Report stage 2

Let’s start with a flash-back to yesterday’s stage: Tanja and Ingrid, our sympathic Forza-ladies arrived succesfully and in one part in Sasbachwalden yesterday. Hats off for such perseverance !

Todays stage starts again with a neutralised sections of 7 km. Not an easy rolling sections, but an asphalt climb of 500 vertical meters. Because at the top they wait for the whole group to be complete, it makes no sense to ride a high pace, but we try to save as much energy as possible. Climb a mountain without using energy ? Can somebody explain tell us how to do that?
At 11h10 AM finally the real start. We still haven’t figured out the purpose of this procedure, as during the climb the wholoe group was nicely torn in pieces, we have to descend with a big group over a 3m wide gravel road, with all riscs. And yes, just before Domies wheel there is one that hits the road. Luckily we can just avoid the obstacle and we get past the start phase of the race without problems.

In between a little bit about the organisation: despite the lack of experience and the strange situations that come along with it, we have to highlight a number of positive sides:
Every rider has a number on his shirt, with his first name. Nice if you want to have a little chat.
For every stage we have a mini-altitude profile in color, ready to tape to your bike.
The electronic timing system, which we haven’t seen before, appears to work very well. At every checkpoint the time is scanned with a small wireless device. As soon as you cross the finishline, you get a small paper with your personal finish-time, all checkpoint times and average speeds per section. Very professional !

Today is a bit cloudy, but not less hot. It is already 30 degrees at 8 AM, but we have less problems with direct sun. Certain trails even appear wet, despite not having seen any rain. In the dense pine forests there is a moist heat that weighs on you. Sweat is running generously from our arms and legs and we have to be careful to replenish our water supplies. Yesterdays tough stage has left its signs. Many bikers have either left or right some even left and right- traces of a close encounter with the Black Forest. Also the nervosity is a lot less then yesterday, like we are used from the Transalp and other stage races. Domie and I feel recuperated and it goes quite well, but we do not want to force anything. Many climbs are steep and ask for an adequate pace. The Reevax-teamwork goes like in the old days and Kroki’s fresh drinking bottles are a thing to look forward to (in the mean time, he did wash his feet ;-))

The 2nd part of the race is a big part downhill, with short, treacherous and steep climbs in between. It is only slightly downhill and on the wide, good-rolling gravel roads the chain runs all the way to the right and it is continuously pedalling to keep the pace up. The ideal receipt for heavy legs’ and when a bit later another steep climb arrives, the muscles hurt like hell. Luckily we divided our energy well and we reach the finish on the market square of the pittoresque Wolfach after exactly 4h racing.

Also Kroki sees some strange things: here a little example of the politeness of some riders from the front of the field. At a certain moment he is waiting for us about 100m past the official supply station, when a rider from the team in 3rd position screams for water. Kroki has obviously our drinking bottles ready, but cannot give those away. The guy even has his own support team and passed the supply station without stopping. When Kroki ignores him, the guy grabs one of the drinking bottles and rides away as if nothing is going on. Who can understand this?

Yesterday a close resemblance with a corps, but today like new: Luc continued the race and together with Patricia of the Performance team also finish the second stage. Congratulations. Tomorrow a stage with less altitude meters, but if it will be lighter we will have to see.

Pepe