CLIMBING IN GERMANY

The Nike L'Etape du Tour team, which a group of 10 members will also participate in the Tour du Als in June, went to the Eifel region in Germany for another step in the training to the race in July. The group of around 40 riders met at 9:00 in the tow of Rott, after 3 hours of driving to start a long day of training and climbing. Jos couldn't participate but the team thought about him the whole day for sure!

Read more details and the effort the team is putting into the training after the link.




At around 9:30 we started rolling with a cloudy 4 degrees cold weather. The wind wasn't strong  but was chilling and increase the cold feeling, making it more like zero. It didn't get really warm for the rest of the day. From the village of Rott we rode towards the Rur dam going first thru a quick descent with everybody in full winter gear: full gloves, 3 layers of base layer/shirt/windbreaker and two socks/shoe cover.

From the end of the descent we went right into the first climb of the day, a 7.5 kms 4% average gradient max 7%. A good wake up and warm up climb that made the selection in the team: we splitted the group in a fast team and a slow team. Which is a good thing as everybody could push at their own speed and nobody feel the pressure to be keeping the fast guys waiting. The teams went mostly thru the same roads and the fast team added an extra loop close to the Rur dam which added another 20 kms to the 108 ride of the slow team.

From the first climb, the team went thru another 3 climbs before getting to the big climb of the day: 8 kilometers with an average of 5% gradient and good part around 8%. Everybody climbed them at their own level of fitness and effort and for some it was the first encounter with a real long climb. A good call to show up how hard a Etape du Tour ride is: hard work, some lack of fitness and cramps showing up in the most steep climbs = real hard work.

From there it was all the way back to Rott facing another 3 climbs before getting to the bottom of the hardest climb of the day at around 88 kms into the ride: a 6 kilometers climb which the last 1.5 kilometer is around 11% with a max of 14/15% gradient. A real hard climb that left everybody sucking hard for air but with a good result as everybody completed without any walk.

For the Tour du ALS team members it was a good way to check fitness and evaluate how much training is necessary to be in shape in June and climb Mont Ventoux 3 times in one day. We need to make justice to the big motivation Jos is giving us with his efforts living with ALS!