On race day the plan was to get up early and be ready at the starting line at 5.00am. Well, that was the plan. I had quite a bad night and couldn’t sleep very well. While I was pretty relaxed in the weeks before L’Eroica I became a bit nervous at the last minute. We got up at 4.00am but it took some time to get all the stuff together and put the bikes in the back of the car.
We arrived in Gaiole at about 5.00am but when we approached the starting area there was quite a group of people ahead of us. There is no bulk-start as each participant needs to get a stamp before starting so some patience is needed with riders starting one by one. All those starting before 6.30am need to have front and rear lights in accordance with Italian law. With our headlamps we were ready for the ride into the dark and finally left Gaiole at 5.30am.
The weather forecast was mixed, calling for some rain during the night and early morning but clearing up later with sunny intervals. Obviously we had learned from our mistake a year earlier and came fully prepared for all sorts of weather conditions. We didn’t leave anything to chance this time. I even carried a backpack with various spare parts and tools for emergency bike repairs.
On the first climb to Castello di Brolio my optical glasses got fogged so I took them off and tried to stick them to my leather helmet. When I reached the plateau I wanted to put them back on but the glasses were gone. What a good start, I thought, but at least I had some optical sunglasses in my backpack which I could use for the rest of the day.
Markus experienced some problems of different nature, though very familiar ones. Just like the year before both his front and rear derailleur got stuck after changing gears too hastily. As an experienced single speed enthusiast he managed the situation accordingly and cycled ahead towards the refreshment stop at Radi where the capable mechanics of Gaudenzi were able to fix the issue.
The first part of the 209km route is identical to the 135km we did a year earlier. While the shorter route then takes a shortcut to Buonconvento, the long route goes all the way down to Montalcino. Well, down only in direction but in fact it was going up as Montalcino is one of the main climbs of the long route. After a long ascent we finally reached the picturesque Brunello capital which is located on a hill above vineyards and olive groves. In the meantime the weather had cleared up and opened up fantastic views of the surrounding landscapes.
Next chapter: Grazie mille, Dottoressa!