Winding around the edge of the fields the road slowly begins to ramp up … and up. And, then, it really kicks and, without a lot of warning, you’re into that 20% section. To add to the fun, the road surface is covered in high grip, which is great if you’re travelling downhill, but less for us climbers: it has quite a rough texture and, as such, tends to rob you of that rolling momentum which adds that little extra piquancy. Now that your speed has been cut down, it’s time to work for every extra inch of forward motion as you battle both the incline and the recalcitrant surface. There are no short cuts with this one – the road is busy enough that tacking across the carriageway is a bad idea so you’ll need to keep your concentration up, and your steering pinned so that you can make your way up and around the right hander which marks the end of the really steep section.
Don’t think that you’re done, however. Yes, the road flattens considerably, but you’re still going uphill and there’s another ramp to come so make the most of this opportunity to catch your breath and shake your bits out before settling down to the final push