While the 135km route takes a shortcut on asphalt road from Pianella to the finish line in Gaiole, the long one takes a detour uphill via Radda on gravel roads. After having cycled 180km I wasn’t too keen on another climb but then again: no pain, no gain! Also, the route to Radda turned out to be a tricky one; it’s not very steep but a long and steady uphill stretch that appeared to be endless.
After more than 12 hours on the road and 10 hours in the saddle my muscles still worked fine and there were no signs of cramps in my legs. However, just when I started the ascent to Radda I suddenly felt a shooting pain in my left knee at the outer hamstring tendon. I’ve never had this kind of symptom before but then again, L’Eroica is slightly different compared to my 10km ride to work 😉
The problems with my knee got worse with every pedal turn, especially on steeper sections when I had to put more pressure on the pedals. The solution was to continue with a mix of cycling and walking as well as stretching my leg from time to time. In the meantime it had started to darken and as if things couldn’t get any worse, I realised that the battery of my headlamp was completely emptied.
Riding uphill in the dark without light wasn’t the big issue but I knew that I’d face difficulties on the last gravel downhill towards Gaiole. Luckily, right at the beginning of the last descent I was overtaken by two Italians and I thankfully followed their light as they guided me to Gaiole. The last 20 kilometres had been a real mix of emotions but when I finally turned into the finishing straight I felt totally relieved and pleased with my achievement.
And there I was – standing on the podium of L’Eroica after 15 hours on the road and 12 hours of cycling. Markus had been waiting for me in the finishing zone and he had quite a story to tell. He got a flat tyre on his front wheel on the way to Radda and as I carried all the spare parts he had no other choice but to continue his ride on the rim! What an incredible achievement! In the end it didn’t matter how we did it; the only thing of importance: we both finished the long route of L’Eroica.
Next chapter: Cycling Sabbatical