adidas Transalp Challenge
The Longest Day
Pete Webb and Sauze Holliday - Sponsored by Fat Face and Rocky Mountain Bikes / 20.08.2004
Meran to Kaltern for me was not one of the most attractive days, but at least the day's ride ahead has been planned, and for the whole day we rode up through forest trails, crossed rives, dropped into hot towns, carried our bikes up what looked like a technical downhill course and rode great single track through amber woods. All this without the need to stop for anything except the feed stations which always had water, two flavours of Isotonic, bananas, cored apples, energy bars, water melon and if we were lucky donuts! The finish was the wine town of Kaltern and the pasta party was held in a huge wine warehouse. Did any go missing? Who knows?
Day 7
The penultimate day was our longest on paper at 130km and 4000m of climbing! I got to love the sound of downhill starts on the road, the sound of a thousand mountain bike tyres on asphalt, was like a swarm of bees. This morning was to follow an old WW1 railway line that took supplies over the mountain and into the next valley. It started in the vineyards once again, then very obviously became the old railway line with a slight gradient. It was punctuated with tunnels where automatic lights came on as we entered them. This railway at one point went straight up the drive to a private house, passed the house and out through the back gate! The people of the house were sat in the sunny garden reading the papers! Very strange! I guess you should check for public rights of way when you buy a house, else you get a thousand mountain bikes race through your garden.
Today they laid on four feed stops, two normal and two with just water and isotonic drinks. The first drink station was the start of the first big climb which was not so bad as it wound its way through woods on asphalt. It just took time and sure enough after an hour of so you emerged at the top. A quick pit stop (donuts today) then a drop into the valley where it was a blistering 36 degrees. A wind was howling though this valley and it felt like a hairdryer was held in your face!
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