- cobbles galore.

Took the bike for a wee tootle to check all in working order then twisted John's arm to upload all the map files to my Gramin for me which he duly obliged. Cheers! And phew!

Managed another reasonable sleep altho had a period ofinsomnia between 3am and 4am, mainly flashbacks to the last time I climbed Ventoux and some inner ponderings about life choices; why don't I choose holidays that involve lying on a beach with cocktails? Hmmmmm. Our little group of 3- myself, Tanya and Jeremy set off at 7.45 for Bedoin... made it to the sign that says 19km to the summit and that was that. Temperature was already climbing. All i can say was that the first 12 km are quite brutal with an average grade of 9-10%, road is similar to NZ road surface and quite narrow.....had some good tunes banging in my ears and plenty inner motivational chatter reflecting on gearing choices and lack of long rides in a Chch winter. Once past Chalet Renard, the road opens out, the surface improves and the gradient is a little more kind. Arrived at the top, couldnt find the summit sign for the obligatory selfie ( again, for the 'gram...) and there seemed to be thousands of people up there... on bikes, walking , driving, motorbikes. Jeez. Found the support car, jacket on , waited for the otheres then a nice albeit pedestrian descent for 20 km and then coffee and a snack at the restaurant at the base near Malaucene. had to drink my Americano black however, the waiter said he could do a cafe au lait but could not provide us with a small amount or splash of milk for the coffee... eh?. I spoke to him in my best French too altho suspect I sound like the policeman in Allo Allo..... but God loves a trier, right?!! 10 km home from there... relieved its done and the ghosts of 2016 laid to rest... lack of sinus infection and snottery head lurgy really does help! Off to Annecy tomorrow..... the logistics are proving too much for my fatigue addled ( perimenopausal??!!) brain to comprehend so hoping itll make more sense after a wine or 2 later.

At the summit, dropping some internal F bombs of relief.