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@bummeln
Wow! What a week I've had, and a fantastic weekend. Back to earth with a bump at work today unfortunately.
The 205 was probably the hardest ride I've ever done. I could have been a bit better prepared (mechanically as well as physically!). I took 3 punctures, first a pinch flat but my spare inner tube was missing the valve, and my repair patches weren't sticking, so I had to fix it twice more before I managed to buy a new inner tube off the mechanics at the control. A 42 / 24 smallest ratio also was not ideal for some of those climbs, but I did make it up them all (slowly). Should also have set off earlier too because I finished in 13.5 hours!
The bean stew at lunch and dinner was a life saver, but I daresay it put anyone off sitting too close to my rear wheel for the remainder of the course. I made a point of having a glass of wine at each of the 8 controls which had a pleasant dulling effect on the brain.
The ride was fantastic and Tuscany is really the most beautiful place for cycling, the event itself was a great and colourful celebration of cycling culture, and I could have (in fact very nearly did) bankrupt myself at the market.
Next year I think the sensible thing would be to do the 135 and enjoy the spectacle and a few more glasses of wine at the end, but in all likelihood I'll want another crack at the 205 when it comes.
It was nice to meet peter_v and tika during the course, sorry to have missed the rest of you!