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Day 5. Even though day 4 was a lot of climbing, this day was supposed to be harder – only 40 miles, but what climbs! The climbs are famous in the world of cycling. Their names are the mountain pass of Pordoi, and pass of Fedaia – more than 14,000 ft of climbing total. Fedaia has the nickname “Graveyard of Champions”. It has long sections that are 18% or more. The Giro d’Italia was supposed to go on both passes, and there would be many people on both sides of the road. After so much climbing up to now, I wasn’t sure I could do it. My legs were very tired. I was afraid I would suffer in front of everyone. Therefore, I went to bed and prayed about it.
I woke up inspired, but still nervous. The weather was perfect and we had the excitement of the race for motivation. On the first climb, I saved myself at the bottom, so that I could have something left for the summit, where there are more people. I’m happy to say that it worked! I was not embarrassed on Pordoi, and I finished very strong.
Fedia was a monster! It was the hardest climb I have ever done. Here I suffered in front of everyone, but I didn’t care. I wanted to do it without stopping. It was worse because I had to go so slowly – 4 mph on the 18% section. That is not much faster than walking. There were many, many ciclists walking their bikes, but I would not. Finally, I arrived at the place where the group would watch the race. From there, the day got better and better. We watched the race, and the professional cyclists suffer also, but they were going much faster (probably 7 – 8 mph). We had a blast!
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