STAGE 7 - Friday 24th July – Ulvik – Geilo - 121km and 2,300m back to Geilo and the big finish.
Leah needed 4mins to get 3rd women, and she just about got it.... A long day for Leah as I was her super domestique today, and she was glued to my rear wheel for the day.
After a racing start, Leah and I were still in the reduced peloton, then the climbing began. A 800m climb up onto the highlands, and a very scenic climb broken by 15-20mins of climbing in a tunnel (in the neutral area we went through another tunnel that had a round about in it!). Over the top, and across the grassy highlands and a gentle downhill with a tail wind. Fast, and fun, as we zipped across and I drove the pace, eventually into Geilo, and the final 7km climb to the finish.
In the end Leah missed out on 3rd overall by 11 seconds. She tired hard, and was shattered at the end of the day. A couple of times during the day I thought she was going to tell me to go away, but she stuck at it.
A tough week. A lot of rain, it was cold, it was scenic and more than enough climbing. 770km and 11,000m climbing. A good week, and now for an easier week. Next up for Leah and I is the Haute Route Dolomites in early September.
