Granfondo Settemuri - beautiful, fun, but very hard.

Granfondo Settemuri (seven walls) today, and it was really fun, but truly kicked my butt around.  This is the first time I have done this event, and it was super well organized.  Excellent signs, people pointing the way at any possible confusion, good ristoros. and a beautiful, but hard course.  We had a small group of 5 from the team, but Lorenzo had wisdom teeth out a couple of days ago and decided to return home.  Of the remaining 4, two of us were doing the long course, and we  all did not stay together long.  I saw a few more from the team, who must have started earlier and were doing the short course.

Just a super beautiful, challenging course.  The seven walls were all difficult climbs on tiny roads in very out of the way places.  3 of the climbs maxed out at 17%, 1 at 19%, 1 at 21%, 1 at 22% (the hardest climb by far as the 25% was when one was relatively fresh), and 1 at 25%.  So one can easily get the picture why it was hard.  I had ridden 5 of the 7 climbs before, and knew the 6th wall, which maxed at 22% was super hard.  It was also when I was tired, but I made it up fine and even passed 5 or 6 on the way up.  Great pasta party at the finish, but I was not too social, and basically wolfed the food down and then hit the road home.  I had a cheeseburger and a large beer after getting home.

Including getting to the start in Sieci and returning back from Sieci to Florence, the totals for the day are:  138.5 kilometers in 6:24 with 2413 meters of climbing.  Ciao.

People on their way to the start gate.

The scene at the sign up close to the start early this morning.

Hooray, the finish line.  I really enjoyed this granfondo, but it

did beat me up a little.  Many steep climbs.