Tutti Dolomiti Stage 1

Verona to Recoaro Terme

Strava: 79.11 km, 2198m, 5:06:36, 209 shifts, 72.5 kph max

I don’t know if it was my cold or jetlag or excitement about the tour starting but I slept maybe two hours, then just could not get back to sleep, from 1 am until we got up at 6. It was the worst night in my memory. But eventually we could get up and do some packing, then went down for breakfast just before 7. We’re used to the hotel breakfast after three days and know the optimal mixes of fruit, yogurt and granola, croissants etc.

Then we headed out on the route familiar to Mike and myself. We led the way, through the construction zone, and then out of town. Eventually some hammerheads went ahead which was fine with me. There were 3 climbs before lunch, then one more after. The first two climbs were a bit over 500m each, not really all that steep mostly. It’s a little more humid than at home but as we climbed it got a little cooler. The predicted rain did not fall which was super nice. Once we were done with the second climb, I stopped for a banana break, then we had a glorious descent. It was fast with little traffic and beautifully cool. I got dried out and felt great by the bottom. One interesting thing about this area is how many slugs and snails there are around. The slugs were big and brown but I’ve seen them lots. Thousands were squashed on the road.

The third climb to lunch was steeper but slightly shorter. Eventually everyone made it up that and enjoyed the feast that our mechanic/lunch driver Ben prepared. Bread, hummus, nuts, delicious salad and several kinds of cheese. That’s what I had – there was also salami and more stuff like candies. I still had a full water bottle so didn’t fill up. Pretty soon we headed out, down another nice fast descent.

The final climb was the steepest yet, also with the most climbing. But all you have to do is start, and then keep at it and you will succeed. The grade was up to 15% and I used my granny gear 44×50 for some time. The payoff was in the form of another nice fast descent. The final 8 km was a gentle climb up a valley to the town of Recoaro Terme, famous for mineral waters/baths. I checked in then headed out back where Wijnand had cooked up a giant pot of delicious tomato soup, served with several kinds of bread and lots of salty things and drinks. Then it was time for showers and laundry.

I was tired from the ride, and from only sleeping about two hours last night so I took a one hour nap before dinner. We ate at the hotel and they had a veggie option for each course. For a hotel dinner it was actually pretty tasty, in a big dining hall with a 10m ceiling. We looked at tomorrow’s route, slightly easier than today’s but with rain forecasted for the whole day, so maybe not so easy. My body is still fighting the cold – here’s to a great night’s sleep and only light rain tomorrow.