We left Andermatt at 9 AM with temps around 60 deg. and the promise of a clear blue sky. After a chilly 12 km descent, we regrouped, shed our excess clothing and turned up the Susten. Charles immediately bolted out ahead of the group as we searched for a sustainable pace. Soon, 5 of us--Rick, Markham, Rich, Bill and I--separated from the rest, while Charles continued push ahead hard and open a gap of nearly .5 km on us at the 4 km mark. We weren't particularly concerned--he was going out fast and 13 km of steady 6 - 9 deg. slopes lay ahead. We had the advantage of numbers and time. We hammered upward, our legs and lungs at their sustainable limit.
My reluctance to racing faded as we pushed past 6 km, then 8 km: my legs would be toast regardless now--I had, de facto, committed to pay the price. The scenery was probably spectacular, but who noticed? We were locked into our inner pain, eardrums pounding like the diaphragms of woofers, legs groaning, out of the saddle, back down in the saddle, keep the bike pointed upward, wheels turning.
The short version is, despite our numbers and effort, we never caught Charles. He churned up the mountain maintaining a 262 watt ave. for 11 miles. In the last 5 km, Markham closed the gap to 1 minute, meaning the finish still wasn't close. I came in .5 min. later, with Rick finishing 1 min. behind me.
It was a podium sweep for the Atlantans! Rich finished strong and came in 5th, meaning 4 of the top 5 places for the East team. Charles accepted purple streamers for his handlebars in the official awards ceremony. Then we took pictures, refueled, and admired the view, elated at our "exploit" and oblivious to any tired legs.
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