Share the post "Haute Route Dolomites 2021 – Stage 1 Race Report"
On the menu for today, a loop with the ascent of Passo Giau, Falzarego, another pass through Cortina, then the climb of Cime Bianche, and finally the sequence of Missourina – Passo Tre Croce. A short stage with 90 timed km and almost 3000 m of ascent.
The start in Cortina is relatively calm, until the turn-off for Passo Giau after 6 km. The race accelerates at that point, and three men break away. I try to hang on for a bit, but my legs quickly get heavy, and then I struggle to find a rhythm to finish the climb. I crest the summit around tenth place, about three minutes behind the race leaders.
The atmosphere is very cold. We’re flirting with 0°C, just like my last time here in 2015. A winding descent follows, but it goes well. The scenery is magnificent, and we are blessed with good weather today, despite the perfectly bearable cold.
At the bottom of the descent, the clock is stopped for a 4/5 km section until the start of the Falzarego. In the meantime, we’ve caught up with Loïc Ruffaut and another competitor. The climb is ridden at a good steady tempo; it’s a consistent climb at 6.5/7.5%. I hang on, and four of us crest the summit. On the descent, a small gap opens up. I find myself with Loïc, and we try to make a small difference in the valley as a pair, but the group quickly reforms, and we are five on the climb of Cime Bianche.
An easy climb compared to what awaits us in the coming days. The turns at the front are working well, even if I feel a bit lacking in strength. On the climb back up to Missouri, Loïc, despite suffering a slow front puncture, goes with an Italian and moves up to second place overall. We find ourselves in a group of three until the summit of Tre Croci. I found this first day quite complicated, as it’s very difficult to read the race with the neutralizations while riding.
Tomorrow, a long stage of 150 km awaits us, but with only 70 km timed, starting with the Falzarego pass, which we descended today, and the Passo Valles, which I don’t know.
See you tomorrow!
Strava activity link: https://www.strava.com/
=> SEE ALSO: All our MAG articles
Share the post "Haute Route Dolomites 2021 – Stage 1 Race Report"
