CCC Cevennes Stage Two

Today started off with us at nearly 600 meters high, so it was a bit cool this morning, but the sun was rising and skies were clear.  So it meant our first climb would be at sunrise and as Phil had mentioned the night before, if the weather was on our side, it would be beautiful - it was.  In all honesty, I do not think I have ever taken as many pictures in the first two hours of a ride before today.  It was sensory overload.  Rocks, gorges, and engineered descents that looked they painted onto the rocks below.

Elegant rock switchback descents

After Feed #1, we hit a steep climb 10-15% for 4-5 km which took us out of the Gorges du Tarn and up to higher elevations.  We made our way up to Col du Bonnecombe and up to 1350 m.  From there, we traversed across vast plateaus were the Aubrac cows with their prominent horns were more plentiful than people.

Eventually, we were treated to a long descent, where we passed through the town of Laguiole which is famous for their knives.  So based on Phil’s recommendation, quite a few ducked into the town and checked out a showroom.  Jen and I picked out a dual purpose knife/corkscrew to take home.  Super-ornate, one-of-a-kind and lifetime guarantee.

From there, we hit Feed #3 and were expecting some moderate climbs on 40 km back to the hotel.  After a super fast and steep descent, we crossed a bridge where we hit the first of two 300-400 m climbs that had many 10-14% stretches.  After 180 km, these climbs hurt, but their wooded landscapes helped take your mind off the climb themselves.  Atop the last climb, we arrived at a house that must have had 6 cats outside on the stairs all listening to French music from inside.  It was as if they were eating out for dinner.

Steep ahead or behind

I almost wanted to knock and see what was for dinner

Once again though, Cevennes did not disappoint.  Another scenic day with super fun climbs and descents, including another fun descent at sunset.

CCC Cevennes Stage One

Today started out with a mass group roll out until we tackled the first col.  This CCC has an even more special purpose than the typical CCC in that 11 riders from Dubai are riding in honor of one of their teammates; Lucy; that was fatally injured in a cycling accident not long ago.  So they are challenging themselves in the same way they know their teammate would have loved to do in an event like this.

We were greeted with overcast skies which turned to wet roads and drizzle 5 km after the start.  Luckily, this lightened up by 15 km and the roads dried up and skies were overcast for most of the day.  The first few cols were steady by CCC standards and gradients were 6-8% for the most part.  It did not take long before we were in the Cevennes national park region.  We were greeted by gorges, rock formations, lakes, dams and special roads that only Phil could find for a CCC event.

At Feed #1, my bike got knocked over and the rear derailleur was bent, but of course rock star mechanic Jonny had my bike fixed in no time.  It just meant I was at the tail end for a bit, but it allowed me to take in the scenery.  Another note about Jonny, he built me a set of wheels Sunday night since my Mavics were Cantabrico’ed!  Chris King hubs mated to H Plus Son rims.  Sweet!  They just took some ‘braking in’ this morning to wear the brake track down a bit, but by the afternoon, they were fine.

New wheels courtesy of Noble Wheels!

On the way to lunch, we descended a beautiful gorge road which had been ruined in many spots by heavy rains 2 weeks ago.  Parts were washed away completely and other sections had run-offs all over requiring hike-a-bike and gravel riding skills.  If it wasn’t for that, the road would have been awesome.

This road has seen better days

Unique to this trip is lunch stops.  They harken back to the original cafe stops we had in CCC Alps in 2010.  Logistically they make sense, and it helps to get warm food and some shelter with the more autumnal temps.  Today’s hot meal was pasta - no complaints, it was a great mid-ride refuel.

After lunch ,we hit Col de la Lusette.  I felt like I was back in Spain.  It was an angry climb.  4%, 11%, 5%, 12%, then straight sections at 18% and switchbacks at 20% plus.  Challenging for a first day for sure.

The temps cooled as we got higher and at the high point, Mt de l'Aigoual at 1555 m, temps were 4 degrees Celcius.  Time for the Rapha hardshell jacket!

After a stop at Feed #3, it was more downhill but it started to rain, so now it was cold and rainy.  It only lasted for a few km, but was still enough to cool things off.

The last 40 km of the ride was a sensory overload.  Scenery was spectacular.  Phil has nailed it again with this trip.  I am looking forward to the days ahead as I kept thinking ‘unreal’ for the last hour of the ride.

Quite different having autumnal colors on a CCC event

Of course, there was one more col along the way with 12-14% sections, but the sun was setting as daylight is getting shorter as we near October, but the light was hitting the mountains in the right way and it made the gradients seem slightly less steep.  And there was a climb to the hotel too.

It was a hard first day at 217 km ridden and 4500 m climbed.  Tomorrow promises more of the same.

CCC Cevennes Pre-Event Resting and Exploring

Jen and I arrived in Castries; a small town just outside Montpellier; on Saturday afternoon.  We drove over from Bilbao with Louise in two small trips in two days.  Along the way we were able to catch long glimpses of the Pyrenees and they looked like a very rugged mountain range from afar, but many adventures were had there in CCC Pyrenees in 2011.  Along the way, our legs were somewhat heavy after 10 hard days of CCC Cantabrico but with new scenery and settings were eager to stretch out with a shorter ride to explore.

It did not take long to get out of town and into more rural surroundings.  The gradients were much tamer than the terrain we had just left which we were quite thankful for.  We felt like we were surrounded by vineyards with each and every road we took and in some ways we were reminded of Rivesaltes where we had started CCC Pyrenees.  We started out doing the final few kilometers of Stage 10 backwards and enjoyed what we saw.

Local vintner getting us in the mood for some wine

The next morning, we took care of some laundry and bike cleaning after a proper French breakfast with croissants and pan au chocolates - hard to beat!  This time we headed out on the start of Stage 1 but headed to our first col from a different direction, but before doing so, we headed into Castries for some proper pre and post-ride treats from a local Boulangerie.  Views on our ride were impressive and made us look forward to what lies ahead on our next trip.

Aqueduct heading out of Castries

Looking forward to more southern France views like this

Once back, we cleaned up, relaxed and had a beer and pizza dinner with riders that had been arriving for the trip.  Beer and pizza was courtesy of Phil setting it up as our hotel restaurant was closed on Sunday evening.

Today; Monday; we woke up and again had a proper French breakfast.  After plotting out another route which would take us up and over Stage 1’s col, we set out.  Today were joined by Nick Millar; another Cent Col regular; who we’ve met before on a previous CCC adventure (never will forget hot chocolate he bought for us after heading down a windy rainy and light snowy Passo Tonale in CCC Dolomites).  Today’s route was great (Pic du St Loup) and included a mix of quiet roads with only a few busier ones.  I did manage to find some 10% gradients today on a road that seemed to imperceptibly be climbing along vineyards.  So steep roads are out here - I am sure we will find more of them in the coming days.  We were even lucky enough to run into a French army caravan that was happy to yield the road to cyclists.

Single lane road exploring fun, yes, the bike lanes are nearly as big as the car lane

After a the Pic du St Loup we headed into Saint-Mathieu-de-Treviers for a proper cafe stop.  Orangina and a cappucino along with streetside dining with great company, again hard to beat.

Three days of relaxed paced riding should hopefully have us rested up to tackle our next CCC journey.

Set for the next trip with plenty Vitamin N-utella

CCC Cantabrico Stage 9 and 10: The Basque Climbs

It’s taken a while to get sorted after CCC Cantabrico ended, but I wanted to capture some thoughts about Stages 9 and 10 before moving on to the next adventure in the Cevennes.

Stage 9 was deemed the princess stage, not quite the queen stage (Stage 5) but presenting an array of shorter steeper climbs which dot the Basque region.  The stage itself had been designed with the help of a local rider; Antonio; who we saw during the ride and at dinner the evening after the stage.

The forecast had been rain showers in the morning and clearing in the afternoon.  Well, there was clearing in the afternoon but the morning was much much more than showers.  It was showers for the first 5 kilometers, but then it was full on rain for the next 4-5 hours with some let up in between.  So not only were there steep climbs and descents, the temps were somewhat lower with what felt like never-ending rain.

For the first couple hours I was thinking it could not get worse, only better, but my positive mental attitude started to wear thin.  After making it to feed stop #1, I was starting to get asked where Jen was and the fact was no one had seen her.  I kept waiting and each rider that came through had not seen her.  At that point, Craig (back marker and mechanic) and I decided we would head back in the van to try and see if she was still on route.  At this point, I had been standing around in wet gear for nearly an hour, so I got in the van and we started to backtrack and in 2-3 km we found Jen - smiling of course and wondering where the feed was.  That was quite a relief considering the weather.  She had missed a turn during the pouring rain and had traveled about 10 km out of the way and had to double back and follow the route without CCC arrows, just using the Garmin course.

At that point, we were heading to lunch in the van and making a plan for the rest of the afternoon from there.  We saw a lot of courage and fortitude in each rider we saw that day as conditions were pretty grim that morning and riders were soldiering on.

At lunch I decided I would get a ride to the bottom of the lunch climb and start over from there.  I donned the hard shell jacket and took on the second half of the day.  I’d missed a few cols, maybe 3 and about 50 km, but was happy Jen was safe and there was still plenty of time left to tackle the next 90 km.

I was glad I got back on the bike for the afternoon, because the weather did get better.  But the biggest treat of the day was the Puerto de Aitolazar loop.  It was a 15 km loop including a wet cement road climb which was slick at times followed by a perfect single lane tarmac descent.  The climb felt more like a gravel road climb where balancing weight on my rear wheel and keeping traction was key as I made my way up the mostly 14-15% gradient climb which was 8 km or so in length.

The rest of the day consisted of much shorter steeper climbs of the 200-300 m variety.  As the route neared its end, we approached the waterfront town of Leikieto.  It was a long day though and my final descent was in the dark - thank goodness for ambient daylight and bright white lines.

Dinner at a local fish house was the final treat of the day in this seaside village.

Final part of the Aitolazar descent, the whole road was like this

Finally, the sea...

Next up was Stage 10.  The weather had improved and there was only some cool early morning fog to contend with.  A gradual climb to get us warmed up started the day off, but soon we were back at the Basque climbs and 20% was the order of the morning in many places.  Not for long, but enough to let bodies that had endured 10 challenging days know the grades were steep.  Some of the descents that followed were beautiful single lane roads which continued to make me wonder why they were there at all.

As the morning rolled on, we were again greeted by seaside views and lunch was atop a col where we had a view of the sea and local town below.  Some CCC rest stops are just too good to put into words.

The rest of the day consisted of what Phil would deem as rolling roads.  More like shorter punchier climbs and descents.  My afternoon was made more challenging as my Mavic free hub started to go and made a horrible howl on descents.  So I wound up riding my brakes and pedaling for most of the final descents.  Not fun as there was no reward after a climb.  It worsened throughout the afternoon.

A highlight of the afternoon was seeing Phil’s wife Claire roadside.  She had flown in for the weekend and seeing her made it feel like old times where she ruled the roadside feed stops.

Eventually we reached the final climb.  Jen and I had done this one when we first arrived so we knew what was in store.  But nearly 2,000 km ridden and 46,000 m of climbing later made it feel much harder.  This cement road treat kicked up to 18-20% in places and drug on for what seemed like much longer than it really was, but once it was done, it was on to the final celebratory feed stop overlooking Bilbao where Aimar was waiting with Speculoos sandwiches galore - my favorite treat later in the trip was the Speculoos double decker, consisting of Speculoos on two slices of bread with Speculoos cookies added as well.

After getting a wheel change for the final descent it was down to Bilbao and back to the hotel where we all started for a celebration cerveza!

Without a doubt this was the hardest CCC event Jen and I have ever done.  Most if not all would have agreed.  Phil and Aimar aimed to create the hardest CCC and they hit their mark.  All that took on this event, deserve massive kudos and a chapeau.  CCC Dolomites was steep and hard - but the gradients here in Spain were of another variety altogether.  If you didn’t have a 32 cassette, you were hurting and standing even more.  I don’t think I will even take mine off again.

Next up, rest and a drive over to Montpellier where we will tackle the other new CCC event of the year, CCC Cevennes.

A morning of steep Basque single lane climbs and descents

Lunch views

Afternoon rollers along the sea

Back above Bilbao...we did it!

CCC Cantabrico Stage 8 - Los Corrales del Buelna - Artzentales

Stage 8 started off with a gentler climb to wake up the legs, as Phil would say.  The air was thick with humidity this morning on this climb which had actually been our descent at the end of Stage 1.

From there it was on to Torzano and La Braguia where were we greeted with 15-20% stretches.  They were not as prolonged as those of the L’Angrilu from Stage 5, but on legs which have 7 stages in them, they hurt at times.  Balancing standing and sitting at the right times added extra challenge with wet pavement from showers last night.  The top of Braguia was plateau-like with wild horses running around and also crossing the road as we passed by.  From there it was down to Feed #1 where Aimar and Leslie were taking orders for Cafe con leche - a treat after a chilly descent!

Next up was climbing back up La Trueba which we had descended on Stage 1.  Today the scenery was much more mysterious with clouds looming at about 1,000 meters.  Once we crested the top we were in the clouds for the first part of the descent and garmin maps was helpful to know when turns were upcoming, but were soon greeted by sun to set us up for the next climb, La Sia.  La Sia was steep in places, but views of Wind Farms covering the hilltops added for extra scenery and sounds of large spinning blades got louder as you neared the top.

After lunch, Biscayan climbs were on the menu and steep gradients came with them. The top of La Bastilla was made all the more interesting with its concrete section at 15-16%.  Las Arreturas was somewhat of a surprise as it was not on the top tube bar tape we had for the day, but its 15%+ sections were clearly evident.

From there we had 2 more climbs, much subtler in gradient and a final visit with Aimar at Feed #3 helped to nearly close out the day with one more descent and climb to follow.  Showers had returned but Jen and I made it to the hotel before it really started to rain.

The shin splint was ok today, stiff again in the morning and ok for most of the ride until it got cold again with rain showers on the last climb where it stiffened up again.

Next up, the princess stage - Stage 9, lots of shorter and steeper Basque climbs for the next 2 days...

Wild horse atop the plateau of La Bastilla

Jen nearing the top of La Bastilla

Climbing La Trueba

Top of La Trueba, not much to see today

Back in the sun

Looking back down at the top of La Sia, wind farms in the distance

CCC Cantabrico Stage 7: Potes to Los Corrales del Buelna

After the rest day, waking up early and heading out for Stage 7 was a bit tough, but Jen and I have day bag management down pretty well at this point which makes the mornings easier.

It was a chilly start, about 46 degrees, as we rolled from Potes and into what was a steady 28 km climb to get the legs moving again.  My left shin splint was really tight this morning but felt better as temperatures warmed up and the more I climbed.  Biking is still much easier on my leg than walking at this point which is a good thing.

Feed stops #1 and #3 today were near dams which helped to provide scenic views while refueling.  Although Feed #1 was much chillier early in the day and Feed #3 was pretty humid.

An assortment of cols with gentler grades, by Spanish standards, were on the menu today as we transitioned from Picos region back towards the Cantabria region with greener views and landscapes.

Only towards the end of the day did the grades start to pick up above double digits again which will help to get our bodies ready as we head to the Basque region.  To help with the entertainment factor, Jen had to outpace a tractor heading uphill on the last climb on a section of 15%.

Nearing the summit of the opening col of the day, Piedrasluengas

Local workers getting ready for the day :-)

Nearing Feed #1

Spanish Col signs can be rather impressive

Spectators along the climbs

Feed #3 view

CCC Cantabrico Rest Day

Finally, the rest day arrived.  I am feeling battered and beat up.  Sleeping in today helped a lot, but my shin splint remains very sore.

After breakfast, Jen and I did a short spin.  We found a single lane gravel road which lead us to a climb up to the town of Vinon.  Once the road tipped upwards towards 20% and turned to gravel, it was time to turn around.  It was a quiet and gradual climb for the most part with no traffic, except on the way down.  We were treated to stunning sunny views and the nearby Picos mountain near Potes.

Once back it was time for typical CCC Rest Day logistics, laundry, bike cleaning and finding a quiet lunch.  Lunch consisted of local flat bread and blue cheese.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing and catching up with the real world.

Tomorrow, hope to be back at it...

Today's single lane gravel find, why take the main road?

Views along the climb

Acknowledging the steep gravel meant it was time to turn around but stop and enjoy the views

CCC Cantabrico Stage 6: Pola de Lena to Potes

Today was described as a recovery stage which it was in every possible way.  There were many sore and tired faces this morning after yesterday’s brutal Stage 5.  No matter which Stage 5 version a rider did; extreme or regular; it was one of the harder stages Phil Deeker has developed.

After a small warm up climb, a long gradual climb to Puerto de San Isidro started.  It was nearly a 40 km climb which started very gradually and had us climb into and out of the clouds making for a spectacular morning.  I was lucky enough to be riding with Jen as we broke out into the sun.

We eventually made our way to the plateau we traversed on Stage 3, but today was under entirely different conditions. Little wind and copious amounts of sun were everywhere.  On the way to lunch we even cut through a town atop the plateau where a local wedding had spilled out into the street.

After lunch, one of our climbs was Puerto de Pandetrave.  The most interesting part of the climb was that it started off with two roads - one beautifully paved and the other, one that only Phil and Aimar could find as it included gravel, small towns and 20% ramps, truly an adventure!  Which road do you think we took?

Following Feed #3, it was on to Puerto de San Glorio and Collado de Liesba.  It was on the way to that climb that I made a navigational error and missed a turn, hadn’t done that in a long time.  But I caught my error after a couple of kilometers and got back on track.  Atop this climb, it is easy to say we were rewarded with some of our most spectacular views yet.  And following a brief rest, we were treated with a nearly 30 km descent on nearly pristine pavement.

The other note is that I now have something akin to a shin splint in my left leg.  Painful, but I was able to manage it today and will need to take it day by day.  It is ok on the bike but walking is painful at times and a challenge.  Hoping Louise and kinesio tape will help with the next few days...

Jen heading out of the clouds and into the sun, smiles all around

On the way up to Puerto San Glorio, there have been plenty of tunnels like this in Spain

Nearing the top of Collada de Liesba, following Kelli and Jen

Jen and I with the masterminds, Aimar and Phil, or maybe its evil minds

CCC Cantabrico Stage 5: Extreme Version (more than 7,000 meters of vertical gain in one ride)

After a great dinner at the Stage 4 Finish Hotel, which happened to be in an old converted monastery, I decided, at the last minute to keep my initial plan of doing the extreme version of Stage 5.  The Queen Stage was hard enough in and of itself, but the extreme version tacked on some more kilometers and more vertical feet, pushing the total to over 7,000 vertical meters on the day.  It also meant an earlier start, 5:30 am roll out right into a climb.  This meant our first climb of the day, roughly on hour, was all with lights.

The short story is, Stage 5 was the hardest day on the bike I have ever had.  It was physically punishing but visually rewarding at many times in the 14 hours or so I was out there.

My legs were already tired from Stage 4, so the early start of 5 was even harder.  The first climb was generally ridden together by the 6 of us that did the extreme version.  It is hard to say what the grade was on that first climb since it was all dark, but it was steep in places for extended periods.  The descent that followed, again in the dark, was a road with potholes everywhere, making for an interesting descent.  Eventually though, the sun did rise - yes, we did get some sun today.  We did get an extra feed stop due to our early start and the coffee was just right.  From there it was into the rest of the day to join the main route.

Many climbs followed and they did get steeper and steeper all building to L’Angrilu, the penultimate climb of the day.  Heeding Phil’s advice helped today - focus on scenery and not on stats.  Prolonged 12-14% stretches made this key.  The real wake up call for the day came on the second climb after lunch, it had a ramp that seemed to go on for a kilometer at 18-20% until you crested that rise which was not the top.  The entire time I was thinking of that looming last climb.  Just before it though, my left leg seemed to be cramping.  Not happy about that with what was coming.

I felt like I limped into Feed Stop #3 and Aimar once again lightened my spirits.  After fueling up, it was time to head out and up.  Clouds now covered the top of L’Angrilu, so it was hard to say what we’d find at the top.  The climb itself lived up to its reputation.  It was insane and cruel.  It had ramps of 20% that went on for more than a kilometer, that was after the 14% sections that kicked things off.  All in all it was a 12K climb.  Once arriving at the top, there was not much to see.  It was engulfed in a mist.  So really hard to see where it ended, which it did.  I suffered on that climb, like I have never suffered before.  Trying to nurse my calf cramp made me ride seated a lot and at those grades, my knees were screaming.  I was satisfied to get to the top, just wish there had been more to see.

A cool descent followed and there was still one more climb left in the day but when I hit that climb, my legs refused to work, so I struggled to get to the top, it was not a hard climb, but nearing 7,000 vertical meters now, my legs were shot.  I did get to the top, but not pretty way.

Then on to the hotel, 5 kilometers more or so, I felt like I was crawling by this point, but I made it.  Extreme version done - I was toasted at the end.  I got to our room and just laid there for what seemed like an hour.

Next up, recovery Stage 6....

Rewarding view at sunrise after a 5:30 am start and climb in the dark

Just one of today's many Col views

Top of L'Angrilu...hard to argue that it is a climb from hell

Stopping to take picture of the switchback on L'Angrilu which starts nearly a 1km 20% average gradient stretch, took it on the way down as there would be nearly no way to start again after stopping

Cent Cols Challenge Cantabrico Stage 4: Pola de Lena to Cangas del Narcea

Stage 4 started off with a fierce climb - Gamontiero - steep from the start, 12% for most of the first 8 km, then a turn off to 6 km on a small single lane road to a weather station.  Bits of rough cement, cow herds, low clouds and near freezing temps greeted riders at the top.  However, there was no rain, so the weather-induced views were still a treat.  A cool descent soon followed, but Aimar was lakeside with Feed Stop #1 with coffee to warm us up.

Next up was the San Lorenzo, equally as hard if not more so than its predecessor with 14-15% stretches to get there.  But there was sun at the top and a dry descent.

Heading to lunch we tackled Somiedo.  Ashley, Jered, Jen and I (aka Team America) made our way up the long climb and onto lunch which was nestled alongside a cafe with fresh hot chocolate - real Spanish hot chocolate!  At this point, we were already near or past 4,000 meters climbed for the day.  Two more climbs remained.

Rain found us again on the way to Laiteriogos as Jen and I neared the top but luckily the sun came back out on the descent.

From there it was on to El Acebu.  A steep twisty descent took the route down to a valley and then towards this final climb.  It was quite warm at the base and most of the way up but as we neared the top, dark clouds lingered and the rain returned on the descent making it quite cold.

Resting now for what is deemed the queen stage...

Near the top of Gamonitiero, clouds and near freezing moonscape views

 Gamonitiero descent, well worth the climb and cold

Nearing the top of Puerto Somiedo

The top of El Acebu, rain is on its way...