Here are some details:-Campy Super record 11
-Oval R910 bars and R900 stem
-SMP Composite Carbon saddle
-Reynolds (not FFWD as on picture) DV 46 UL-T
For the Marmotte and Maratona I will ride 12-29 and the regular 39/53. This gives a gearing just a bit lower than doing the compact and 11/25 I had on the De Rosa. Greatest benefit will be the much higher gears possible to run downhill!
So, in recent days things have really come together. The bike was one thing. I also got Alex, my great friend from UK, to bring Clif Bars! So, now I have also the nutrition I fancy in place for the race. Ordered the bars from Chainreaction. This was on the 25th of June. On the 28th they had still not shipped - even though they were in stock. I dropped them a mail, and I was surprised to receive such good service from their online shop. They confirmed the bars were sent and wished me best of luck for the races!
So, right now we are in Como. Flew down with my girlfriend after work yesterday. Got the rental car - a Lancia Delta. It's a perfect car for the trip. Good economy on the miles, comfortable and most important: fits the SciCon suitcase and other luggage perfectly. Como is just one of my absolute favorite places. It gets me smiling every time I come closer to the lake and see the mountains. I usually stay at the In Riva al Lago. It's reasonably priced and has an OK standard - at least if you get the rooms with en suite bathroom. It also has one of the most popular restaurants on the ground floor. Yesterday we had to wait an hour from standing in line to getting food. But, the food is really good - and unbeatable for the price (especially given you are close to waterfront in Como). I got to know Mario, the owner, last time. A super nice guy who helped me out a lot in May when I had managed to lock the car keys into the Lancia (be careful, open only the hatch and leave the keys inside... it'll cost you 130 € with Hertz). So, we got a good room and a parking spot just two hundred meters from the hotel. After a good pizza (yes I should probably have had pasta) we took a nice stroll in the old streets of Como. Very lively. And very warm. Still 26-27 C around midnight. Today is supposed to be 30+.
Yesterday was also rest day. Today I will do a short ride, with just a few 10 second intervals to get blood pumping in the legs. Hope the body now is ready. My last ride on Wednesday felt very good. Not excellent, but very good. Legs are good, but would have liked to feel that "explosive" and "bubbling" extra. Maybe it's there today? Probably will be since it is first rides on a new bike!
We will head off from Como over to Alpe d'Huez just after lunch. Should be about a 4 hour drive - getting us there well in time for the 8 pm deadline for picking up starting numbers. Last year we had not checked on the final time for this. At 7.25 pm we were at Bourg d'Oisans in a camper about to unpack when we received the message that we had to be up on Alpe d'Huez at 8 pm. It was a good camper, but I can tell it did not smell nicely after having done the 21 hairpins in just 30 minutes. We were the last people sprinting in the doors to get them. This year, I don't want the same stress.
This may be the final post before the races. Hope I have an exciting story to tell Sunday!
