Raid Corsica – Stage Two

The day started with windy, but sunny conditions. Michael started early in order to get a few pictures and have a coffee on the way. Steve and I started about 8:00 heading south along a magnificent coast road. We were warned ahead of time that the road was a bit rough and the organization had authorized and an alternative route. But, deciding on beauty vs practically, we went with the coast road. Rough was an understatement. The road turned to almost gravel in places with lose rocks, sand, and potholes the size of Volkswagens. And this went on for 20+km.

What made the coast road a little easier is that we linked-up with the “British peloton” segment of our group. It’s a cycling club from England, whose members train 4-6 times a week. Very strong riders who always ride in a double pace line – complete with a whistle when it’s time to rotate. They did permit us to follow at a close enough distance where we got a pretty good draft. Let’s see, they do the work and we get to draft. What’s not to like about that?

Lunch was in the village of Piana which is at the top of the Col de la Croix. What is remarkable about the climb is that this part of Corsica is noted for its red rocks. As we ascended from the sea, one can see the red rocks above and below. Near the top, the scene was almost from Mars. Red rock carved by millions of years of wind and rain into formations unlike any we had ever seen before. Totally, “other worldly”. To date, this is the highlight of what we have seen.

When we arrive in Piana, we were hot and sweaty. As we were ordering our food, the clouds moved in and the temperature began to drop. By the time the food arrived, we were shivering. And we still had to descend. This would not be the first time of the day.

The second half of the day comprised of one objective – climbing and descending the Col de Vergio. This would be our third major climb of the day. We had already climbed the Col de Palmarella (408m) and the Col de la Croix (408m). The Col de Vergio (1,477m) is approximately 35 km long. It’s not that steep, but it never ends, never! The views we saw on the first half were spectacular, all I saw the second half was the road in front of me.

When we reached the top, it was freezing and windy. Snow was in the near distance and the fog was moving in around the mountains. We quickly put on more layers from the sag van and started the decent. Most of the lads describe the decent as brutal. I can not remember, and I’m not sure if Steve or Michael can either, a colder decent down a mountain. The decent was about 15 miles.

We reached the hotel in Calacuccia and tried to warm up. Extra blankets were brought out and bath tubs were filled with hot water. An hour or so later, local beer helped thaw the bones. And, mounds of salad, pasta with meat sauce, bread, and wine helped a little too.

All in all, it was a great day that will go down in our personal cycling lore forever.

Up Next – Stage Three http://www.strava.com/routes/244960