The Pre Long challenge. My rear tire is shredded and needs changing but I thought I'd give it one last outing on the Pre Long gravel.

Took a while to get warmed up. The road is pretty rough, the spring gravel has achieved nothing and there were some big stones that have rolled off the verges near the start.

Posted as the route around Pettenasco is interesting. 1.5km by the lake, 1km on a small loop through the village with a climb then 1.5km return giving just 4km overall.

Passo della Colma is 8.9 kilometers long for an elevation gain of 490 meters giving an average gradient of 5.1%. The climb starts near the historic town of Varallo, which is worth a detour.

I'd decided to come back this year but even with my x32 it is at the limit of what I can ride at the moment. The climb was ok temperature wise but just too dam steep now. 53 minutes from Montebuglio.

Main climb was pleasant but still finding the very steep ramps hard. Little shake down of the bike after the trip.

Return to Mont Verdun after Mont Thou just before. Ski is excellent, good road surface.

I wondered what the Route du Mont Thou would be like rollerskiing. It is possible to climb all the way to Mont Thou by turning right at the Hameau du Mont Thou but the road is very steep.

After a warm up managed to bring my time around the Parc de la Tete d'Or down to 12m47 (under 4m/km) and climb up to 6th place on Strava.

A commute via St Mury. It took  a bit of discipline to get up and go at 6.45 given the damp and gray skies. VAM of 817 for the climb. A bit slower than last year when I was riding around 880.