At last, the day has started where it has to happen. I will go up three times the “naked mountain”. I’ve got a good night sleep, what the self-confidence helps. If I look back to all preceding trainings, with 2800 km in the last 4 months, then can in fact it cannot go wrong. And the 8 kilo’s of weight that I have less than 4 months ago will help me today very well. But it is still 3 rises on one day, and that is 68 kilometer uphill with 4360 meters height on a mountain that I never have seen before.
The legs feel good en Twan, Chris and Peter will ride also the Cinglé ( that’s how they call this and it means “crazy”) so I’m not alone. Our hotel is in Sault so we depart at )815 in Sault after we got our stamp on our Cinglé card. This is the easiest route of the 3 (26 km, steepness of 4,7 % in average, and 1180 meter of height difference) So I think let’s start easy.
One’s on the road Twan has some troubles like falling of the chain and getting his jacket in his front wheel, but after a while this is solved. It’s warm and the humidity is high but after we did the half way it gets less warm. We are riding in a tough speed to the Chalet Reynard and Peter who was a little behind us comes and overtakes us. He rides so hard that my heart rate gets above the 165/min. Let him go I thought, we still have two climbs to go and I have learned to listen to my heart rate meter. It is getting colder, foggy and the wind starts to blow. Where on 5 kilometers from the top and my temperature meter tells me that it is 9 degree Celsius. I don’t see Peter anymore and a few kilometers its only 7 degree and more wind, I’m really surprised of the change of weather conditions and with the idea that it only gets worse I’m afraid to get my heart rate above the 155/min. Just a few kilometers to go and Twan Chris and myself are not so far away from each other, but I can not see them the vision is only 10 meters and then everything is white, not from the rocks but from the clouds where we are in all the time.
I see some bikers who just started the descending, well descending it is more shivering with the teeth and max. 20 kilometers an hour. I really had imagine the descend differently. It gets colder only 6 degree left and I’m passing a Dutch guy with a cramp at about 1 kilometer from the top. Your OK? I should and he should I’ve got it cold and a cramp. I tell him to keep drinking and felt my self strong that I had no problems when I saw him. I said shouting because then wind drowned out every other sound. What came up in me in those last meters was very impressive. Yes I read about the wind but those clouds and the cold brrrr, I even didn’t see the Monument of Tom Simson. Suddenly I saw in a hairpin to the right all people standing on the left side of the road. I was thinking what are they doing there and I found out very short after that. I turned in to this hairpin and was almost blowing of the mountain with my bike under me. I crawl with my bike up against this wind in the direction of a white building and got in to a corner where the wind was less hard. I’m standing next to another crazy biker and ask him where the top is, well your there he says and I look up but I couldn’t see the tower. On the other side of the road I see our bus and Ronald call’s me to come with my bike but I didn’t dare to walk on my slippery shoes with this wind up to 150 km/hour. He helped me and ones in the bus I thought Wauw what an adventure.
Ones we are complete we descend with the bus to Bedoin to go fro the second climb (it was not safe enough to descend on the bike). Ones again I keep checking my heart rate and even that this was the hardest climb it goes very well. Twan Peter and Chris struggle more with these 21 kilometer, an average of 7,5 % and 1610 meters of height difference. This gives me a strong feeling. Ones again I almost get blowing of my bike on the top and at 4 degree Celsius I jump quickly in to the bus. From the bus I see that the shop is open and I buy a t-shirt with the three climbs on it. After an hour we are complete again and descend with the bus in direction Malaucene to start at the last climb of the day. After about 4 kilometers the weather gets better and I decided together with Peter to take the bike and drive down on the bike. Sometimes the wind pushes us almost of the bike, but this cannot stop the fun of descending.
Getting in to Malaucene we see a lot of bikers who started there climb in a summer outfit, “it is 24 degree down here so no problem” we now the real true. Having a plate of spaghetti in Malaucene, because this is good for the morality says Chris and then we go for the last time to the top. It
is 16:30 as we leave the parking and with my 36 years of age I still feel good. In the beginning I’m struggling to find a good rhythm but when I at least found it nobody could stop me. Chris Twan and Peter struggle a little with the spaghetti, but still can ride the bike.
This climb has a difficult degree as the same as the one from Bedoin, while it is the last one it gets a total different story.
Almost on the top and 20 degree colder then in Malaucene is Jan next to the bus waiting for me. He says “stop other wise will blow of your bike after the last corner”. I was happy that he was there, I walked the last 50 meter true the bizarre weather condition to the top and could only think on one thing “Yes I did it and nobody is going to take this away from me”
The weather condition getting even more worse and we are getting worried about the others. We decide to drive to them and pick them up, it is really madness what we are doing. Just started driving down when we meet them on their way up. Come in the bus Jan every time said “you made it”” he said every time and I was 100% agree with him because it was irresponsible to continue the last 100 meters. “Safety first” was Jan’s devise.
From this side I want to thank everybody for this unforgettable day, and Ronald in special, can you imagine to be a cyclist and due to a injury sitting the whole day in a car looking to others beautiful moments. Also thank you Ronald for the great pictures you made.
Patrick de Laat.
Thank you Patrick great story and even a greater achievement. Who is next to tell something about his experience?
The legs feel good en Twan, Chris and Peter will ride also the Cinglé ( that’s how they call this and it means “crazy”) so I’m not alone. Our hotel is in Sault so we depart at )815 in Sault after we got our stamp on our Cinglé card. This is the easiest route of the 3 (26 km, steepness of 4,7 % in average, and 1180 meter of height difference) So I think let’s start easy.
One’s on the road Twan has some troubles like falling of the chain and getting his jacket in his front wheel, but after a while this is solved. It’s warm and the humidity is high but after we did the half way it gets less warm. We are riding in a tough speed to the Chalet Reynard and Peter who was a little behind us comes and overtakes us. He rides so hard that my heart rate gets above the 165/min. Let him go I thought, we still have two climbs to go and I have learned to listen to my heart rate meter. It is getting colder, foggy and the wind starts to blow. Where on 5 kilometers from the top and my temperature meter tells me that it is 9 degree Celsius. I don’t see Peter anymore and a few kilometers its only 7 degree and more wind, I’m really surprised of the change of weather conditions and with the idea that it only gets worse I’m afraid to get my heart rate above the 155/min. Just a few kilometers to go and Twan Chris and myself are not so far away from each other, but I can not see them the vision is only 10 meters and then everything is white, not from the rocks but from the clouds where we are in all the time.
I see some bikers who just started the descending, well descending it is more shivering with the teeth and max. 20 kilometers an hour. I really had imagine the descend differently. It gets colder only 6 degree left and I’m passing a Dutch guy with a cramp at about 1 kilometer from the top. Your OK? I should and he should I’ve got it cold and a cramp. I tell him to keep drinking and felt my self strong that I had no problems when I saw him. I said shouting because then wind drowned out every other sound. What came up in me in those last meters was very impressive. Yes I read about the wind but those clouds and the cold brrrr, I even didn’t see the Monument of Tom Simson. Suddenly I saw in a hairpin to the right all people standing on the left side of the road. I was thinking what are they doing there and I found out very short after that. I turned in to this hairpin and was almost blowing of the mountain with my bike under me. I crawl with my bike up against this wind in the direction of a white building and got in to a corner where the wind was less hard. I’m standing next to another crazy biker and ask him where the top is, well your there he says and I look up but I couldn’t see the tower. On the other side of the road I see our bus and Ronald call’s me to come with my bike but I didn’t dare to walk on my slippery shoes with this wind up to 150 km/hour. He helped me and ones in the bus I thought Wauw what an adventure.
Ones we are complete we descend with the bus to Bedoin to go fro the second climb (it was not safe enough to descend on the bike). Ones again I keep checking my heart rate and even that this was the hardest climb it goes very well. Twan Peter and Chris struggle more with these 21 kilometer, an average of 7,5 % and 1610 meters of height difference. This gives me a strong feeling. Ones again I almost get blowing of my bike on the top and at 4 degree Celsius I jump quickly in to the bus. From the bus I see that the shop is open and I buy a t-shirt with the three climbs on it. After an hour we are complete again and descend with the bus in direction Malaucene to start at the last climb of the day. After about 4 kilometers the weather gets better and I decided together with Peter to take the bike and drive down on the bike. Sometimes the wind pushes us almost of the bike, but this cannot stop the fun of descending.
Getting in to Malaucene we see a lot of bikers who started there climb in a summer outfit, “it is 24 degree down here so no problem” we now the real true. Having a plate of spaghetti in Malaucene, because this is good for the morality says Chris and then we go for the last time to the top. It
is 16:30 as we leave the parking and with my 36 years of age I still feel good. In the beginning I’m struggling to find a good rhythm but when I at least found it nobody could stop me. Chris Twan and Peter struggle a little with the spaghetti, but still can ride the bike.This climb has a difficult degree as the same as the one from Bedoin, while it is the last one it gets a total different story.
Almost on the top and 20 degree colder then in Malaucene is Jan next to the bus waiting for me. He says “stop other wise will blow of your bike after the last corner”. I was happy that he was there, I walked the last 50 meter true the bizarre weather condition to the top and could only think on one thing “Yes I did it and nobody is going to take this away from me”
The weather condition getting even more worse and we are getting worried about the others. We decide to drive to them and pick them up, it is really madness what we are doing. Just started driving down when we meet them on their way up. Come in the bus Jan every time said “you made it”” he said every time and I was 100% agree with him because it was irresponsible to continue the last 100 meters. “Safety first” was Jan’s devise.
From this side I want to thank everybody for this unforgettable day, and Ronald in special, can you imagine to be a cyclist and due to a injury sitting the whole day in a car looking to others beautiful moments. Also thank you Ronald for the great pictures you made.
Patrick de Laat.
Thank you Patrick great story and even a greater achievement. Who is next to tell something about his experience?
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