It was COLD - the morning had arrived with clear blue skies and clear heads - all of us had adjusted to the altitude (we camped at the meadow at 3800m) and we felt strong and ready to go. The mountains were calling.
Thin, crisp air - climbing into thinner air...we had 1000m to go. The switchbacks made the road ridible and not so steep - thankful for that.
Still, it got so cold and the oxygen deprived muscles started to complain louder and louder. I had to stop every quarter of a km and catch my breath, relax the muscles and at the same time stop thinking about how hard this is. Every passing car and truck gave us the thumbs up.
I wasn't sure if the road was paved all the way to the top...there is a tunnel too, but I heard it's not open yet....though the construction was finished.
As beautiful and literally breathtaking it is I wanted to be finished and on my way down...this is crazy hard!
Construction vehicles announced the beginning of the tunnel...there it was...looming cold, but hopeful..
Waldemar was the first one to reach the tunnel and I couldn't believe when he gave the thumbs up for us to pass through .. ..that was easy....We didn't even have to beg (as I had read in a blog not too long ago about two cyclists having talked their way into using the tunnel when it was still closed to traffic) but the two guys (Waldemar and James) discussed the possibility to ride the last 140m nonetheless to the very pass of 4890m (we were at 4750m). The road was not paved on that last stretch and the snow was deep (it had snowed the night and the day before) as one of the workers assured us. It was enough for me not to even want to listen to the conversation. This tunnel short cut was a god send and I am not religious. Indre and I started through that man made hole in the mountain....thankful and ready to get DOWN and out of the freezing, wet cold..so we did! (and so did the guys - thankfully...) Ice-cycles accompanied us, dropping freezing glazier water on our covered heads and shoulder, bikes and legs, lights blinking illuminating this unreal reality in the middle deep in the mountain. It was just too cold to stop and capture this beauty on camera - the light wasn't right either. Just get out and down, my fuzzy brain was repeating. No, I argued, we've got to get one picture up here - I will never ever want to come back and I want a photograph....here it is - after the tunnel:
Sure, I was proud and I still am...look at us!!!
The day before this whole climb seemed out of reach for me (I had a huge head ache from the altitude) and now I did it - we did it!
1000m down we were all frozen...luckily the pavement never stopped (again I had read other wise....- shit we were LUCKY and encountered this crazy undertaking at the RIGHT FREAKING TIME - as I heard later, the tunnel had only been opened for a couple of days) and the ride was smooth besides each of us turning into our very own ice cycle on bikes. A few homes on the side of the road....we stopped to thaw and were served hot tea thanks to Indre who has the best communication skills from all of us....though I really don't think we needed to say much it was pretty clear where we had just come from...
Made it to the other side!
