“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and pal Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t anticipate Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the total publish right here – and please take into account donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a number of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
Ed’s first day on the Angliru: The Vuelta has began considered one of its hardest editions in current reminiscence. On stage 17, the 2023 version takes on an entire new stage of loopy, because the race hits the Angliru. Again in 2008, Ed Hood was on the roadside on the Angliru, and his day on the legendary climb is nicely value taking one other take a look at.
Right here’s the place we’re headed…
06.15: Davie is up earlier than the alarm. Bathe, pay the extortionate parking charges, battle the a method techniques out of Oviedo at midnight and very quickly we’re there – La Riosa.
08.00: Over espresso we’ve made our first buddies for the day, Lulon and Ander from Gipuzkoa within the Basque nation. On the slowest schedule, it’s 10 hours ’til the race will get right here, however the clans are gathering already.
09.45: Bar Chus, 1.5K into the mountain, espresso time, with a shot of native moonshine from a wine bottle – wow! On the partitions are framed newspaper covers that includes the Angliru and pictures of Olano coaching on the climb.
10.45: It’s sizzling, actual sizzling, rattling sizzling, as we take quick steps ever upwards; previous cows with clanging bells and conventional Asturian ‘horreros’ – grain shops on stilts. Crowd visitors is regular, relatively than busy, however there are nonetheless no less than six hours ’til ‘present time.’
11.15: We meet Miguel; “the telescope is to not watch the race, it’s to observe my spouse, I don’t belief her!” His English is ideal and Chechu Rubiera is his cousin – it’s a small world.
We’re on the one flat stretch of the mountain now – perhaps 400 meters lengthy – and there are eight kilometers to go.
Midday: Six Ok to go and there’s a meals tent – you may have barbecued half cows or boiled octopus (pulpo) “dos Coke por favor!” The highway is so steep now that it’s onerous to stroll on the within of the hairpins, the solar has slipped behind a cloud and we’re glad of the cool breeze for a couple of minutes.
As we sip our Cokes, a few “Bert” followers twiddle previous, singing his tune, the lyrics are easy; “Contador, Contador, Contador . . .” and repeat for subsequent verse and refrain.
13.20: We’ve walked 8.5 Ok and have 4 to go. While it’s not an viewers of Tour requirements, there’s a gradual string of oldsters strolling and pedaling up the hill. The highway was closed to non-race autos at 09.00, however the reality is, that aside from the automobile parks on the flat part and the highest, there’s completely nowhere to park.
The highway builders hacked away simply sufficient rock for the string of tarmac, however nothing extra. The Karpin-Galicia workforce automobile tries to ‘peep’ it’s approach by means of, however two younger followers with Galician flags insist on taking part in ‘torro’ with it.
14.40: “PezCyclingNews? Oh! That’s Ed!” says Aussie Chris Truskett, we noticed his Mapei South Australia high and stopped for a chat – any excuse is an effective one to cease strolling!
If there’s any doubt about why the riders want a 34 x 28 (we’ve heard that some could go to 29), it’s dispelled by this part, one of many few lengthy straights, main into the hairpins simply earlier than the 2 to go banner – it’s onerous to clarify precisely how steep it’s, however 23% appears no exaggeration – it’s powerful to stroll, by no means thoughts pedal.
We determine to pitch camp right here, we’ve walked greater than ten kilometers and in addition to, the cloud is rolling in above us – we’ve not tramped all the best way up right here to have our photograph alternatives wasted.
16.00: It’s very chilly now, Al simply emailed to say there are three riders away on the Colladona with 55 kilometers to go – I hope it will get hotter earlier than they arrive, our arms are freezing. The breakfast cheese roll has lengthy worn off, so we’re ravenous too.
16.30: The three leaders are on the Cordal, 30 ok from us, Astana and Lampre are main the chase – Cunego should fancy his probabilities. The clouds are thickening now, we could should drop down the mountain to take our photographs. The gang isn’t big and there are not any ‘crazies’ such as you get on the Tour – disgrace.
16.55: The Guardia Civil helicopter makes frequent passes above while Al emails that Christophe Kern is ‘en seule’ and never removed from the climb. Martinez has been dropped in his gold jersey and Igor Anton has crashed – a foul day for the boys in orange.
17.10: We will see them – approach, approach beneath on the flat part. Al says that the ‘heads’ are all collectively.
17.20: And there’s Contador! He’s ‘all shoulders,’ as the load lifters say, not a pleasure to observe however he’s thrilling and he’s flying.
Subsequent it’s Valverde – and his companero, Rodriguez – he’s making amends for stage 12, as somebody mentioned to me later; “proving that he could also be a dumb rider, however he’s a very good one too!” the hole is perhaps 35 seconds. One other hole, then it’s Sastre and Levi, am I imagining it or, or is the American considering; “step on it, Carlos?”
Extra recent air, then it’s Mosquera placing the damage on Gesink, whose head have to be feeling too heavy for him because it’s slumped between his shoulders. The large GC points are settled now, because the stunning Zaugg battles previous, then Cunego after which it’s ones and twos – Bruz, Bettini, the gold jerseyed Martinez, the ex-gold jerseyed Chavanel, Boonen, Schumi after which it’s time for somewhat further help.
The pushes are principally for Spanish riders, they’ve a fast go searching for commissaires, then let the followers do the biz – Perez and Astarloza get the total dash remedy. Even the Shimano service vehicles are in on the act – giving illicit tows.
It’s perhaps 20 minutes till the final guys cross. A communique has gone out saying that riders should go down in workforce vehicles, however a few of them simply ‘go for it’ anyway, selecting their paths by means of the crowds with the grace of swooping swallows – Milram’s Sabatini makes it look really easy.
The workforce vehicles run by means of the crowds like ice breakers on the Bering Sea, some riders wave, some textual content, Tom Boonen snoozes. Our legs are actually sore now, 10K up and we’ve carried out 4 down.
The place’s that press bus?
I flag a mini bus down, wrench on the sliding door and we leap aboard. “This isn’t the press bus, that is the sag wagon!” Alex, the driving force tells us, however he is aware of exhausted journos when he sees them and we’re off down the mountain.
He’s a Dutchman who lives in Barcelona, as we speak hasn’t been too busy – 81 Anton and 102 Methies. He was right here the primary time the Angliru was used ‘in anger’ – “the circumstances have been horrible, no crash boundaries and the turns have been very tight, it’s like a freeway now!”
The sag guys don’t essentially should take the rider, he can go in his workforce automobile, or within the case of Anton, the ambulance – it’s the transponder off the bike they have to get well.
Quickly we’re being dropped off on the press room, we are saying ‘thanks’ then it’s time to organise pictures and file copy – perhaps tomorrow it’s going to sink in that we’ve simply spent “Un Dia en El Alto de L’Angliru”.
Thanks for studying and hasta mañana!
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