For ever in the picture with Axel, Mauro, Daniel and Gabriele. SIUNGARY 2008
BIG trip - Daniel Gobert - day 2
day 1 - day 2 - day 3 - day 4 - day 5 - day 6 - day 7 - day 8
Thursday 14th of august 2008
8 hours biking
At 7 o'clock in the morning ,time previewed, I come down to take my breakfast, welcome by the waitress. I sit down alone in the open garden, when comes a second person, wearing a cyclist jersey who looks at me and asks "Daniele ?". "Si!". It's Gabriele Brunetti who is sleeping at the same adress for 2 nights. We make a short knowledge of ourselves and we come rapidly to the main things : climbs in Europe, almost in Switzerland and Italy, their beauties, their difficulties, the choice among the list of 1.000, and all those things in english language.
At 8 o'clock, it's time to go to the campsite to meet the other ones. We meet there Etienne Mayeur,the two Dominique (Jacquemin et Vanstiphout),the frenchman Marc Séguy, Wim Van Els, who all, today have a different programm than ours. I meet there too, my old friend José. And now arrive Axel Jansen and Mauro Repetti with his family. Mauro is the person who rode three times the Mortirolo in the same day with Gabor Györgyi, a few weeks ago. Mauro will be the link between Sion and Hungary. Each programm is quickly established. For the big tour with the Pas de Morgins, col de le Croix and col des Mosses, we'll be four guys : Gabriele, Mauro, Axel and I. Advantage : we all speak english ! Avanti!
A little disturbed by the two exits in the motorway for the city called "Monthey", north and south, the cars finish by finding themselves together in the car-park located near the southern exit. From there, we start the battle by climbing the Pas de Morgins on the national road. The first 500 meters give the ability to Axel to make the show before seeing that he is not in a good day. With Gabriele and Mauro, we climb "tempo" until the hairpin where on the left is located the village called Trois-Torrents. Two good advices of wellknown BIG's members invite us to take this road and to find one kilometer further a more calm goos asphalted road leading to the top, too, in the goal to avoid the trafic of the national road. Immediately, when Axel arrives, we ride this side, in a peaceful area, with gentle slopes and green landscapes. Gabriele, Mauro and I discuss about everything and nothing. On the top, we wait Axel and a trekker takes a good photo of us in front of the good road-sign.
For ever in the picture with Axel, Mauro, Daniel and Gabriele.
This"+3" has been for me without problems : good legs, good sensations, good company ! We go down through the national road and in Monthey, on the foot , we meet again the Mauro's family who gives us an "hello!". We pass over the Rhone on a long bridge and we attack the mountains on the other side. Axel will only attempt the "col des Mosses" and the three other ones "the col de la Croix and the col des Mosses". With the two italian members, I begin to climb the 22 kilometers long ascent of the col de la Croix.
At Ollon, we take some food in our pockets, some water in our bottles and we begin the 10% slope of the beginning, under a midday solid sun. Without problems for the first kilometers, but suddenly, sensation too much known by myself, the legs become loud, I have backache, my neck becomes hot. Nevertheless, I know my thermical problems and I've drunk many bottles but impossible : the regulation in my body isn't good ! My two new friends go away because they are now very strong for me in the terrible slopes of the col de la Croix.
Two italians with red points in the col de la Croix.
For me, 10km before the top, the calvary begins : no more strongness, the back to cry, the head loud, so loud; I don't understand why, but I follow my way as good as possible. I stop 5 kilometers before the top, unable to go on only one meter more. I'm laying on a bank in the right side of the road, completely out. I included in my brain : "come on, Dan, come on, ride only 2 kilometers more, and then, sleep!". After a quarter, I reach 2 kilometers further. There, an outdoor pub gives me the occasion to drink something. I have some difficulty to ask what I want to the barman. "Half a liter of Cola, please". I drink it in one shot, and afterwards, I sleep on the table. What happens with me ? I have to go on, I must do it. I take my bike again and one tour of wheel after one tour of wheel, I reach the top where Mauro with his family and Gabriele are eating something, a little anxious about what happened to me with such a long delay ! I explain them that I'm not well, smiling as much as I could.
My italian brothers hear my very bad climbing. 
Gabriele, from a medical job, finds me "with a very white face". I don't want to make the col des Mosses anymore and decide to go back to Monthey immediately through the direct downhill. After the traditional picture on the top, Gabriele absolutely wishes that I join them to Les Diablerets because, he said, it's not good to let me alone with this kind of statement (health). He tells me that if it goes better, it's good, and it doesn't go better, there is the family car of Mauro where I can find a seat. Ok, I try it. The downhill helps me to find suddenly new colors on my face. In "Les Diablerets", seeing it, Gabriele offers us a new climb gratis. We thank him deepfully for this short deviation. We laugh and it's good for my brain. I decide to try the col des Mosses. Happily, the slopes of this pass are not too hard and I can reach the top just after my two companions, a top located in a winter resort, without terrific landscape. My two italian friends are in fact fantastic climbers, I think. They can wear without problems their red points jerseys. And thanks to Gabriele to have pushed me in this way and to Mauro and his family to have had such a disponibility.
The last one of the day has been reached .
The downhill is often under works. It is full of curves with often beautiful sceneries. On the foot, we meet again Axel, who has eaten in Orroir and found again new strongness and climbed this full side of the col des Mosses. On the top, he saw a cyclist coming to him. "BIG ? " he asked. Yes, indeed ! The guy is Olivier Hochuli, a very good cycloclimber from Switzerland. Good meeting ! In the downhill, Axel was hurt by a caravan, following a car not really aware of the danger that it is for a cyclist. But, more frighteness than aches. We all finished our 8 hours biking of the day by a sprint through the bridge to Monthey. Now, it's done ! A good day , hot and full. One "+5" as a total for me since the beginning of the trip.
I'm happy to find the shower in the guesthouse and to look a little bit to the Pekin olympic Games, just before going to meet the other members at 8.00 PM for the lunch "raclette" in the campsite. The groups are coming from everywhere. To those that we met the morning, was added the Jacquemin family, Etienne's wife (that we thank deeply for all the notes'counts), the 3 dutchmen Philip Hul, Martin Kool and Hans Koedijker; a flamish cyclist met in the Sanetsch by José, living in landen. we are 25 around the table. We speak all the languages, we speak about the challenge , we speak about gradients, we speak about friendship, passion, sharing and plannings. How wonderful it is !
The lunch table, growing all along the evening . 