How to become a hero (Sellaronda 2014)
The
Sudtirol Sellaronda Hero is one of the most beautiful (taking place around the
Sella range in the Italian dolomites) and most challenging mountain bike race
(4500 m vertical climb over 85 km) in the world. It attracts over 4000 participants looking for a personal
challenge and hoping to become heroes by completing the race on time.
Here is the story of my attempt to complete and survive the
race to tell about it.
Preparations:
First of all one need a mountain bike to participate in the
event.
After
numerous hours of pondering the specs of various models my choice was based on colors
more than anything else: blue white and red, a fitting choice for a Frenchman
born on July 14th! Just looking at
it I knew I was never going to use more than 10 % of its potential, confirming
the saying: "the better the bike, the worse the rider".
I
had to make a few adjustments to feel comfortable with it:
- Its Formula R1 hydraulic disk brakes were so efficient
that I flew over the handlebar each time I used them. After spending more money on doctor visits and medical
supplies than on the bike, I decided to replace them with "softer" brakes,
which would let me stay on the bike even when braking hard.
- It came with lightweight competition tires, with a
distinct affinity for perforating objects on the ground, fed up with changing
tubes and tires in the mud I opted for stronger reinforce heavy-duty tires.
- Wanting to
"bail out" quickly when loosing control I did not want clip-on pedal
and mounted a set of wide platform pedals with pins for good grip on the shoes,
only default is that it hurts like hell when it hits you on the shins. To go with these pedals I wear a pair
of comfortable hiking shoes.
- Lightweight saddles are ......... lightweight, meaning not much
padding where it counts, for the sake of keeping a chance to have a progeny I
mounted a comfortable but heavy saddle.
Those
"minor" modifications and a complete set of tools brought the weight
from the original 11,4 kg to 13kg but on the positive side I was now able to use
about 15% of the potential of the bike!!
Sponsoring
My
understanding of sponsoring is that a company will give you money to display
its name or logo on your clothing, but the companies whose names figures
prominently on my jersey appear to have a different definition that excludes
cash outlay.
So
far I am the one to sponsor companies by buying their biking wares. Though certainly altruistic and good
for the local economy it does not help my wallet.
(P.S: my bank account number is available upon request to
eventual parties wanting to sponsor my biking activities.)
Training
Very simple: no training, no heroes!
Training
starts in the fall and goes on until the week before the race. It is done on all sorts of tracks, in
all weather and on increasingly difficult distances and profiles. My friend "maxbab" had mapped
some challenging courses where we kept training, he forging ahead without
difficulties, me far behind trying to see him through the sweat dripping from
my forehead.
But
the most useful training I did in preparation for the Sellaronda was walking,
preferably while pushing a mountain bike.
This is as close to real race conditions as I can think of.
The day before the race
Driving
to Selva Valgardena on crowded expressways where Italian drivers give free rein
to their creative style of driving is a good preparation for the competitive
spirit of the race itself.
Registration
is so efficient that one has hardly enough time to look at the pretty female
staff and before you know it you have your bib and a generous race package. The organization is excellent and all
aspects of the race are handled with friendliness and efficiency. Valgardena is a pretty village decked
with festive decorations for this major local event. The town is teeming with
lithe male and female bodies strolling good humorly in the village. My not so
flat belly and spindly legs look definitively below standard.
The race
The
starting line stretches over Main Street with the 4000 participants divided in
starting grids. I spot my friend "maxbab"
and jump over the fence to join him in his grid.
The
first hill separates immediately the good from the not so good, and I join a
few others in practicing walking next to my bike admiring the stunning
landscape under the early sunshine. Good for stretching muscles but not so for winning
the race ahead of Mr. Paez winner of the three preceding editions of Sellaronda! Down from Dantercepies Pass (2.298 m) the
trail is a succession of banked curves thoroughly enjoyable, bringing one to
the first food station in Corvara.
Up
Pralongia and Campolongo pass then down to the next food station in Arabba. Better stack up on energy bars and
drinks since the mythical Ornella hill awaits.
Ornella
is a steep long hill fortunately under trees but unfortunately way too steep
for me to ride uphill. This is
where my training sessions of walking while pushing my bike are demonstrating
their usefulness. The drink
station at the end of this climb would be great if it were not for the sight of
a long line of competitors pushing their bikes up another impossibly steep hill
named Sourasass.
The
single track to the Pordoi pass provides a unique opportunity to walk in the mud
and slush from melting snow banks and to dirty one's bike, so grateful for my
gore-tex waterproof hiking shoes. It
was cheering at the Pordoi pass to learn that the winner had already arrived a
few minutes ago while I had hardly completed half of the course.
After
Canazei the climb to the Duron pass is another long hill where your legs are
starting to show sign of fatigue but you start to realize you may just be able
to complete the race. Here
is another occasion to push your bike in the company of other fellow racers not
much better off than yourself, on the plus side it reduces wear and tear on
your gears.
Going
down the Duron pass to Selva Valgardena is exhilarating and the beer at the
finish line tastes just fantastic.
Your
good friends the leg cramps start to remind you of their existence as soon as
you walk to your hotel and will keep you company for most of the night. But you have done it and became a
"HERO".
(PS: respect your starting grid; though I finished in over
11 hours I was disqualified for joining my friend "maxbab" and not
starting with MY grid. Oh well I'll have to try it again before my 73h birthday!)
 | |
| my times over the race. |
Jacques (jaclah@gmail.com)
October 2014