Gran Fondo Campagnolo - Sunday 22nd June 2003

Having failed to complete last year's Marmotte (Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez) due to the onset of hypothermia, I had set my heart on doing the Gran Fondo Campagnolo this year.  This is an Italian sportive that takes place in the Dolomites each year, with around 4000 riders attempting one of three routes - the Gran route (4400m of climbing over 208km, taking in four legendary Giro passes:  the Cima Campo, Manghen, Rolle and Croce d'Aune), the Medio (112km over three passes) or the Corto (92km over two passes), all starting and finishing in the pretty medieval town of Feltre.  I was assured by my Marmotte buddies that the Fondo was the numero uno of the sportive world, so had decided to head for Italy instead of France in search of perfect scenery, climate and organisation (and maybe food...).  And I was not to be disappointed.

I flew into Venice Marco Polo with Paddy from Leeds (there were supposed to be three of us, but Rob had been put into hospital by a Ford Fiesta the Friday before) on the Thursday evening, and met up with the rest of the 35 strong Graham Baxter party the following morning after a very leisurely breakfast.  First impressions - it was HOT at about 90 degrees.   

Our hotel was top-notch and just a stone throw from the centre of Feltre, with a bike shop and supermarket virtually next door - so fuel, spares and repairs were no problemo.  After settling in we decided to join a group riding the first climb of the Fondo, and set off at 25mph for the foot of the Cima Campo.  Speeds dropped rapidly on the 10 mile climb, but we an excellent and sociable ride to the top and were rewarded with fantastic views and a breath-taking descent.  In the heat the three hour ride had needed 5 bottles of fluid - first lesson for the big ride:  drink LOADS.

On the Saturday morning we registered for the event, collected our goody bags (brilliant stuff, including a very nice jersey), and spent some Euros at the trade stands.  We all then retired to the hotel to make final adjustments to our bikes and finish our warm-up by climbing the back of the final pass (Croce d'Aune) at race pace.  Paddy and I had decided to take the first half of the race extremely easy, so that we could slice through the field later and have plenty of energy left to enjoy the latter stages of the ride.  Well, that was the plan anyway.  So we took the final warm-up climb in 39x28/29, and it felt very comfortable, even though the temperature had now reached 95 degrees.  One very nice discovery - the final descent is an absolute blinder, finishing as it does with a high speed blast to the finish line in the centre of town.  As we completed our ride the mini-Fondo for children was finishing, so we joined in with the thousands of kids and parents for a gentle roll around the town walls - a great atmosphere.

The Main Event 

In true pre-race fashion, no-one slept on the Sunday night, so we were a sorry lot that assembled for an early breakfast on the Sunday morning.  The race starts at 8am, so it was cutting it fine to get down to the restaurant at 7.15 if I'm honest.  The reward for our slow start was a place at the back of the field!  Ah well, it fitted our plan for a gentle first 50km. 

Indurain sounded the start hooter, and the field slowly left the start line with Big Mig jumping on his bike to lead us out (so I am told - couldn't see a thing 200 yards back).  Once on the wide roads (closed to traffic) out of town the pace shot up, with a massive bunch speeding at 30mph+ to the base of the Cima Campo.  Once we hit the climb the entire field slowed to about 12kph, and we made our way steadily to the top, stopping for a moment to fill up at a water fountain and to take photos (we really were taking it VERY easy in the searing heat).  The descent was fabulous, leading us to a split between the three routes and the first refreshment stop.  Most riders opted for one of the shorter rides, but Paddy and I were set on the big one.  In keeping with our plan we spent far too long at the excellent food stop, munching on bananas and cakes and chatting to the other Baxter riders that came through.  So long in fact, that riders stopped coming through and the roads were opened to traffic.  Whoops - of the four people we rode out of the food stop with, three were later swept up by the broom wagon and the other was last man in! 

We decided to crack on a bit to get away from the tail of the field and hit the foot of the Manghen having picked up a few places.  The Manghen is a truly awesome and beautiful climb.  It stretches for 17 miles, and reaches over 2000m.  This was definitely the highlight of the ride for me - beautiful Alpine meadows, cow bells clanking, and rock faces rearing up on all sides.  As we climbed the air got cooler and fresher, and we started to carve our way through the field.  After refueling at the half way point we steadily gained height, before the final 4km reared up in front of us - an amazing sight, as all we could see were lines of riders zigzagging their way to the narrow gap at the top of the mountain, just as the tree line disappeared.  All of the effort was worth it though, as the views from the top are fantastic.  Immediately after the summit was a food stop next to a pretty little lake, and then an exhilarating descent winding its way sharply through the trees for miles - our only sticky patch being a high speed encounter with a flock of goats!

After the descent we got into a small group for the long valley ride to the bottom of the Passo Rolle, which was reputedly the easiest climb of the day, peaking just below 2000m and taking around 19km to get there.  How wrong that reputation is!  By common consent, this was the toughest stretch of the day, with temperatures in the high nineties at the bottom, followed by a steep climb to a lake just before the water stop at the halfway point.  Both Paddy and I started to wonder about our fitness levels on the early slopes, but after refueling we picked up a strong second wind that lasted right to the finish.  The Rolle was deep in mist by the time we reached it, which was quite a relief after the heat of the valleys - this is much more Alpine than the other passes - quite lunar in places, and not as lush or well populated.  

The big bonus of the Rolle though is the descent!  All 40km of it.  Once we had navigated our way round the bell-clad cows, it was a high speed chase all the way to the bottom of the Croce d'Aune, with Paddy and I playing the major roles in leading a big bunch of very tired Italian riders through a succession of pretty little towns and villages.  The high point for me was leading the bunch through 10km of tunnels and sweeping bends at nearly 70kph - the front being by far the safest place to be in dimly lit  mountain tunnels.  

At the bottom of the Croce d'Aune we stopped for our final comfort break, and then set off up the last climb of the day feeling remarkably fresh.  Paddy had kept a tally of the number of riders that had passed us after that first oh so leisurely food stop, and the total was standing at just seven!  We in turn had passed hundreds of riders, so were determined to get yet more places under our belts on the Croce...with this in mind we wound the pace up and hit the steep final section in 39x23, our highest climbing gears of the day, and started picking off a string of small bunches of riders, much to their consternation.  After the summit, all there was left was the high speed descent to the finish that we had practiced the day before, so I let it go on the drop and entered Feltre in a small bunch that hit the cobbles at around 50kph - the crowds of spectators being parted by my Italian companions with shrieks, whoops and streams of, to me, unintelligible Latin invective.

As we turned into the finishing straight there was a bunch sprint for 911th place, which I took with arms aloft in salute, to the cheers of the crowd - only to realise that the cheers were in fact warning shouts, as I nearly brought down the transponder loop on the finish line!

Paddy finished a few minutes later, and we rode back gently to the hotel, babbling away and feeling as high as kites.  This was without question the best day I have ever had on a bike, and I will definitely be back for more!  Stunning scenery (way outclassing the Alps), excellent organisation, great crowd support and a truly superb atmosphere.