Passo Pinei
After a smooth trip from Brunssum to Sankt Peter im Tal, Toerbeest and Cyclopaat arrived around noon at their hotel Albergo Bräuhaus, a very nice place to stay b.t.w.
While C. was anxiously studying maps, T. first sorted out the luggage and around 14:00 they left for C.’s first trip.
He planned ‘an easy ride’ up the Passo Pinei, but once again discovered that a profile may look not that bad, the truth is often less merciful, especially after a 10 hour drive.
While the total length from Ponte di Gardena is 16.2 kilometers, most of the elevation gain on this climb is actually made in little over 10 kilometers.
So, while the official average over the full distance is – indeed – ‘only’ 6%, those 10 kilometers average well over 8%…
Once he realized he’d better lower the pace, it wasn’t that bad – the stretch between 2 and 8 kilometers is tough, but after Castelrotto the averages lower a bit and you reach the summit unexpectedly quick.
After the descending the Pinei into Ortisei, he first went the wrong way, but then headed back to Sankt Peter and decided to take the extra loop over Lajen for some additional altimeters.
The total for today was 53.5 kilometers, with 1,488 altimeters.
He has to adjust his gear a bit to accommodate for the frequent shifting, because his chain sprang / dropped off three times.
All in all, it was a nice start and tomorrow we’re out for some serious work!
