— Go to Part 1 —
Once the passage through the memories from past years, I’m moving much closer point in time, to December 2020. It was the strangest year I remember from all my adulthood. Full of experiences that I never want to forget and surprises that I would gladly remove from my memory. But it doesn’t work that way – I don’t consciously decide what to forget and what to keep with me. In such a strange time, we crave the fixed points more than usual. We need something familiar that will make us feel at home, safe. In 2020, the Rapha Festive 500 was one of those stones for me, on which I could stand firmly, without the fear of falling into the darkness at any moment. I invite you to a few rides through Catalonia!
Anoia Festive 500
In December, there was a rule not to leave the comarca where you live. My comarca is Anoia, and I wanted to be legal so that I couldn’t cross its administrative borders. Just before Festive 500 had started, when the wind was not blowing so furiously yet, I spent the evening looking at the map. I was thinking about where I could go, to use the entire extent of the region. During the weekend before Christmas Eve, I tested a loop that was just over 100 km long. The weather wasn’t great then, but I ran the test, and it was ok. So when the countdown started, I decided to make this loop once again.
A route conducted somewhere through a distant country may stimulate the imagination, but it does not have this element of familiarity that appeals to your own experience. For this reason, I will not go into detail. However, let me give you an overview of the loop. If we divide it roughly into sections, we get something like this: a run-up – about 15 km, then a long, multi-stage uphill – about 35 km, a steep descent – 10 km, a jump to another valley – 5 km, a steep climb – 10 km, long descent – 15 km and, finally, the return to home – 15 km.
The loop mentioned above was my base route this year. I drove it twice with almost no modifications, and then two more in a truncated/changed version. The other two days did not coincide with this loop at all.
The Day Zero
To explain better the emotions I experienced on the first day of the Festive 500 on the long way up to Bellprat village, let me go back four days. It was Sunday, December 20, when, as mentioned above, I tested this loop. After about 5 km of this multi-stage climb, I saw three MTB riders in front of me. I was keeping my pace, and they maintained their own. The distance between us decreased slowly. They did not know that I was following them, and I did not care to catch up with them quickly.
The situation drastically changed right after I overtook the MTB group. Looks like I put them on competitive mode because they caught up and overtook me unexpectedly. Well. I did not leave it without the answer, and in turn, I stepped on and left them behind. Nothing happened for a long time until I suddenly heard a loud hum of wide tires and they passed me again! This time I blended into the group and rode between them, looking for a moment when I could attack. I jumped out, but it was already clear that this is not accidental overtaking, but competition! The pace was much higher than I’d choose for myself. To put it bluntly – I was already tired after over ten kilometers of the climb, and this competition was burning up my energy reserves disturbingly fast. Despite that, I launched another attack, half a kilometer before the crossroads. I was not sure of the result, but it turned out to be successful!
The game goes on
At the crossroads, I saw a larger group of people on MTB. They were shouting something, but I didn’t understand, being too focused on whether my competitors wouldn’t catch me in the last few meters. Success, bonus points earned! For a moment, the road was going down a little so that I could take a breath. I looked back and… oh no! They kept going the same way I did! We reached a short uphill. Just before the summit, the rivals caught me up again, and the strongest of them overtook me and flew down through the two long straight sections of the road. The gap increased to about 100 meters. The weight of the rider and his bike did the job. I wasn’t able to get him until the road changed the gradient to a positive again. But this time, I didn’t overtake him, oh no! I was sitting on his wheel, taking a breath. The other two group members couldn’t keep the wheel anymore – the competition turned into a duel. I rest hidden behind him: a minute, two.
Le grand final
Before the next mini-summit (the final summit was still almost 20 km away), I jumped again. It cost me a lot, but the competitive part of me challenged me to keep trying! I was on my 100% to the end of the climb and then didn’t let go for a minute, maybe more. Finally, I decided to look back. And surprisingly – there was no opponent! I believe that he noticed that he lost his company in this race, so he decided to return to them. I won’t try to hide it – that made me happy! What a relief! My “batteries” were running low. We raced for almost 10 km, and I don’t know how they felt (especially their leader), but I got into it very much 🙂.
With my breath still accelerated, I reached the next intersection, and after it, for a few minutes more, I turned around every hundred meters, afraid that I would see three figures in the distance. I never saw them that day, nor ever after. The last dozen kilometers up the hill I was riding foot by foot, exhausted after an unplanned race.
The Day One
Yes, that’s how it was when I climbed these roads for the first time. On Christmas Eve morning, I enjoyed every meter with no company. However, some trauma remained. Now and then, I looked back, checking if a group of three was catching up with me. Each time the road appeared to be empty, so this time I could pass the meanders of the road at my own pace. The climbing begins in a relatively deep part of the valley, less than 300 m above sea level. The road gradually emerges from the shadows, the narrow valley widens. Meadows and fields slowly replace the trees. It was a completely different experience than the last time! I had the time, strength, and attention to look at the surroundings, remember details, such as a small waterfall or the Castell de Miralles approaching every kilometer.
The intersection, where I met then a large group on MTB, is already 550 m above sea level. Ultimately, when I stop at the penultimate peak before the end of the climb, I am pleased to see that although I ran a lot slower on the section where I was racing that day, the overall journey from home to the place where I was now is the same! Whatever I “lost” in the competitive stage, I made up later by distributing my strength more evenly. It reminds a bit of a fairytale about a hare and a turtle. I smile to myself with satisfaction.
Serra de Rubió
I rest on a fast descent, and then I jump to another valley to start a demanding climb after. The whole thing is about 10 km long, but in the final five, you gain 300 m. According to Strava, it is a third category climb. As I start to ascend, I look at the Garmin to have some reference, whether I’m climbing faster or slower than last time. Subjectively, I feel that I have more strength. But what will the numbers show?
It starts well. From the very first meters, I gain seconds. So fast and steady that I find it hard to believe! Four days ago, the climb seemed to be a massive challenge, and this time, although still demanding, it’s quite bearable. Finally, I reach the peak almost a quarter of an hour faster than before! I am happy, and I rest with a sense of deep satisfaction. Until the end of the loop, all I have to do is go down the serpentines into the wide basin where Igualada lies, and then the “ending” – the last several kilometers of very well-known roads. Without any pressure.
The Day Two
I’m back on the bike after a day of break. I take the same route. I start calmly, calmer than on Christmas Eve. On this day, I’m not even racing myself, but just driving. The day is cold – it begins at +5 degrees. I feel shivers in shady places, but when I can’t notice the wind and the slope is sunny, it is pleasantly warm, almost like spring. At least that’s my sensation – hard data says +9 degrees. The first 50th kilometers pass with no emotions. Then, as I start the steep and fast descent from Bellprat, I see the snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance. They look beautiful against the background of the blue sky! From then on, I think to be in Serra de Rubió and take a picture of them.
I feel motivated to focus on the climb from Jorba to Rubió and further to the ridge’s top. There, I think only of an excellent place to see the Pyrenees again – this time in all its glory. The weather around me has changed in the meantime. The sun had gone behind the clouds, and the wind was getting a little stronger. There, the high mountains are lit by the sun even if it doesn’t shine at me. Fortunately, I found a convenient place on time, before the high peaks are shrouded in shadow. It is a beautiful view, but the nose is flowing like a tap, and I hardly feel the fingers despite taking off my gloves only to set the camera. Such are the charms of cycling and photography passion. Finally, I pack my things, zip up my jacket, and slide down the hill. My only wish is that it is warmer down there, in the valley.
Going home
It was warmer in the valley. Nothing spectacular, but it almost 5 degrees instead of zero. And for a moment, even the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. I greeted the streets of Igualada with relief and joy I had not expected. Then I continued unhurriedly, completing another day of the challenge.
At the end of the second day of the challenge, I had over 200 km registered, which meant that I still had almost ahead of me 60% of the distance. How did I finish my Festive 500? Please check back for another episode soon.
Thank you.
— Go to Part 3 —