Start's Eve - Ready for stage I

stats of the week: run 10km, cycled 185km

Team "Ruhrtal-Renner" on the day before the start. The first stage has just one serious climb up the Hahntennjoch (1903m) but it's a heavy one. Excitement gets even too high now and we are happy to be able to get off tomorrow morning. Organisers have placed us in the 3rd of 4 pens but we prefer to start at the very end of the field. After tomorrow's 120km and 2400 vertical meters we'll see a bit further and get a feeeling if Team 352 can follow the peloton.

Daily results can be looked up at www.tourtransalp.de

Awaiting Alpine Fun

stats of the week: run 27km, cycled 215km, gym 2hrs

Including tomorrow's final ride I will have summed up roughly 3,000km of cycling with 33,000 meters of height difference. According to available advice this is just the lowest reasonable mileage you should have put in to get through the Tour Transalp.

Alpine race cycling is similar to life - you need a bit of luck to survive. So many things can happen without a chance to have an impact on them. My first target is to enjoy every single day - and if don't get to the finish I will have had some fun at least.

To ensure the enjoyment I bought some buttocks salve. With 6 to 8 hours sitting on the bike I might need it. The fun starts next Sunday.

Hill of Pleasure

stats of the week: run 7 km, cycled 353 km, gym 2 hrs

Today was the first day that I felt a glimpse of confidence that I could be able to get through the Alpine bike week. Two weeks to go and maybe my body is just in time to be ready. Did two very hilly workouts in a row and legs felt okay.

A medical checkup I had this week suggested that I should put in more proteins and also my ferrite level could be lifted. That's what I practised in recent days and perhaps the result is increasing power.

Yesterday I ticked off a local hill I ever longed for - the notorious Wixberg - a pleasurably 14 per cent climb.

Doubts arising

stats of the week: run 14km, cycled 493km, gym 2hrs

I know there are people in town who smile at me and think I should better give away my transalp number to younger and real sportsmen. Initially this motivated me even more. But the closer race day comes the more I have to admit they might be right. I am training really hard - but without the desired result. Actually I lost 2 kilos of weight during recent fortnight. Sounds good to get to race level - but I feel the power gone with it.

Photo shows 4 of our local Maratona dles Dolomites quintet. The famous bike race celebrates its jubilee of 25 years on 10 July.