Tour De Tuna, Stage 3, Adam Branfman - 7-26
Friends,
Today was epic; physically, mentally, emotionally. 97 VERY hilly miles. We saw Adam off at the start and then Ellen and I drove to the second of two feed zones to set up shop and wait for him and his teamates to come through. To get to the feed zone we drove the last 5 miles of the race route up the big climb to the KOM (king of the mountain) mark. This was a 3 mile climb steeper than anything I had ever seen on a bicycle route before. At the end of the KOM it was another mile or so climb to the feed zone which was also on an uphill.
During the race we were receiving no reports so we had no idea what was going on. The second feed zone where we were was at the 75 mile mark. As the race approached there was an announcement that the riders were about to start the climb and everyone was in a single peleton. The lead group of 7 or 8 riders came through followed by a small chase group a few minutes behind. After that there were smaller groups, individual riders, groups of two, etc…........the peleton had gotten blown apart on the climb. Following these riders about 8 minutes back came the main team car caravan. Adam’s team car drove by with a report that Adam was 10 minutes further back. We got a bit nervous. Then, a minute later came a group of 7 or 8 riders including Adam! He was in great position, only about 9 or 10 minutes back from the leaders and looking really good. Little did we know what had been going on leading up to this point. We stayed in the feed zone for another 10 minutes waiting for Adam’s last teammate to come through so we could feed him. We then jumped in the car and sped to the finish to wait for Adam to come through.
We arrived just in time to see him and his group come through a mere 15:35 behind the leaders.
The first words out of Adam’s mouth were “this was the hardest thing I have ever done.” Case closed, nothing more need be said. Completing today’s stage took Adam through a new door to a new level of cycling, a new plateau, a whole new view of himself, his cycling experience and physical ability. Adam can ride with the pros.
Now the details…........
The race began with a 3 lap neutral ride through the parking lot of a large mall. Exiting the mall for the official start, the peleton screamed out onto the course at 30+ mph. The terrain was rolling with several minor hills and even in the vacuum of the peleton it was difficult to keep up the pace. The first climb and KOM competition came at the 15 mile mark and all of a sudden riders were getting dropped left and right. Adam got dropped shortly after the climb began as the lead riders pushed up the hill at 20+mph. He was discouraged (getting dropped so early in the race) but he didn’t panic. He rode his own tempo passing individual riders and working steadily to get back to the group. It took 4 miles but he worked his way back and merged into the peleton. Not all the riders were able to recover. The new peleton stayed as one until the second climb at the 75 mile mark when the lead riders again screamed up the mountain and as described above, the race blew apart. Adam found himself on a solo climb and managed to catch up to a small group. Once there the group organized and worked together. As they continued the final 20 miles to the finish they scooped up a few more riders and had a group of 13 when they crossed the finish line. Their goal was to complete the stage within the cut off time which they did with no problem.
Adam finished in 139th position today. He is now in 140th position in the GC, 16:26 behind the leader. The race is now down to 171 riders as 14 riders either dropped out or didn’t make the time cut off today. Just finishing today was a major accomplishment, but overcoming the difficult sections, pushing through the mental discouragment, physical frustrations, and finishing the way he did is what made today so significant and special for Adam. Forget Cat 2…....Adam turned pro today.
He is THE MAN!!!!
Tomorrows stage is a 60 mile circuit race. It will be hard but will seem like a ride in the park compared to today.
Talk to you again tomorrow,
Steven