Day 4

The day of the convoy. 

We bunk out of Como today and travel 352 km North East to the town of Canazei, in the heart of the Dolomite Mountains.

Yesterday’s rain has set in and shows no sign of clearing.  There are no plans to ride today, unless you talk to Graeme Lynch.  It's a day of sitting in a car with other men, talking about man stuff.  This quiet time of reflection can also be used to make some observations about the crew (team observations again courtesy of Borzi):

Dave Walker.  Dave is as quiet as Tony is loud.  A genuine good bloke who can hold a steady pace at the front of a cycle line and steady conversation back in the bar. There is not a thing Dave doesn’t know about a bike, biking or people who bike.  Interestingly he is putting in a lot of effort to convince people that moustaches are cool.

Tony Halfhide.  Tony’s snoring is as loud as his talking.  Alcohol seems to increase the volume of both.  A keen whistler, who has confidently gone about the business of organizing and controlling various aspects of the trip so far.  A safe and capable pair of hands.

Darren McCullum.  Like a general in the Imperial Japanese Air Force, Dazz is carefully but surely plotting his strategy. He’s neither quiet, nor overbearing, closed or open, reckless or cautious.  His focus seems set on the Mountains of the Dolomites.  I can’t help thinking Dazz is an inappropriate name for a Japanese General.

Troy Cairns. You know how dogs look when they know that they shouldn’t be inside, but they are anyway.  That’s the guilty look Troy is still trying to shed after missing the first day’s ride.  After riding so strongly yesterday, you can see him growing in stature with each passing hour.

Darryl Galpin:  Galp has made his mark quickly.  He has thrown himself into a group of new people and is proving to be great company.  Galp builds a story like the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids.  A thing of beauty, once finished.

Graeme Lynch. Graeme is here to ride.  He is looking to ride as often and as hard as possible at every opportunity.  A strong character and excellent team man , will keep the rest of the group honest in every way.

Erik Owens.  Officially a core member of the team – as of this morning.  Erik decided to ‘stay on’ and travel to the Dolomites with us today.  The French living, American born, Australian citizen will add a great dimension to the group.  We don our collective caps to anyone who can take 1 day to decide to go on a trip we have planned and trained for since July 2011.

Chris Lynch.  We look to Chris for guidance.  He seems to just know stuff.  It could be the fact that he normally drives on this side of the road, or that he has travelled and biked extensively throughout Europe.  Chris, like Tony, is a safe pair of hands, without the noise, farting, nudity and swearing.  Well maybe just a little of all of them.   

John Borzi.  Borzi now thinks he’s a bike-rider.  We know this, as he shaved his legs after the first days ride. Whilst his riding is ok, it doesn’t yet justify the shave.  To his face, the boys are encouraging him.  He is possibly the second loudest on tour with a lot to say on most topics.    


A couple of photos to do today's journey to the Dolomites justice:

The ascent in the car showed a temperature outside of 4 degrees C, and fresh snow was visible on all sides as we drove up. We're currently in a town named Canazei which has an altitude of 1440m, and are riding tomorrow morning up and around the Sella Ronda - to an altitude of approx 2200m. The Sella Ronda consists of 4 significant climbs... Needless to say, we're incredibly pumped. I'll let you know how we go tomorrow!