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Mountain Goats: Passo Giau


Written by our riding reporter Robert Gill

First of all Thank you to the 81 people who signed up for the race and in particular to the 45 who made it to the top. Your support of the race is gratefully received and much like I said last week, I know we can continue to grow and introduce new friends to the joy of climbing.

The Dolomites are the graveyard of millions of sea creatures, their bones solidified in to limestone structures that have dominated the landscape over the last 250million years; first as coral reefs and then as mythical craggy outcrops. In to the present day, the Dolomites continue to provide suitably heroic graves for cyclists bludgeoned to death by the incessant gradients. I'm sure many of the Mountain Goats count themselves amongst these after today's ride!

The race was won by R.2cn who finished in an excellent time of 33:32. Chapeau! The second step of the podium was taken by Matteo Zwaenepoel just 25 seconds behind. Close behind in third was Christophe Contant a further 9 seconds behind. Bravo! The top 3 put in great rides and were able to deny perennial podium chaser Kenneth Vansina condemning him to 4th place! KV finished in another crazy fast time of 34:46 and the top 4 were clear of the rest of the field.

(Much) Further down the mountain, I found myself bemoaning the radiator a few metres away which I forgot to turn off. It reduced me to a sodden mess and I felt more like a shoulder of Yorkshire lamb being slow cooked in a water bath than a mountain goat. I overheated and was passed by a fair few riders who were able to manage their efforts more effectively. I found myself in a haze behind Augustin Crespo, who is undoubtedly the brother or son of legendary Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, picturing scenes from Football Italia on Channel 4 in the 90s as a young lad with Crespo terrorising defences whilst playing for Lazio and Inter Milan. I also ended up with the theme tune worming it's way in to my head too! ("Goooooaaaaal Laaaaazioooo!"). I managed to catch Crespo at one point but he clearly didn't like my company and he immediately rode me off his wheel and disappeared in to the sunset. In another strange football related quirk I was just ahead of A. Robertson, the current best left back in the world and the second best left back ever to play for my home town club Hull City.

The Giau was tough and it is a great credit to all the finishers that you made it to the top. You have a week to steel yourselves and prepare for the spiteful monster that awaits you next week... Monte Zoncolan. Hope to see you there. Oh and because you are of course all wondering - the best left back ever to play for Hull City is Andy Dawson. Grazie mille!
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