Tenerife - Masca. The other way

 First three climbs felt very hard. Especially Monte del Agua climb. Almost 12 km at 5.7%. Not really a hard climb but I felt tired and unable to put any power. 

50 minutes of questioning my training, my recovery, the carbonara I had for dinner yesterday, and, of course, the bike (are the brakes rubbing?).

By the time I got to the top I said it out loud. “I’m cooked” 

I was really worried. Not only did I still have to go up Masca. 4 km at an average of 10.8% but I was also puzzled with how I was feeling. I couldn’t spot a reason for it.

I crawled Masca and welcomed every time I had to put a foot down due to the amount of cars up and down that narrow road.

We stopped for lunch at Santiago del Teide. Two cokes, a “bocadillo de tortilla francesa”, and a “café con leche” and I started to see the world with different eyes. 

In fact I also said out loud. “I’m feeling much better”

And that feeling became true as soon as we tackled the small climb out of Santiago del Teide. Not that we pushed the pace, but at least I was not struggling.

The miracle happened on the last climb of the day, Subida la Guancha. 10 km at 4.2%. An easy climb. But a climb that allowed me to set an easy pace and start to ride following my heart rate with GC Denis and TY. I pushed the pace to allow my heart rate to go up gradually. The pace wasn’t anything spectacular, we are on the fifth day of a training camp, but we were getting faster and it felt like a sustainable effort. I even allowed myself to sprint for the last 100m.

At the top of the climb GC Denis and TY were kind enough to praise the work I had done at the front and, with that, allowing me to get a bit of morale boost after a terrible morning and finish this training camp with a positive note. 

I’m sure there is an explanation for such a change in feeling and performance. There is probably a lesson to be learned there. But I have no idea what it is.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14127191023

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Tenerife - Teide loop

In the end we had no choice but to declare the stage void.

Everyone but GC Denis and myself was (very) late to the start of the ride.

Everyone but JFW and myself refused to ride down to sea level to do a proper sea level to Teide climb. 

GC Denis decided to attack his own team when we were all working for him.

TY took another shortcut. This is becoming so common that his name is now “Shortcut” TY. 

The Pope decided to do hill reps up Teide.

JFW jumped on the wheel of a FDJ pro-rider. All the respect he won by riding the whole Teide in the big chainring lost in the less than 30 seconds he managed to hold his wheel. 

The weather didn’t play ball either. Very windy in the descent and reports of higher temperatures in London made us wonder what we were doing here. 

The Pope broke the group discipline not following the great pace I was setting with the aim of making the last climb enjoyable for everyone. 

GC Denis took a town sign sprint. I don’t want to remember which town. All I want to remember is that he attacked when I was taking one for the team and doing, for a second time in the day, a great work at setting the pace for him and The Pope.

The Pope didn’t allow me to take the final KOM. That was particularly malevolent after sitting on his wheel the 10km of the climb, listening to all the noises his bike was producing and the magnificent attack I launched. Yes, it was a bit too early, but the noise was getting in my brain. 

I must report the occurrence of a few cramps but I won’t name names (Javier wasn’t one of them though) to protect the privacy of those involved. The one I witnessed looked painful.

With less misbehaviours race organizers cancel stages nowadays. So the only option was to forget about sprint and KOM winners (I didn’t get any of either) and focus on the great day we had. 

Tomorrow’s stage will be great though. I'm sure at the very least we will start riding on time.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14089037818

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Making sure The Pope had a great day

He wanted to have an easy day.

So Richard L. leading the group dropped him at the Suspiro del Moro climb. 

GC Denis and I worked together in the second climb to make sure he wasn’t anywhere near the front at the top of the second, and main climb of the day.

I honestly don’t know who took the third climb of the day, I couldn’t be bothered to contest it (can 5k at 3% be considered “a climb”?). For the sake of this report's accuracy let’s all pretend it wasn’t The Pope.

He tried on the fourth climb of the day but this time it was me who decided where the top of the climb was and it turned out it was exactly at the same point I was first crossing the line after a short but magnificent sprint. The Pope was second though.

I am not sure who took the fifth climb either. It could very well be that it was The Pope. I was nowhere near to witness it. So let’s give him this consolation prize.

He’ll need it because what came was hellish for him.

An echelon on a windy road got him dropped from a group that Bidders was motoring at the front. 

As soon as he connected with the group again he hitted a section of the road that looked like a mixture of Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix. Probably the section TY enjoyed the most in the whole trip.

A bit of riding into busy traffic, plenty of traffic lights and hot temperatures to finish the day.

Well, none of this spoiled his day.

He was first into the swimming pool. A beer was in his hand when the rest got home. 

The Pope knows how to win.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11562778850

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

Giro d'Granada

GC Denis was G, Bidders was Ganna and I was Arensman.

The Pope was Pogacar. 

Richard L. was riding for that team of Spanish speakers.

Mark was JuanPe Lopez. Liked by everyone but not in his best form for this Giro.

TY was riding for one of those small teams. Only invited to the Giro to make some noise. To put on a show more for the TV than for real cycling aspirations.

The DS was very clear with his orders in the morning. Today was a day for the breakaway. A short stage with a climb at the beginning. Let the breakaway go. With 30k to go put Ganna on the front, get the breakaway back and save the stage for the GC rider.

Have you ever wondered what the hell the Ineos team is doing?

That happened today.

Before we knew it we were in the breakaway. Ganna setting the pace in the front. G on his wheel and I glued to G’s wheel. Giving him that extra 5% of efficiency. Amazing domestique work.

The peloton, led by Pogacar, caught us just before the climb. Well, at least we made him work hard.

I saw any aspirations to the GC (which I will never admit I had) disappear in this first climb. 

In the second climb I offered my leader a gel before being dropped a few meters. A gesture that was rewarded with his demand of putting “a solid hour of power at the front”. A demand that made me question my loyalties.

Luckily for me TY attacked and all I had to do was to sit on his wheel. He started to move his elbows. I thought he wanted to imitate a butterfly. Maybe that was a new way of getting more aero drag. He started to complain when he almost dislocated his shoulder. Apparently he was expecting me to take turns with him. I played the “my leader is at the peloton” card and he eventually sat up.

As soon as the peloton caught us, Pogacar attacked. 

Who followed him?

Me.

It looked to me like a very dangerous attack. Our GC aspirations were at risk. 

It was all in my mind though. It turns out he was only going for an intermediate sprint. Just for the fun of it. 

A shame for him I spoiled the party by taking the sprint. I don’t remember the name of the town but I’m sure that gave me enough points to comfortably lead the sprints jersey classification and the end of the day.

A left turn came and with it a change in wind direction. Before we knew it a breakaway was formed.

Ganna, the Movistar rider and TY, very active all day, got a decent gap.

Pogacar panicked and started the chase.

I sat on his wheel guiding my leader through this critical moment.

At some point Pogacar, like TY before, started to imitate a butterfly. 

In your dreams, I thought. We have a man in the breakaway. You want to catch them? Work harder man. Get yourself tired. We are happy to sit comfortably on your wheel. Race craft at its best.

I repeat myself, have you ever wondered what the hell the Ineos team is doing?

G decided to start working with Pogacar. Even JuanPe started to collaborate in the chase. I felt forced to contribute too, clearly against my will and best judgment.

It took us a while but the strength of the chasers, especially when I started to contribute, was too much for the breakaway. Soon enough the peloton was all together.

After the feed zone it was clear the stage was going to finish in a bunch sprint. One of those that no one is interested in. 

At the end it was a very entertaining stage from the GC point of view but without changes in the positions.

If anything it was one more day confirming what an amazing domestique I am. Some would argue that I’m more interested in defending my 6th position in the GC (out of seven riders) but that is the sign of the untrained eye of the amateur, incapable of appreciating all the work that happens behind the scenes.

I, for one, don’t miss any of those details.

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11554684829

Take care of yourself

Javier Arias González

The Trans Siberian Express

I joined a ride with three other riders without knowing what the route was going to be. Always a great idea if it is your mother’s birthday and you have to be at the table for a family lunch at 14:00.

At 11:30 we stopped to get some water and someone mentioned a 25km climb was about to start. 

The magnificent road captain in me did some basic physics calculations and got to the conclusion there was no way I’d be on time at my mothers. 

As surprising as it sounds I knew where I was so I told my riding mates I was going to head home following the direct route. “Half an hour to the top of La Cobertoria and two hours to get home from there. 14:00 at home that is” I told them. 

My riding mates gave me a great tip. “Don’t descend all the way to Pola de Lena, go through Cuchu Puercu and you’ll get to the top of El Cordal”. An amazing shortcut.

Any Kingston Wheeler that ever came to Asturias got a first stage that included Cobertoria, then El Cordal and finally El Angliru. If I knew that shortcut back then we could have skipped the whole climb to El Cordal (5.3km at 9.1% https://www.strava.com/segments/13338464). I’m pretty sure TY would love to know this, one more shortcut to his repertoire.

In my mind La Cobertoria was an easy climb. In fact at some point I decided I wasn’t going to use the 30 at the back. 27 is plenty I thought. I didn’t remember that La Cobertoria is an 8km at 8.7% climb (https://www.strava.com/segments/6734940).

But you know how things are. The more you ride without loading the 30 the less you want to give up and use it. 

The problem is the more you keep riding with the 27 the bigger the temptation to load the 30. Add to that my heart rate wasn’t going up and whenever I was trying to breathe deeply I started to cough; spicy it with a bit of (cold) head wind appearing every now and then and you’ll struggle to find any reason to not use the 30.

But that would be giving up. 

I’d probably be able to climb faster and would get home earlier. 

Because I’m a very reasonable person I kept riding the 27. 

The 30 minutes I thought it would take me to climb La Cobertoria turned out to be 43 minutes.

But I never loaded the 30.

Time now to take full advantage of the shortcut.

A shortcut not short of challenges.

Started with a climb. A small one, but my legs were tired by then. This time I didn’t hesitate to load the 30.

The road was the same quality you would find in the Surrey Hills (that is bad). It was facing north and it was at about 1000m of altitude. 

Suddenly it was all snowed and a fair bit of ice on the road. The whole road!!

What do you do? Turn around and give up the short cut? The reasonable (and very optimistic) of me decided it was worth it to walk the apparently short section of snow and ice.

It turns out it wasn’t that short. In fact the very reasonable (and not that optimistic anymore) of me started to consider turning back, giving up the shortcut and, by now and losing any hope of being on time for my mother’s birthday lunch. An amazing prospect.

That was the moment I saw a mountain biker coming in the opposite direction. Definitely not the kind of rider you want to see to feel confident on what is coming ahead. 

I asked him and to my surprise he said the snow and ice would only last a couple of hundred meters more. I was starting to feel optimistic again.

I still had to go through the problem of my cleats having so much ice that wouldn’t clip on the pedals. Had to find a rock and use it to hammer on the ice and break it. I finally was able to clip on the pedals. 

Now full of optimism after my caveman survival performance I had to remind myself to take it easy descending El Cordal. I knew it was a tricky descent, the road surface was not ideal. In fact in one of the stages at La Vuelta Nibali, a descender a bit better than me, had a crash there.

But destiny was on my side. It turns out they had repaired the surface of that descent. It was still a tricky descent but I now had a chance to be on time.

That’s where I started to compare myself to the Trans Siberian Express.

After crossing a scene of snow and ice I was now going full speed to my destiny. 

Full speed while the descent lasted. As soon as I got to the flat bit I wasn’t that express anymore and the moment I hit the last “climb” calling my speed express would be a clear exaggeration.

But it was still possible to make it on time.

Kind of. 

I got home at 14:01. I still had to take a shower. 

I was at the table at 14:10. (That was an express shower).

I explained to everyone in the family I never loaded the 30 climbing La Cobertoria and I had a PR climbing it. I didn’t mention the PR was because I always had taken it very easy climbing it, I needed to make my achievement as epic as possible. 

My family was not impressed. I might have exaggerated my cycling capabilities a little bit in the past and it is not that easy to impress them anymore. 

I think my mother has cut me out of her will.

If only I had a 28 at the back instead of the 27…

The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8657925469/

Take care 

Javier Arias González