130 kilometers, 3700 meters vertical
I started out 15 minutes early with a group of four, to get a head start on the mountain goats. The plan was to meet as a group at the top of the first climb up Passo Rollo. This was a better climb for me, averaging around 6%. View near the top.
We all met up, I had a quick Coke, then we start a long descent. We go through Cortina at one point, John from Australia mentions that it is the Aspen of Italy. We pull into a small village and have a sit down pasta fest.
We roll out along a valley towards our next epic climb, Passo Falzarego. This is a long grind. At some point, there is a '27 toranti' sign, meaning that many hairpin turns to the top. I start counting, and to my dismay, many what I would certainly consider to be hairpin turns, do not make the countdown list. All of the sudden arched roadways, and numerous swings in the road are in front of us
Look closely near the center of this picture in the clouds and you can see a cable car. Finally I get to the top, and we have a nice groupetto (the pack not in the lead) - we have Steve, John, James, Chris, and myself. We have another big climb up to 1700 meters where we are staying in Misurina. The climb lived up to its name, lots of misery and 12% grades. We pass by a cool lake
John said this was the biggest amount of vertical climbing he has ever had on a tour, and was quite pleased everyone did so well. I also noticed my average heart rate was noticeably lower today. I think jet lag affected me on the first day.
Another set of big climbs tomorrow.
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