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Challenge Number Three: Cold and Wet
The last of my personal challenges for this year was completed on Saturday 7th September with the climb of the Mendel Pass. A good climb, for me. Not massively fast and actually, despite my initial plans, completed on a day that was cold and wet. Unspectacular. The Dull Bit: Stats The climb was completed over 1h and 11 minutes at an average speed of 12.5 kilometres per hour. No the fastest ever but, in view of the conditions, I am quite happy with it. The Italian practice of numbering hairpins made it relatively easy to track how the climb was going. It gives a good feeling that, no matter how…
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Closure: The Month of Mountains
How in hell’s name can I put this in to words? I can still feel last week in my hamstrings, in my calves. It’s in my mind! It won’t go away for awhile. It’s really difficult to put this in to words. But it’s good to try. The closing of the month of mountains. The Initial Hit What is striking, on arrival at Bormio, is that you are surrounded by mountains. This is a stupid comment because Bormio is in the Alps and so of course it is surrounded by mountains. That’s the Alps! However, the scale is beyond belief. All of the famous mountains are around us but….. which…
