Fondo della Valdarbia Wrap up

Yesterday Avio & I continued on the comeback trail with the 15th edition of the Fondo della Valdarbia, a 131km race held in & around the breathtaking Crete Senese region 20km to the south of Siena .The race kicked off in Monteroni d'Arbia & headed further south 15km's on the strada principale to Buonconvento.

Le Crete Senesi near Arbia

This is where the fun began because within a few kms the first of many climbs was about to start.As is always the case here in Tuscany it's an all out battle to be near the front before starting a climb,especially the first.It can be a pretty stressful time,even in these smaller shorter races & often you'll find yourself in the gutter or on the grass bashing elbows with a long lost cousin of Gino Bartoli or Marco Pantani.Fortunately I was feeling pretty good at this early stage but being only my second race in 4 years I was feeling a little nervous at the same time in the bunch of 300 odd "ciclisti".Looking around I noticed some of the stronger guys moving up so decided to sit near or on the front of the bunch controlling the situation.Even at this early stage of the 8.5km ascent(Average gradient of 3-4%,maximum 10%) the bunch was starting to blow apart.Luckily I know this climb having escorted tour groups here many times so was able to pace myself with the front guys up past the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore cresting the summit a few kilometers later at Chiusure.

As we started to the descent towards Asciano I went to shift to the big chain ring only to notice there was no need as I hadn't even changed down in the first place.The descent to Asciano was absolutely spectacular. Ever since I first came to Siena way back in 1996 I have always loved Le Crete Senese.The landscape is unlike anywhere else in the world.There are virtually no trees save for the odd "Cipressa",is there any wonder why they call it a moonscape. 

After leaving Asciano "Il Gruppo",by this stage already down to around 150 riders made it's way via 

Monteroni & Vescovado di Murlo then back down to Buonconvento via a short very fast 15% descent towards the major obstacle of the day,the 6km climb to Montalcino,famous the world over for the production of Brunello wine.

About 4 kms into the climb the old legs started to feel the strain of the previous 75kms & a group of about 15 slipped off the front.Just before the top there is a 300m section of about 10% or more & although I know this climb extremely well I just couldn't dig deep enough to stay with the leading group.The heart & head said yes but the legs were definately screaming NO! Fortunately there was still a decent group of about 20 guys just behind.We regrouped on the descent to Torrenieri & faced the final 40kms of undulating terrain via San Giovanni d'Asso to the finish back in Monteroni d'Arbia.

In the last 25kms or so we were joined by about 15 more guys & caught a couple whom had been dropped from the front group.Among these was a Portuguese American Pro by the name of Joao Correia riding on the Cervelo Test Team.The pace had switched off a little by this stage as we all got ready for the final flurry of attacks towards the end.I got talking to Joao & mentioned to him that the leaders must be really hammering up front since he was dropped.He said that they put the pedal down & since he was only here for training it was better not to go too deep.He also said that he doesn't know why he does these smaller Granfondo's sometimes because they are never easy & he should know by now how hard the top riders can pedal.

The final 10km on the wheel of Joao Correia

The final 10kms were pretty straight forward with only a few short sharp pinches to finish off the legs then it was a short descent & 2kms of flat straight road to the finish.About 5 guys attacked & got away but unfortunately I was boxed in & couldn't make it through onto their wheels.After that I wasn't too interested in the finish because the punch sprints can be a little hectic & wasn't really that keen to come down.However I found myself slipping off the front with another 15 or so & managed to finish quite strongly.

After handing in our timing chips & race numbers it was back to the race village & then my favorite part of the day, "the pasta party".Avio came in about 10 minutes later & after a quick wash we both headed over for a well earned meal & glass of vino rosso.Just before we ate they posted the results & much to my surprise I was placed 29th overall & 6th in my category.The thing that really blew me away was the average speed.I covered the 131km course in 3hrs 22mins with 1700m of vertical climbing at an average speed of 38.85kph & our group was only 5 minutes behind the winner.Needless to say I was pretty stoked with the effort.

Avio & I on the start line

Cooling off with a shower of sorts