Sunday 28 April 2024 is a date I will not soon forget. The day of the first edition of L'etape du Tour Parma. Or L'Etape Parma by Tour de France as it is officially called. As part of our press trip to Emilia-Romagna, a start ticket for the first edition of the Granfondo is in the bag. Where beforehand I still thought it would be a hilly ride with a 'pimple' here and there, reality turns out to be different. The evening before departure I meet my cycling friend Alain, who had scouted the course back in February. His 'bring your climbing legs' still resonates in my head. So will it really be that tough? I thought cycling in Parma was nice and flat. I could not be more wrong.
Early morning Sunday
When I roll out of the hotel around eight o'clock, along with Erwin de Clercq and our Slovenian friends Mica and Miroslav, the weather is fine. We feasted on the extensive breakfast buffet. Our Italian guide Nicolas, who is also a respectable triathlete, accompanies us. He is going for it today. That he can eat so shortly before the start is new: 'as a triathlete you always have to prepare hours in advance, otherwise you spit everything out during the swim'. I hadn't looked at it that way before.
As we enter the central park in Parma, we are soon surrounded by other groups of cyclists. The route to the start is actually the last kilometre to the finish. The banners and signage already put you in the Tour de France mood. Because that is the idea of this event: being a Tour pro for a day. Around us, not a word of French is spoken. The language of communication is Italian, including Massimo's and Luigi's talking and gesticulating wildly. Few ladies still in sight, but that seems to be the norm, rather than the exception.
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Starting shot
At 08:45, the starting gun sounds. The ride is fully timed and the timing starts at the start, when you roll over the starting mat with your chip. Out of the park, onto the public road and turn on the engine. That's the motto. The feeling of having the road all to yourself is truly magical. It also leads to some peculiar scenes, because everyone is out of their minds. Clubs of cyclists overtake me left and right. On my speedometer, the speed is already approaching 40 per hour. Am I that slow now? I try to control myself, because I haven't forgotten Alain's words. I will need those climbing legs, because in 140 kilometres we will climb a total of 2800 metres! Das no sinecure.
Paddling to the peaks
When we encounter the first hills after about 15 kilometres, the stress goes out a bit. Everyone is looking for their own rhythm. It sometimes goes a bit awry on the narrower sections, but all in all no crazy things. I also try to get into a rhythm and have a good view of the climbs on the Wahoo. So today I ride the 140km, but if things don't work out I can always turn off for the 'mediofondo' after about 35 kilometres. Then I'll skip the long climb to Silara. I hesitate for a while.
The first few climbs go pretty well. I get a nice rhythm and although I am being overtaken, I also manage to overtake some people myself. So the balance is good and meanwhile I can also enjoy the scenery a bit. It is indeed hilly here, almost mid-mountainous. Beautiful views over the valleys and a sleeping village here and there. The road and the road surface are still good here. That is not always the case in Italy. An additional advantage: the road is still for us cyclists! There are policemen and signallers everywhere. There is also a lot of public, from families to other cyclists cheering us on. Nice!
Grande Claudio
As I have just processed the first climb, a slightly older Italian passes me on the inside. I startle for a moment and then quickly look at the number on the back of his back. The name I read looks too familiar. Is it really him? Claudio Chiappucci, the little devil I saw so often on TV in the 90s? Quickly I gear up and drive alongside. Yes, it's him! Photo, video, I quickly tell him that I think he is a great champion and that my mother sends her regards. He smiles politely, greets the whole of Holland and then paddles on. Around me, other Italians also look surprised: Grande Claudio? Here? Yes, definitely. And the Dutchman recognised him.
Nice long drive
Soon we reach the intersection of the short and long lap. I feel good. I ride on. 140 kilometres are not going to bring me down. Although the morning's breakfast is still bothering me a bit, I happily pedal on uphill. No words were lied to: these are not long climbs, but it is tough: 10-15% I see passing by on the counter quite often.
As I start the long climb towards Monte Caio, I see little tufts of white along the road. It is not cold, more like a crisp spring day (the sun compensates a lot). But is that what I see there? Right yes, it's snow! We climb to 1,200 metres and there we will encounter even more snow. It takes some shifting, but very cool to see.
On the long climb, I am also overtaken by a support car. If I read it correctly, this is also the 'broom car'. I find that strange. I am definitely not the last, and surely we had the course to ourselves? I leave the thought for a moment and climb to the top. There I take a break, do a toilet break, have something to eat and drink (which is well taken care of) and get ready for the descent.
Now it's paying attention
Totally refreshed after my stop, I dive into the descent. This is the lovely long descent, which is almost 16 kilometres long. Here, though, it's good to be careful with nice curves, steep descent percentages and also those sleepy villages again. Although sleepy. Suddenly I see a car coming onto the course in the opposite direction. I look a little angry but also surprised: surely we had the road to ourselves? Two seconds later I think again: oh yes, that car....
What transpired later: the route was kept clear only one hour after the first rider. So that means only part of the ride is car-free. From my point of view, totally irresponsible. If you're just standing to pee, or grab a drink and don't see that car go by, you're really putting yourself in a dangerous position. Yes, as in: a position where you think you can enter a descent 'free', then you don't expect a 75-year-old grandpa driving slowly towards the church.
Even more climbing
If you think you're done with the altimeters after 70 kilometres, you're misinformed. Because the counter is only at 2000 altimeters. So still 800(!) to go. You still have a long climb ahead of you, the Pineta di Cozzano (1st category according to the indexing, mainly because of the steep climb of 15-16%) and the Langhirano. Extra on my qui vive I tackle these climbs. The sun is starting to come through well, so the sleeve pieces can go down again.
I kind of ride with the same group of people all the time, I notice. As mentioned at the beginning: the language here is Italian. Very occasionally I notice a Dutch name, but generally it's Italians and a stray German. So the event still needs an international push, but that is bound to come.
Having consumed the penultimate climb, I confidently enter the descent, but with a little more reservation. Still, I end up crashing ugly. One of the turns is relatively tight. I get distracted by a fender bender in my field of vision. As I continue turning, there is a ledge in the middle of the road that I did not see. I steer a little to the outside, but ultimately cannot keep the turn. In the grass, I manage to save the furniture for a while, but a pothole and the crash barrier are my Waterloo. I end up on the other side of the crash barrier, with nice views of the valley, but with my bike no longer with me. That is still on the side of the road.
Quietly going home
I sit for a while to recover. I shout to some of the other contestants that they should do 'piano piano' here. After all, that bumper was there for a reason. Just no longer at the spot where I met the crash barrier. A scrape on my arm and especially the shock in my body cause me to take my time and get back on my bike later. Going down slowly is now the motto. After a few minutes, I feel some comfort on my little bike again. But the brakes are struggling a bit more than before. Fear is not easy to take away.
On the last climb I cycle off the stress and on the short descent I find myself joining a group with some older men. We spin around nicely this way the last stretch towards Parma. It also helps for me to pedal away the energy I have left. Stupid pounding, so to speak. Once in Parma and at the last kilometre, I challenge one of the men to a small sprint. He had done a lot of leading work and I actually give him that feeling of beating me. Not that I had necessarily won from him, but the fact that I was going to let him win was a nice end to the day for me.
Pasta, pain, people
The pasta party is well organised. A wristband gives you access and the bicycle shed is guarded by a well-instructed guard. As I plop down, I run into the organisers. I briefly let them know that I didn't think it was ok that cars suddenly appeared on the course, without clear notice. The shoulders are shrugged. Apparently nothing serious happened. Who lives then...
Tired, reasonably satisfied, but also with some reservations, I turn towards the hotel again. On the way, I meet my Slovenian mates. One of them had missed the signs for the turn-off and instead of riding the shorter distance, he rode the longer one. A refreshing beer helps him recover.
Finish
Dinner in the evening at the Grand Hotel Parma tastes better to me than ever. I do miss the multi-course pasta, but the level is excellent. Talking to Erwin, Mica and Miroslav is good. As it turns out, the latter was still competing against Erik Dekker in Barcelona in 1992 and, by his own admission, he was better than Dekker and eventual Olympic champion Fabio Casartelli (who fatally crashed in the 1995 Tour on the descent of the Portet d'Aspet) all season. What I did not know: Slovenia had a short war, just 10 days, which meant he had to stay in Slovenia. This experience was such a demotivation for him that he hung up his bike as an amateur a year later. How things can change your life. We toast together to an intense experience. Parma, Ci Vediamo.
Route L'etape du Tour Parma
Below is the route of the Granfondo - 140 kilometres and a serious number of altimeters.
