This weekend Broerie and I rode the beautiful Maratona dles Dolomites gran fondo. 138 kilometres, 7 main climbs including a loop of the Sella Ronda, and the very steep Passo Giau. Roughly 4000 metres of ascent in one of the most beautiful settings I know.
Let me start with the best part. At the finish, Broerie (showered, rested, cheerful) found me (out of breath, sweating, just finished) drinking my first beer. We had never met in person, but he hugged me, and it felt like seeing an old friend. I won't reveal our finishing times, but we both finished on the same day. The rest is rounding, right?
For those that are confused ... he is the handsome one, I drink beer.
I mainly posted this to share the above photo. For anyone interested in the race, I have a fairly extensive post on my blog here.
A few photos though. Some taken from the saddle, any that include me were taken by the pro photographers. Hopefully, Broerie can post a few pics as well.
Passo Pordoi:
Passo Sella:
My friend Philippe:
Me descending Passo Gardena as though I am being chased by a guy in all purple.
Rain:
The finish:
Sixty seconds later:
Although I battled hard with several tough competitors, I did not win my age class.