Mane

From where we are, one can easily begin climbing towards Tourmalet, Gavarnie and Luz-Ardiden. Since we had climbed the first two, I decided to try the last one.  Maybe I could ride all the way up. Luz-Ardiden is a climb to a ski station. The summit is at 1720m and the climb begins at 700m or so. So, only one kilometre to climb! The official street sign claims that the average steepness is less than 7%. Well, I thought that such a climb would be not that hard. I had good breakfast, applied suitable amount of sun screen to my legs hands face and set of. It was warm, about 31C. The first few kilometres went ok. The climb was 9%, no problems for me. I reached the last small village before the forests. The road got steeper and steeper. Suddenly it was 11-12% all the time. The frequent hairpin provided some relief. A view over the Tourmalet valley The relief was not long lasting. The road remained steep, my already tired legs got emptier and emptier. I was slowing down. Wher...

Sometimes is pays not to google around too much. Like today, we did not really know where we were about to ride. We just chose one of the few roads leaving from our hotel (after getting a new front wheel for my bike; the outer tyre went bad yesterday while descending from Tourmalet). The road we chose leads to Gavarnie, a place at about 1300 meters. The ride is not hard at all. Road is quiet, there are more cyclists than cars. It is not steep, mostly about 6%, at some points closer to 10%. It is a bit scary for the first few kilometers from Le  Pont Napoleon upwards.  Le Pont Napoleon I rode a few kilometers on the left side of the road to avoid seeing the deep gorge. Then the gorge got shallower and I could continue on the right side. It took us some 1h20 to reach Gavarnie. We rode easily for most of the time. I did some intervals and the waited for Sirkku, who rode steadily. In Gavarnie, we had a cup of coffee and sandwiches in the first bar we saw. For the terr...

Wherever one travels one must eat. More often than not one has to eat at a restaurant. Either one's hotel does not have a decent kitchen or one is too tired/lazy to cook. So, what to eat in a restaurant. Usually one cannot fail too badly by ordering something local. In mountains with rivers and streams, an excellent choice is fish, especially trout. I have had delicious trout in the mountains of Croatia, the capital of Georgia Tbilisi, and today here in Luz St Sauveur in French haute Pyrennees. Waiting, having aperitif at Panoramic The trout in the mountains are small, about 25 cm max. It seems that there are two main recipies: either cooking wrapped in folio or frying. Both ways are delicious, although the former one allows for more liberal use of herbs. Today, here in Luz, we had very tasty trout in Restaurant Panoramic. Highly recommendable place for dinner. If ever in Luz, make sure you visit Restaurant Panoramic. The trout

Col du Tourmalet, mythical climb, has been climbed by the professionals at least 70 times in Tour De France. The climb is formidable. From Luz, the climb begins at 700 meters and the col is at 2115 meters. It is 18 kilometres pure climbing. There are no downhill or flat sections. Just climbing from 4% to 16 %, mostly from 8% to 10%, on average about 8%.  We left our hotel late, at 11 am, a bit worried that it would be too hot. It was not, today was not hot, only 27C. Our climb began at 685 metres, so the total climbing for us was 1430 metres.  Except it was more for me. After about 11 kilometres the climb changes its character. Up to that point, the road follows a mountain stream and goes through forests. The views are limited, there is nothing scary. It is actually very nice.  View from the top We made it. At 11 km, at the first ski station, the road leaves the stream and climbs straight up a mountainside. There are many hairpins. The views are m...

A tired day. The trip from Girona to Luz was too hard, so we did not try to get out riding early. Had lazy breakfast with way too much coffee, spent some time observing trouts in hotel's garden pond, and watched the cock keeping some discipline to his hens. Many animals here. Got bikes from Ardiden Velos. The owner is an ex-architect from England, a real gentleman. The bikes are very good and light, less than 8 kilos even with pedals. Getting the bikes Had lunch. Not too many options here. All much more expensive than much better restaurants in Girona. Bought food from Carrefour. Etc. In the evening, tried to ride south, toward Spain. But the road was too scary for me. Horrific gorges with only 40 centimetres of barrier at the side. My fear of heights got the better of me, I just could not ride that road. Luckily for me, the road to Tourmalet turned out to be less scary, no deep gorges there. We rode up the road to Tourmalet for 45 minutes. It is nice, rather evenly 8...

From Girona to Luz St Sauveur After 10 days in Girona, three days after the incredible Girona Gran Fondo, it was time for us to move on. We had reserved our next holiday residence, kind of summer cottage, in Luz St Sauveur, in France high-Pyrennees. The goal was - and still is - to ride up the famous Col de Tourmalet.  So, how to get to the base of Tourmalet from Girona? We considered renting a car. A car would cost maybe 30 euros a day plus gas. It would take some 8 hours to drive to Luz. The drive would be crossing the Pyrennees, which we did not really fancy. We once drove from Mt Ventoux to Morzine and 450 kilometres took 11 hours. Nice views, interesting road, but maybe a bit too much driving. And we would have to drive the car back to Girona. No deal. The other option would be train. There may well be bus connections, but we did not even consider trying to find out where and how to get tickets.  Getting the train tickets turned out to be hard enough. The...

Our friend Anna sent us an invitation to an "easy ride" on Tuesday. After all riding in Girona Gran Fondo and Monday's ride with Zak Dempster plus an race effort on Els Angels, an easy ride seemed like a good idea. So, we had breakfast in El Cafe, one on Girona's simple, but good, traditional cafeterias. Filled baguettes and lots of coffee, and were ready for the ride at 9.30 am at Bike Breaks. The others (Sergi, Paolo, Anna, Nancy, Joseph) arrive and we agreed to ride to Tossa de Mar and back. Tossa de Mar Well, easy in Girona would be hard in Helsinki. This time the ride was 95km, with some 1200 meters of climbing. The route of the first 65km is telling. I had serious difficulties on the ride back in the not-so-hard uphill. It was just too warm for me, I just could not produce any power in the burning sunshine. Luckily, some clouds appeared, and I made it up the hill. The ride back from Llagostera to Girona was easier. It is almost flat and I was able to...

Well, after 2 races and two shop rides, and before the 125km (1900m climbing) Gran Fondo, I decided to call it a rest day. My legs are a bit sore from yesterday's Nocturne and my resting hearth rate is up. So, resting. What to do then in Girona when on is not cycling and when it is sunny and +30 centigrade? My favourite activities are drinking coffee in Campus Cafe and drinking beer in B-12. There are other nice things to do as well. A pint of Catalan craft beer We had a lazy walk to a park next to the archeological museum. It a nice, cozy place with a pond full of frogs. The frogs are very loud in the night, now they only talked a little. There are beautiful dragon flies as well. Of course, there are many sights to see here as well. There are the Cathedral, the Arabic baths, many other old (like 500 years or more) houses and churches and staircases etc. But I have seen most of them during my earlier visits, so no sightseeing today. Girona cathedral Soon, time f...

A short note before going to bed. Just because I am still too full of adrenalin. Today at Girona Gran Fondo we had the Nocturne ride. The concept is both simple and evil. 10 laps of 2.5 km, with a timed section of some 200 meters with 45 meters of climbing. On pave, or cobblestones. And as they say, that is not all. The time section begins at the Place de Catedhral, which means that one has to climb up a 14% uphill before the timed section. Easy does it, but then one has to speed up very fast, in 3 meters, before the timed section begins with a grade of 8.5%. It continues, turns left 90 degrees, then 20 to 30 meters 8-9%, then another 90 degree turn and the 20 meters 17% wall. With many people cheering, shouting, music blasting. Only way is to pedal full gas. Then, a a flattish section of some 100 meters. And then its over, only to begin again after some 2 kilometers. Ok, that is the route. What does it feel? Fun, terrible, terrifying. First few laps are easy, one tries to find t...

I have a dilemma. I would both like to ride a lot and save some energy/strength for tomorrow's Nocturne. Nocturne is a criterium in Girona's old town, 10 laps of 2.5 kilometers, of which only 200 meters is timed. These 200 meters are hard: up to 15% uphill on cobbles! So, what to do? To join an easy shop ride to Banyoles or to join a medium one over some small mountains. I chose the easy one, mostly because all other Finns chose it as well and because Anna needed someone to watch the back of the group. Of course, after looking the skinny riders joining the medium ride, I knew that I would again be dropped at every longer/steeper climb. An easy ride it would be then. The ride would be Girona-flat, which means uphills less than 1km and mostly less than 7%. Not exactly flat, but as flat as it gets here in Girona. We were a group of at least 17 riders; of many nationalities from Autralia via Canada to Finland and Britain.  Everyone was in a good and relaxed mood. I was please...

The first official event of 2015 Girona Gran Fondo was the time trial up Els Angels. It is 10.4 km, with some 400 meters climbing. There are some flat and downhill sections, so one must take care pacing. One should have some extra energy to ride very fast on those easier sections. Representing HePo abroad That is the theory, at least. I tried and did not quite make it. But let me start from the beginning. Since I and Sirkku registered to the Gran Fondo very early, we got small participant numbers. Mine is 7 and Sirkku's 8. I was second to start the time trial, Sirkku was third. Waiting My goal was to ride at my threshold (both power and hearth rate) and to finish in less than 40 minutes. In order not to fail, I began easily, not pushing at all in the first few kilometres. I then reached some steeper sections and just could not resist pushing a bit. Hopefully not too much, so I could carry on almost at my threshold. First rider to go The downhill section were v...

Yesterday evening, my friend Anna Rinne, who knows everyone here in Girona and who knows what is happening, told me that there will be a shop ride today. At 10 am, which is the usual time, but which was kind of early for me. I decide to make my best to wake up early. I made it to the ride. I was delighted to meet my friends Saskia, Dave, Josep, Jolien and many others. Like Neil Martin, who calls me Matt Finish, which everyone finds funny. I do as well. I arrived at the shop at 9.30, installed my Vector S pedals, tool bag and other necessities. It took only 15 minutes, so I had 15 minutes for applying sun screen and chatting. The shop ride took its normal, easier route up the slopes of Rocacorba. There are several steep uphill sections, up to 12%, before the coffee break. The faster riders dropped me, they always do. But I did not give up. Rather I just kept on spinning my pedals and keeping power just below my threshold. I made it to the cafe not too much later than the faster gu...

We are back in Girona. For me, this is the 4th time in less 20 months, for Sirkku 3rd time in 14th months. We like this small Catalan town. We like to compactness of the old, medieval part, being able to walk everywhere in 15 minutes or less. We like to lack of noise as there is almost no motor traffic in the old part. We like to cafes, restaurants, bars, all with their local clientele. And of course, we like, almost love cycling around here. The roads are well paved, with enough - but not too many or too steep hills. Car drivers respect cyclists, one feels safe here. Of course, having made many friends here makes this the most pleasant place to visit. One feels welcome, like being where one belongs. So, we arrived today by train from Barcelona. The train station is a 10 minute walk from the old town, and 15 minutes from our vacation home. We walked as taxis cannot really drive here. And we are fit enough to walk and drag our luggage up the steep alleys. La Terra - my favouri...

Taking a train from Barcelona to Girona may be quite confusing and stressful. Not that the train ride itself would be anything but ordinary and comfortable. It is the Barcelona Sants train station that confuses me every time. So, let me tell how to buy tickets and how to board the right train. Waiting. The train was 20 minutes late. +33C.  First, you may want to check Renfe's website for timetables. The website is east to use and provides accurate information. Then, take a subway to Sants. Follow the red R-signs to the station hall. You maybe have to carry your luggage up several fights of stairs. There may be elevators, but I have not found them ever. In the station hall, go directly to counters 1 - 7. There they usually sell tickets for the regional trains to Girona (terminus Portbou). The ticket costs about 11 euros; the train ride to Girona take 77 minutesYou may also buy tickets fro rapido (express) trains from counters 11 or so. 30+ euros for 38 minutes ride. D...

Amerikkalaisten turistien kuulee usein kerskuvan kuin he ovat milloin minkin kaupungin tai maan suorittaneet muutamassa tunnissa tai päivässä. Hikihän semmoisessa tulee. Tuskin moisesta jää mitään mieleenkään. Itse olen jo aikoja sitten päätynyt matkustamaan niin, ettei minun missään ole pakko tehdä yhtään mitään. Jos tekee mieli koko päivä istua terassilla lukemassa kirjaa ja nauttimassa paikallisia juomia, niin ei minua laisinkaan haittaa, jos naapurikorttelissa on jokin maailmanluokan museo. Ei vain nappaa, jos ei nappaa. Niinpä tänäänkin Barcelonassa emme ole käyneet suorittamassa mitään. Heräsimme, makoilimme aamiaisen jälkeen hotellimme terassilla. Kävelimme Gracian katuja, tuon mukamas boheeminen kylämäisen kaupunginosan katuja. Samat kadut olemme kävelleet moneen kertaan, viimeksi vähän yli vuosi sitten. Aina niiden varsilta kuitenkin löytyy uusia kiinnostavia gallerioita, trendikkäitä ravintoloita ja pimeitä paikallisten juoppojen räkälöitä. Graciassa ei ole varsinaisest...

Joskus iskee itaruus. Tekee mieli ostaa halvin. Niin mekin teimme, kun ostimme lentoliput Barcelonaan. Olimme aiemmilla matkoillamme nähneet Barcelonan kentällä Vueling-yhtiön koneita. Ne näyttivät samanlaisilta kuin muiden yhtiöiden. Tällä Girona Gran Fondo-reissullemme ostimme Vuelingin lennot. Kone lähti myöhässä, mutta se nyt on ihan Ok. Ei lomalla ole kiire, hyvin ehtii milloin vain. Koneessa sitten halpuus iski päin pläsiä. Koneessa taisi olla enemmän rivejä kuin yleensä 320-200-koneessa. Valot ja ilmapuhaltimet eivät olleet kohdallaan. Penkkien takana ei ollut lehtikoteloa. Ahdasta oli, juuri ja juuri lyhyet jalkani sopivat istuimeni ja seuraavan penkin väliin. Halpayhtiö ei tietenkään tarjoa ruokaa eikä juomaa. Vueling ei edes myy. Kärryt kyllä hissukseen liikkuivat käytävällä, mutta niissä oli vain limsaa ja sipsejä. Ei voilepiä eikä bisseä. Nälkä tuli. Ei enää koskaan Vuelingilla. Perille pääsimme kuitenkin kuten pitikin. Tavarat saapuivat hihnalle, bussi (5,9€/nenu) ...