According to the route card its called the Passo de Egüés, by the time we reached the first set of hairpins I was calling it something else altogether! Whilst I was expecting someone to make a move I wasn’t expecting it before we even got onto the climb. It was a subtle thing, the village at the bottom has a couple of awkward turns and I found myself in the wrong place at the first of them.

I didn’t think anything of it at first, we were still all together – ish but after the second I realised I was on the wrong side of a split, a small gap but gap enough when Curly, the little climber and most of the rest of the GC contenders were up there. Sugar. Not only that but they were clearly aware of my absence as they’d put the hammer down.

Don’t panic girl, we have a plan, don’t we?

“J!”

Of course my guardian was already at my shoulder.

“Already on it hen.”
“We were all together an’ then there was a gap an then they were attacking an’.”
“Whoa calm down girl, we’ll get them back.”

It’s amazing how quickly the gap had grown, those on the front of our group either unable or unwilling to give chase. Looking at the jersey’s I suspected the latter, well I guess we aren’t the only ones with a game plan and we are the foreign invaders I suppose. Our troops were quickly organised, a couple of the French riders threw in with us too, perhaps keen to get something back from the previous days working over by the Spaniards.

The gradients were at least in single figures on these lower slopes and once organised the gap to the dozen or so riders ahead stabilised at something like twenty five seconds. Doesn’t sound much but they were having a serious go at things, already Vasquez is in Green on the road, it really is all on us now. The lads were putting in some big turns, the rest of us having to work to stay in contact.

Biggest problem for us is the huge anchor of the rest of the peloton sat in our wheel tracks. Which brings us to the ‘pins.

“Feck,” Sal gasped out as the ladder of turns came into view, ”how far does it go up?”
“Couple of K I think,” I allowed between my own slightly laboured breaths.
“I’m gonna have to bail,” she admitted.

Josh must’ve overheard us as he dropped back.

“Can you hang through the first bend like?”
“I guess,” Sal allowed.

Josh accelerated forward again.

“What’s he up to?”
“No idea,” I shrugged back.

Well it was genius, well I think so anyhow. Next thing Daz, Gret and Mikel come back and slide in behind me and Sal. By the time we got through the following turn things were all set, Josh motioned me onto his wheel and that was it. Our mobile roadblock prevented easy pursuit up the steep grades and although reduced in numbers we broke clear and started to peg back the lead group.

The gap slowly closed and once again we were glad of the tree cover on the climb. With a kilometre to the summit we were almost in spitting distance although we’d lost one of the Frenchies, Tal and Laura. Not that the front runners were intact, several had come back through our pursuit, only one managing to hang on to us as Josh and Jamie powered us upwards.

They must’ve been aware that we we were close nevertheless when Geth sprinted up to and past them in sight of the line they seemed caught off guard. The confusion it caused helped us left behind, so although Geth’s climbing rival gave chase no one else did. Mand pipped me to the top just a couple of lengths behind Curly, at least it won’t be a stupid downhill chase now.

In fact after all the effort going up the descent became almost a procession, it wasn’t a particularly technical or steep run off and we’ve still got another pass and the final assault, no one wanted to waste energy. At the ‘bottom’ we turned to follow a valley down past a reservoir, the sun glinting off the blue waters a welcome change to all the trees.

Down a steep ramp and through a tunnel I almost jumped out of my skin when a familiar voice greeted me.

“Gotcha!” Tal gasped.
“Geez, you made me jump.”

“What’re you up to now?” Tal queried a little further down the valley, things were still quite calm, a few more riders had managed to bridge to us on the way down including Mikel and Daz.
“Just wondering what green nails will look like,” I told her as I inspected my fingertips.
“Green?”
“Well they have to match my jersey tomorrow.”
“Sometimes Gaby Bond,” she sighed.
“A girl has to look her best.”
“Whatever, you need another bidon?”
“Best have, this one is like luke warm bathwater.”
“I’ll be back.”

With that she slipped back from the head of affairs on her rehydration mission to the team car.

At the next proper village we turned again, the relatively small Passo del Agoretta almost immediately having everyone flipping down the gears. The climb might only be just over three kilometres but there are some steep ramps in there to get to the summit. When shorty launched an attack into the hairpins two thirds of the way up Mikel led the pursuit, Geth on his wheel, the mountains classification still open even after G took maximum points on the Egüés.

A furtive glance revealed Vasquez apparently arguing with one of his cohorts, I wasn’t going to bother but with only about five hundred to the summit I sprinted clear of the group and went into TT mode. Of course I wasn’t aiming to catch those in front, but any spotty points are good and if it makes Curly do some extra work I’ll do it. The summit was on a false flat, always a let down as you have to keep pedalling over the top, I was unsurprised when not just Curly Vasquez but several others came up to me.

The look the Spaniard gave me was one of pure venom, clearly he doesn’t like being played. We might be over the pass but although we dropped for a couple of K we then started several kilometres of what Dad had called earlier, ‘bobbly’ road, that is up and down, nothing major but enough with the twisty route to keep the bunch fairly well stretched. Not that the peloton was that big this far into the stage, maybe sixty riders but even so its a long tadpole.

The countryside opened out from forest to stony fields with the occasional cow or at one point, herd of goats although my main point of interest was Curly’s back wheel. It was certainly warm out in the open and there is more of the same up to the finish, have to ration the bidon.

“Alright man?” Josh asked as we started a longer straight descent.
“Yeah, bit warm,” I observed.
“You alreet for wet like?”
“Getting a bit low,” I allowed.
“Here, swap,” he told me pulling his one of his own bottles free from its holder.
“What about you?”
“I’ll do, come on hen.”

When he puts it like that what can I do? We quickly exchanged bidons and returned our attention to the job in hand.

“We still on plan A?”
“Ah reckon, if Geth points on the pass its his, just don’t want anyone away over’t top.”
“Fingers crossed.”
“Aye.”

Down below I could see our road running arrow straight through the fields before disappearing into woodland a couple of K further on, just as Caro told us. Not far now then, I reached for a gummi bear, it might not be much but its comforting to get that sugar hit. I checked around me, what’s left of Apollinaris and Schauff are all in fairly close order, Tiny, Curly, the better couple of Frenchies, yep, just as expected.

We reached the valley floor and turned towards the ‘Francia’ border, according to the sign, twenty kilometres away, not that we go quite that far but we get about five more than that to reach our summit finish. I nervously took a slug from Josh’s bidon, I guess this is it, tomorrow is just a show, the next hour will decide the race. I caught Geth’s eye and gave him the nod, he stretched a cramped hand in reply, well not really but it looked like that was what he was doing.

We passed through the last sizeable village this side of the mountain and with Jamie and Mikel riding point, Geth moved up, the pace increasing to help deter escapees. Josh sat behind Curly, Daz, Mand then me in close attendance behind. The pace was steady but relentless, up through the first hairpin then the road ramped up more steeply and things just flew apart. Titch attacked, Vasquez started to follow but after just a few metres blew big style, that in turn caused our group to hesitate a moment which allowed others to get past.

Ahead, Geth and Titch were matching each other pedal stroke for pedal stroke, but clearly others had designs on the summit. Indeed several riders were now chasing the lead between us and Geth, Mikel and Jamie now dangling between us. Whilst position over this climb isn’t a priority, too many riders ahead may be a danger, even if Vasquez seems to be out of the immediate picture.

More hairpins separated by twisty stretches with stiff double figure ramps took us ever upwards through the trees. The Valcarlos Pass was proving to be quite brutal and first Daz then Mand slipped back. I followed Josh over the top in, I think, ninth place, the problem now is that some of those ahead haven’t read the script.

My minder checked I was still in attendance and turned his effort up to eleven, I’ll be on my own come the final assault. The road bounced about a bit as we headed down towards France, we caught Jamie and surprisingly Titch but ahead Geth was sat in behind the other Spaniards with Mikel. I took a quick look behind, riders were following in dribs and drabs, of Vasquez there was no sign.

“Ah’ll tek youse as far as I can hen, nearly on empty now like,” Josh admitted.
I dug in my pocket and pulled out what remained of my gummis, “reckon you need these more than me.”
“Aye,” he agreed taking the bag but returning a single bear, “just in case like.”
“Lets do this.”

it became a high speed chase down towards Valcarlos town, sweeping through the turns in the shelter of the big Toon, using all the road in our pursuit of both speed and the leaders. We gained a little but to have closed the gap we’d of needed to be going half as fast again as the seventy we touched on a couple of straighter bits. Waving flags and a cacophony of whistles alerted us to danger as we entered the town, one, then a second tight corner before having come to an almost complete stop to join the Azoleta road, the final destination of the day.

The climbing started immediately and viscously and poor old Josh stalled almost immediately. I went past, well this is it, all or nothing. The immediate twenty percent grade eased off to low teens which at least allowed a steady cadence even if it was at the bottom end of the gears.
Geth might’ve been doing his thang on the other climbs but this brute was too much and I went past an almost stopped Welshman just before the five K to go banner. Not that I was moving fast and I’m pretty sure I was losing ground on those still ahead. It was a more alpine landscape up here, the woodland interspersed with meadows sporting a few cattle and sheep behind the tapes.

A slightly flatter section allowed me to get in most likely my last drink of the ascent just after the three to go point. Up ahead I could just see the lead car’s flashing lights an agonizing distance above me, if the leaders are up there I’ve no chance. This calls for a last ditch effort, I retrieved that last gummi bear and slipped it between parched lips.

Kat caught me as I crossed the line exhausted almost to the point of delirium, quickly pressing a bottle to my lips.

“How?” I struggled out.
“Dunno girl, come on lets get you off that thing.”

I just surrendered to her ministrations as someone removed the bike from under me.

“So?” I asked Dad when he climbed into the Hymer some thirty minutes later.
“Good news and bad.”
“Sounds ominous Dave,” Kat opined breaking from her soigneur duties with Mikel for a moment.
“Well they’ve confirmed Mikel for the stage, officially its a tyre.”
“And the bad,” I asked already with a sinking feeling.
“Fraid you’re out of Green kiddo, the Sanchez lad has it by thirty one seconds.”
“Guess that's it then,” I sighed, “’grats on the stage Mikel.”
“Thanks Gaby, but it is not over, there is tomorrow still.”
“He’s right kiddo,” Dad agreed, “its not a big gap.”
“But its a crit Dad.”
“And what did you cut your racing teeth doing?”
“Yeah but I was like twelve then.”
“So it wasn’t you winning earlier this year then?”
“I guess.”
“And you’ll have the advantage of not being in the leaders jersey,” Kat added.

“So the green nails are out then?” Tali posed as we started the journey back to Pamplona.
“Oh I don’t know, I’ll need to be co ordinated for the final presentation.”
She rolled her eyes, “I suppose that means we’ve got to take tomorrow seriously then.”
“You betcha!”
 

Maddy Bell © 04.05.2018