super 50K in the domomites

Stage 5. Brixen to Arabba. Shortest stage at only 50K and a paltry 7,000’ of climbing. Truly amazing views of the Dolomites, including 360 degree views of a very phallic rocky peak. Oh, behave. Instead of huge ups and downs, it rolled a bunch, allowing time to recover. It was also rougher road, and felt a lot more like a mountain bike race. The highlight of the race for most of us thus far was a sweet one mile section of singletrack that dumped out into a beautiful farm, with views of the aforementioned mountains, and a huge group of schoolchildren cheering and doing the wave. Fantastico.

Fact of the day, per Bill Merritt: The Dolomites are named after an Englishman Dolom who discovered that the rock here is in fact distinct from that of the Alps, making it a distinct mountain range. Drop that bomb at your next cocktail party.

I must eat a bit of humble pie regarding my derisive comments on the Euros descending skills. Today had some loose gravel, off camber descents and I saw some very strong riding from some of the racers around me. Here’s the breakdown:

Green Mountain Boys: Best day yet. We even beat the pink jerseyed women leaders. The last climb was the best climb of my life. I even passed some people on the singletrack at the top. Bam! Tyler was of course strong and steady. We were still bested by the Whistler boys but moved up once again in the overall classification.

Mile High Riders: Also their best day yet, as they enjoyed the rugged trail, and rolling topography. Brian is pumped that his parents have arrived in town today.

Team Soft Core: They were fabulous (haven’t they always been?) until Cath broke her chain and IP flatted. Cath fixed it quickly but IP constipated about the best way to fix it, costing himself 20 minutes before acquiescing and putting a tube in. Regardless, they had a great time.

Tomorrow is the “forgotten” sixth stage in that everyone is thinking ahead to seventh day suffer-fest. Check in tomorrow for more fascinating updates.