Carnia Classic: Raindance

TOLMEZZO - Two weeks after the Dreiländergiro I hopped back on the racebike in Italy to assist Rebecca at the Carnia Classic in the rugged region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Two weeks of resting and worrying: would the knee recover? Can I still pursue my German Cycling Cup ambitions? Should I rest even longer? The mediofondo race of 107km (1970Hm) would answer many questions.

The Carnia Classic was part of the famous Prestigio series in Italy this year. It showed in the total number of participants, which quadrupled to over 2000. The granfondo course offered the ultimate challenge of course, the ascent of the fearsome Monte Zoncolan, 10km at an average of 12.1%. No fewer than 1182 athletes conquered the climb, showing a lot of dedication, not in the least given the apocalyptic weather conditions on the day! Antonio Corradini proved to be the best climber once again, one week after grabbing a slick victory in La Marmotte as well.

Our event did not feature the Zoncolan, but nevertheless offered close to 2000 Hm, thanks to the long (24km) and irregular climb of Sella di Razzo and the ascent to Ravascletto. For Rebecca an interesting testcase, following her good result in the Chiba AlpenCup event in Zernez the previous weekend. In Switzerland, after a forced break from cycling due to exams, she arrived easily within the first third of 107 women in a race that covered the awesome Bernina pass. Zernez and Tolmezzo were her first ever experiences in alpine cycling races.

As if scheduled, the rain began to fall as the start was given at 8 a.m. And what kind of rain it was! The biggest drops I've ever seen! I immediately pulled the brakes and put on my raincoat. It didn't prevent me from getting soaked to the bone, but at least it kept me a bit warm. Rebecca - without rainjacket - had a good pace uphill straightaway. As we were entering a major thunderstorm many people took shelter under any roof they could find. It kept raining hard for the largest part of the Razzo climb. Meanwhile, I was paying the price for the nerve-wrecking car drive through traffic-overloaded Austria the previous day (we left Munich at 10:30 a.m., we arrived in Tolmezzo at 19.15). Terribly bad legs, half asleep and happy to find a ristoro halfway up the climb and take a breather. But Rebecca kept going strongly. Even the 19% section 1km from the top posed no problem for her. Down we went through dense fog initially, and then through forests on often damaged roads. Yet, the descent went smoothly and we settled in a good group. The Enervit bars and drinks seemed to work for me. I gradually got some punch back and started pulling the group to the climb of Ravascletto. We hit a bridge, turn right for Monte Zoncolan, turn left for Ravascletto. Next time I'll turn right is what went through my mind, but right then I was more than happy enough to be riding without any kneepain.

It started raining again on the climb, which wasn't too difficult. But the final stretch to the finish, about 15km from Ravascletto, turned into a genuine waterfest. The skies opened big time and we just got drenched again. It got increasingly treacherous to take corners due to aquaplaning. And then it happened in the penultimate corner. I was leading a group of about 12 riders with Rebecca in my wheel. As I turned right, Rebecca couldn't make the corner and went straight on. There was no danger as there was no oncoming traffic, but the traffic guard basically slammed Rebecca off her bike in a reflex. Luckily, she was sliding and didn't really hurt herself and after a minute or so we proceeded and crossed the finish line in 4:32:52 (avs 23.53 km/h). That translated in rank 20 out of 66 finishing women (AK 10). A solid performance by all means, also considering our travel companion Elin Amundsen - an experienced racer with several wins on the German jedermann circuit - was 8th in 4:01:33. Lorenzo Borghini, also with us on the trip, finished in 4:53. He did shelter during the thunderstorm, though, not wanting to risk anything with a triathlon goal only a week away.

In the afternoon the sun returned to Tolmezzo and Friuli, and so we were able to spend a relaxing evening in Udine, the capital of the province and toast to the end of a fruitful first part of the 2008 cyclo season. Time for a break!

Links:

GF Carnia Classic