I'd Rather Cut My Head Off....

....than ride a bike tomorrow, or the next few days.


I am tired! I rode 4 days this week, about 90% of the time in the big chainring trying to build up some more power. I have a tendency to spin too much and when the going gets really fast in the club rides I get tired turning the big chainring.


The Granfondo Avesani, which is the Verona based granfondo on September 16th, is next month. The first 20K are very fast, and mostly flat. Everyone takes off like a rocket and if you can't hang onto some wheels until you reach the climbs it's lonely and harder. Then, on October 20th is my last granfondo event for the season, the Granfondo Italia. This is a really fast granfondo as it only has a very small climb in the middle. My big chainring riding will, hopefully, let me stay in one of the groups for a few hours.

This year I registered in a moment of weakness, or was it wishful thinking?, for the 149.5 Km route in the Avesani. The first climb is from Caprino up Monte Baldo, then a descent into the valley. The next climb is Peri-Fosse which hurts enough when you don't have to do anything before it. Coming back into Verona there is the final climb of Torricelle, same as used in the 2004 Road World Championships. If you look closely at the poster you will see the three course profiles. The middle, green, is the 149.5 Km course. You will notice way over to the right in the profile is a "small" climb, this is the Torrecelli. In the sunset photograph you can see the Torricelli hill looking over Verona. Go back and look at the profile and see the two climbs before the Torricelli. Now you will have a better idea about the Monte Baldo and Peri-Fosse climbs.



Photo: 2007 Granfondo Avesani poster; view of Torricelle from the Adige River in Verona