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STAGE 3
August 23rd, 2022
Start: Serre Chevalier Briancon, France
Finish: Les Deux Alps
Finish: Les Deux Alps
70 miles
5:48 riding time
12 mph average
10,612 ft elevation gain
Climbs: Lautaret (26K), Sareene (13K), Les 2 Alpes (9K) and descending Alpe d'Huez.
With our latest start time thus far, we were happy that we could get a little extra sleep with a 6am alarm. The daily routine didn't change from the last two days and we tried to eat as much as we could, prepared our gear, repacked our luggage and dropped off in the hotel lobby, prepared our post-race backpack and questioned how we would be able to ride another stage. Even at "only" 70 miles, we still had 10,000+ feet to climb. Although I didn't look at any of the time off times, Karel was really worried that he wouldn't make the times for this stage. The cut off times are pretty strict and while you can continue ride the next day if you don't make a cut off time, you aren't consider an official finisher unless you make all cut off times and complete every stage. Thus the less than 50% finisher rate. Additionally, there are some stages that if you don't make the cut off time, you can't continue on the route and you will be picked up by the "broom wagon." In looking back at this stage, we made the cut off times by around 50-minutes (factoring in rest-stop times) so it's not just physical fitness that is required for this event but also a lot of good luck (mechanics, crashes) and being strategic with your stops.
The hardest part of each morning was the hour before the start of the stage. It was really hard to quiet the mind of worries, what ifs and soreness. It was such a battle to not go back to sleep as we woke up so exhausted.
Around 7:36, we made our way to the start venue and lined up in the corral to begin stage 3. We only had 8.2K of neutralized riding and it was all on a gradual uphill. It was not an easy start to the stage but I found my legs responding really well from the first few pedal strokes. I felt like today was going to be a great day. As for Karel, his legs hurt from the first pedal stroke and he found it difficult to turn the pedals over. He got dropped from the group in the neutralized section and really struggled from the start.
After looking at the stage for the day and the grades of the climb, I felt like this stage would suit me well. Once we reached the first timing section, I really worked hard to stay with the group that I was in (which was a big group of around 30 riders) and I worked really hard for the next 17 miles. I was feeling really competitive and really gave my best effort to the top of the climb. Once I reached the rest stop, my legs were super shaky like I had just done intense intervals for 80-minutes. We were also climbed up to 6000 feet so I'm sure the thin air didn't help. I thought Karel was also in the group but it was a few minutes later when he rolled up looking completely destroyed. Karel was having a really rough day. His muscles were extremely sore (even to touch), he felt broken inside and he was really tired. I felt really bad for him but he didn't want my day to be affected since I was feeling strong so he told me to go ahead and to give my best for both of us.
I enjoyed the fast 12 mile descend before approaching the next time segment. I was looking forward to the Sareene segment as it also included some descending, which I was hopeful that that would help me move up in the overall rankings. I was sitting in 2nd age group (40-49) with no chance of catching first place who was leading the race (and ended up placing in the top 20 overall) and around 11th overall female. I thought maybe today I could get into the top 10. For the next 12 miles and almost 90 minutes, I climbed 3500 feet. The views were incredible and it only got better as I reached the town of Alpe d'Huez. Karel ended up passing me in the last climb so I was really happy that he was feeling better. It was a bit windy (and cool) at the top so we didn't spend much time at the feed station (~10 minutes).
For the next ~9 miles, we enjoyed the 21 legendary switchbacks of Alpe d'Huez and felt like we were riding into history seeing the names of famous TdF riders painted on the ground.
To finish the stage, "only" 14 miles to Les 2 Alpes. "Only" 3000+ feet of climbing left.
I really dug deep and gave everything I had on this day. While I felt strong throughout the ride, I certainly had to battle some mental demons to keep fighting until the finish line. Once I reached the finish line, I was done. Like sit in a chair, I don't want to move I just want to fall asleep done. We spent an hour in the athlete village (including eating our post event meal) before finally making our way to our hotel.
To be honest, Karel and I really struggled this evening. We were both exhausted, it was hard to communicate well and we were both extremely nervous about our "Queen" stage the next day. We took a short walk in the evening in the town to find some food (options were slim) and that helped a bit to move the legs but it was also exhausting to move the body.
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Lessons Learned
Mentally this was my toughest stage. Physically this was my best stage. I really felt pressure for this stage as Karel wasn't having a good day and I also felt like I could move up in the overall standings - which I did not. Trying to keep everything in perspective - this opportunity, the experiences, the views, our health, etc. - I realized that something needed to change with my mindset for me to really make the most out of this experience. I recognized that I was giving my best and the "disappointment" that I felt was from the pressure that I felt from trying to achieve a certain outcome. I didn't need to change my execution as I was going to continue to give my best every day but by changing my mindset, I could enjoy the experience a lot more without feeling like I needed to prove something every day. It's like running in an Ironman - you could be running your best but then glance at your watch and see a time slower than what you think you should be running and even though you can't do any better in the moment, you feel like a failure. With us not even being half way through the event and approaching our biggest stage the next day, I was able to feel a bit less pressure when I woke up in the morning as I reminded myself that the only person I need to compete against is myself.