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Day 4. My day started out in my favorite way; watching the city wake up. Instead of staying in the hotel for breakfast (like we are supposed to do with the group), I like to go and find a café that is in a good place; someplace where I can see the kids walking to school, people leaving for work, and business owners perparing their stores to open. I especially like the men who ride bikes to work dressed in suits. The city comes alive right before my eyes. For a little while, I can forget that I’m a tourist, and I can feel like part of the city.
After our typical trip through the city (with crazy traffic and many people), we started another day of big climbs. At home, I usually climb 2,500 ft to 7,000 ft per training session (most often less than 5000 ft). On this trip, we are climbing 7,000 ft or more when it is a day of climbing. Unfortunately, yesterday was the only day without climbing. However, it was a beautiful day, and we were in the dolomites where the views were more beautiful than I can describe.
Our miles today were 40, and I suffered for most of the last climb. We are now staying at a hotel in the mountains, instead of the city as usual. The race will pass right in front of our hotel tomorrow, and we are supposed to climb more than any of the other days. We will see.
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