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Showing posts from August 28, 2022

Haute Route Alps: Stage 1

Haute Route Day 1: August 21st, 2022 Start: Nice, France. Finish: Cuneo, Italy. 117 miles 8:10 riding time 14.3 mph average 13,947 ft elevation gain Climbs: Col du Saint-Martin (7K), Col de la Lombarde (20K) We woke up around 4:45am and ate as much as we could stomach around 5am. We were surrounded by other riders in the hotel breakfast room - and you could feel the nervous tension. I started my period that morning. Ugh, the worst timing. We packed up our gear, dropped our luggage off downstairs under the designated sign for our next accomodation (100+ miles away in Italy) and left our hotel around 6:10am. Because this was our first time at this event, we wanted to give ourselves extra time. We biked through the somewhat empty streets of Nice and arrived to the event venue a few minutes later. We dropped off our post race bags at the designated truck and lined ourselves up near the front of the corral around 6:20am. The energy was positive and the music was pumping. We ran into Matt Di

Haute Route Alps - 1 day out

  We woke up around 7am and had breakfast in the hotel shortly after. We weren't sure what the check-in process would be like for the Haute Route so we both felt a little anxious in the morning hours. We were instructed to bring our suitcase (plus bike box) to drop off so we brought all of our stuff inside our suitcase as we weren't sure if they would be inspecting our gear as there were some mandatory items on the packing list (ex. gloves, arm warmers, jacket, etc.). With the check-in opening at 10am, we left our place around 9am so that we had plenty of time to walk the 2 kilometers to the athlete village - with our suitcases. After arriving, we stood in line outside the village for around 20 minutes until the gate opened at 10am. It was finally happening. It was time to check in for the Haute Route Alps!  The check-in process had a lot of steps but it was very organized and everyone was very nice.  Step 1: Drop off suitcase, bike box and bike in a designated area.  Step 2: P

2022 Haute Route Alps - post event reflection

  It was 2019 when I came across a YouTube video discussing the Haute Route Alps. Despite not having the best bike handling skills, having little understanding of what it's like to cycle in the French Alps (besides watching the Tour de France) and training exclusively for long distance triathlons, I was captivated by this event and I knew it was something we had to experience. Somehow I sold Karel on the idea of combining our love of cycling and traveling to Europe and we registered for the 2020 event. Fast forward two years later, after living through a worlwide pandemic, the reality hit that we were finally checking this 7-day, 500-mile, 70,000+ feet elevation gain event off our bucket list.  We knew this event would challenge us physically and mentally but we had no idea what we were truly in for when we registered for this 7-day event. Known as the toughest amateur cycling race in the world, for the past 10+ years, the Haute Route Alps combines top-notch services with legendary