Cloudy, light rain, 50 deg. at our 9 AM start. Per Nel`s suggestion, we skipped the first scheduled climb over Gotthard (north side) and loaded our bikes atop the vans to drive over Gotthard to the start of the day`s second climb, Nufenen Pass. It was a good decision. The road up out of Andermatt was socked in with fog, and a spotty cold drizzle would have added to the misery of being on a bike. At the top of Gotthard, we entered a 1 km tunnel and, presto, exited the south side into sunshine and 60 deg. It was like being teleported from Maine to Florida, a truly magic tunnel right out of a kids` storybook. Our spirits lifted and we eagerly unloaded the bikes and geared up upon reaching the valley below.
The climb up Nufenen Pass began immediately, into 15 mph wind, and Rick, Markham, and Charles set out at a brisk pace that my legs didn`t appreciate. After a couple miles, I fell back on the premise that I would turn a 2 climb day into a 1 climb day if I didn`t conserve energy. Atlanta was well-represented among the lead group with Markham and Charles, and this would give me a chance to take photos, including snapping a picture of my first Swiss glacier.
In the end, I hit the top with Todd P. and Rich, about 10 min. behind the lead group, after grinding up 12 km of 7-10% slopes. The thought occured to me several times on the way up: are you having fun yet? Exactly WHY do you do this? The setting, of course, was spectacular (see photos on Chris`s blog) despite my strained physiology. We sweated on the way up and quickly got chilled at the top. Luckily, there was a convenient restaurant with warm food and clean bathrooms (and free, permanently lit!). Markham continued his early domination of the KOM title by accelerating over the last km (surprise, surprise!) and reaching the summit 100 m ahead of Rick.
"Put on everything you have for the descent," Rick advised, and I appreciated his foresight. Wind vest, wind jacket, leggings, long gloves, ear wrap--I needed it all for the very steep and technical 12 mi. descent, featuring a one lane bridge and abruptly narrowing pavement for extra interest. It takes 2 hours to go up, 20 min. to come down.
At the bottom, we shed our excess clothing and set off on climb no. 2.
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