Pomarance (from Saline)

angons27

Nice Swiss ride on a climb which is great for beginners or people who are afraid for the longer or the steeper climbs. The climb has a bunch of flat pieces along the way – ideal to give the legs a break. Enjoy!

NamePomarance (from Saline)
CountryItaly
Date of rideFriday, March 26, 2021
Distance (km)27.84
Avg Grade (%)3%
Height Meters (m)821
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/37138
TypeMountain
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)5
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)6
Difficulty commentsLong but very manageable climb. No crazy grades, and a lot of “resting-points” underway in the climb.
Views (out of 10)7
Views CommentsSwiss towns, mountain tops and small roads. All the same but all very nice!
Fun Level (out of 10)7
Fun CommentsGood views, good workout on a climb that allows for a bad day due to its flat pieces of road throughout the climb.
Overall Rating6.7
Overall Rating CommentsGood ride – nice training with nice views. A type of ride that even the less-trained guys among us can bring to a successful end.

TdS 2019 – Schallenberg

angons27

Relatively long ride with more more than 30km of downhill. Oh yeah, also need to climb about 6km to manage 440 height-meters. Good training when in need for a restful day, though the long downhill session at the end if just plain boring.

NameTdS 2019 – Schallenberg
CountrySwitzerland
Date of rideThursday, March 25, 2021
Distance (km)36.76
Avg Grade (%)1%
Height Meters (m)439
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/35375
TypeMountain
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)4
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)5
Difficulty commentsNot too hard, as most of this route is going downhill. 2 climbs that turn it into a mountain-climb though. But let’s not fool anyone: of the 36km, there is 6km uphill and 30km downhill.
Views (out of 10)7
Views CommentsTypical swiss views – very enjoyable. Villages, mountaintops and farms
Fun Level (out of 10)5
Fun CommentsI like this ride, but the last downhill is just way to long. It is 20km straight down – what is the point of that. Just freaking boring!
Overall Rating5.7
Overall Rating CommentsInteresting ride but downhill at the end too long.

Fred Whitton Sunny 2015 – Pt8

angons27

Interesting ride performed in race mode – I believe I finished 22nd out of 57 finishers at more than 11 minutes from the winner (congrats Yannick35!). A lot of up and downs in this challenging race, with a crazy final ascent. I like the general profile of this route, but do believe that the final ascent with max grade >30% is not fit for smarttrainers. I feel I just ripped half of my chain apart. Still, good to try. Nice workout if you are a fan of steep hills.

NameFred Whitton Sunny 2015 – Pt8
CountryUK
Date of rideTuesday, March 23, 2021
Distance (km)20.66
Avg Grade (%)2%
Height Meters (m)613
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/34867
TypeHilly
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)4
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)7
Difficulty commentsThis was hard. Not so much because of the continuous up and downs for the first 18km of the ride, but for the crazy ascent in the last 2km. It might look short – I mean, what’s 2 km in a lifetime – but believe me, those 2 km seem to last forever. It has crazy grades of around 30% (not that your average smarttrainer can simulate anything above 20%, but still). It was brutal. I was thus not only really but also virtually standing still…
Views (out of 10)8
Views CommentsSmall roads in the north of the UK with a mountain-feel finish. Not bad. Though I suffered too much to enjoy the views.
Fun Level (out of 10)6
Fun CommentsDon’t get me wrong – it is a nice ride, but he final ascent is too much. I did this route in race mode, which made it a fun ride troughout. However, the final ascent is not fit for smarttrainers in my opinion.
Overall Rating7.0
Overall Rating CommentsNice ride in the north of the UK. Crazy ascend at the end. Would not redo but can see the fun in it for a lot of people. Try for yourself!

TdS 2021 – Frauenfeld

angons27

Worthless ride – 4x same loop with boring view. Not a fan.

NameTdS 2021 – Frauenfeld
CountrySwitzerland
Date of rideMonday, March 22, 2021
Distance (km)44.87
Avg Grade (%)1%
Height Meters (m)329
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/44361
TypeFlat
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)5
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)1
Difficulty commentsAlmost flat with some uphill stretches at max 8%. But don’t let those fool you, as you tend to come at them with great speed from a descent and they are very short
Views (out of 10)2
Views CommentsNothing much really. You do the same loop four times – what was Rouvy thinking??? You go across some industrial zone, pass a lot of roundabouts and end up on a nice small road in the fields occasionally. Nothing much – do not recommend.
Fun Level (out of 10)2
Fun CommentsDon’t get this ride – it has nothing. You do same loop 4 times. Even the filming was done in a lazy manner, as the video also just loops 4 times, meaning you will see the same cars nearly hitting you 4 times around. Booooring!
Overall Rating1.7
Overall Rating CommentsOnly did it to complete a challenge. Poorly conceived ride. Do not recommend

TdS 2021 – Acquarossa

angons27

And here I am back on Swiss roads after an intermezzo in Okinawa, Japan. And what a way to make a comeback in Switzerland! This was a magnificent ride with a relatively long intro before heading up the final and brutal climb. The ride combines nice views with a lot of hardship – just the way I like it. Enjoy!

NameTdS 2021 – Acquarossa
CountrySwitzerland
Date of rideSaturday, March 20, 2021
Distance (km)31.94
Avg Grade (%)4%
Height Meters (m)1137
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/38320
TypeMountain
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)6
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)8
Difficulty commentsChallening climb –  not so much because of its steepness, but because of its length.
Views (out of 10)9
Views CommentsThose swiss mountain passes always to dit for me. You pass beautiful towns, then you are surrounded by georgeous mountains, to then find yourself surrounded by a forest. Beautiful!
Fun Level (out of 10)8
Fun CommentsGood training, albeit maybe a bit too long.
Overall Rating8.3
Overall Rating CommentsGreat ride – but it is one of the tough ones. Don’t let the easy first 15km fool you – the ride becomes really hard, specifically towards the last 10km. Yet, it can be done with only a basic physical condition.

Tour de Okinawa | Stage 1 | Churaumi

angons27

A rather uneventful ride – just a lot of up and down. Do not recommend.

NameTour de Okinawa | Stage 1 | Churaumi
CountryJapan
Date of rideFriday, March 19, 2021
Distance (km)26.1
Avg Grade (%)1%
Height Meters (m)354
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/64087
TypeHilly
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)3
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)2
Difficulty commentsEasy ride – some ups and downs but nothing too hard
Views (out of 10)4
Views CommentsDisappointing – nothing much to see. Only nice stretch is a long bridge over the water towards the end
Fun Level (out of 10)4
Fun CommentsNothing much. A bit too much up and down to be fun. Not easy to manage gear-wise
Overall Rating3.3
Overall Rating CommentsDid it to finish a challenge. Do not recommend

Tour de Okinawa | Stage 2 | Yanbaru

angons27

A ride with a nice profile and cute stretches of road next to the ocean. A good one if you are looking for this kind of training. Do note that the ride is harder than one might expect, with its 640 height-meters to boot!

NameTour de Okinawa | Stage 2 | Yanbaru
CountryJapan
Date of rideThursday, March 18, 2021
Distance (km)33.78
Avg Grade (%)2%
Height Meters (m)640
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/64510
TypeHilly
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)4
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)6
Difficulty commentsHarder than it looks – particularly last climb. Long stretch of flat in the middle.
Views (out of 10)6
Views CommentsNothing great – but some interesting views. Some nice stretches along the water.
Fun Level (out of 10)5
Fun CommentsNothing special. Some fun stretches along the water.
Overall Rating5.7
Overall Rating CommentsFun stretches along the water and fun profile. Good ride if you are looking for this kind of training.

Tour de Okinawa | Stage 3 | Ti-da

angons27

I started the Tour de Okinawa with the third and final stage – a stage that would take me for the first time ever to this little Japanese island. It is a good training, with some modest climbing and a long flat stretch in the middle. Not a big fan, but a good discovery ride to what Okinawa has to offer ride-wise.

NameTour de Okinawa | Stage 3 | Ti-da
CountryJapan
Date of rideWednesday, March 17, 2021
Distance (km)17.86
Avg Grade (%)2%
Height Meters (m)320
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/64515
TypeHilly
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)3
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)4
Difficulty commentsChill ride on a nice island in Japan. Nice route, with a long (rather boring) flat stretch in the middle. Hills are very modest
Views (out of 10)5
Views CommentsNot much to see here. I was expecting Anime and Cosplay – nothing of all of that here
Fun Level (out of 10)6
Fun CommentsGood profile for a training – nothing more, nothing less
Overall Rating5.0
Overall Rating CommentsDecent ride – but nothing really special

TORTOUR – Calanca Valley

angons27

Not sure if I am coming down with something, but today’s ride was horribly hard. I didn’t have any power in the legs, or in the rest of my body for that matter. I just tried and finish the ride, with the underlying motivation that it was the last piece of the puzzle I needed to make it to Elite status as part of my Rouvy career! The ride itself was nice, but I can’t review it objectively due to the amount of suffering today. I hope I am not coming down with something – in any case, I had a total off-day. Hope you have a better one on this typical TORTOUR ride. Enjoy!

NameTORTOUR – Calanca Valley
CountrySwitzerland
Date of rideMonday, March 15, 2021
Distance (km)18.4
Avg Grade (%)4%
Height Meters (m)807
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/33817
TypeMountain
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)4
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)7
Difficulty commentsHarder than I expected. I had an off-day, so might be subjective, but this ride was harder than expected, with some rough stretches.
Views (out of 10)8
Views CommentsAs with a lot of the other TORTOUR rides, this one also includes beautiful views on mountains and Swiss villages… with this ride having more villages than the others.
Fun Level (out of 10)7
Fun CommentsNice ride – I wish I had a better day
Overall Rating7.3
Overall Rating CommentsNice TORTOUR ride – my final ride to get promoted to “Elite”!!!

Tour of Slovenia | Izola – Koper

angons27

Not a profile I would typically pick myself, but I had to participate in a Rouvy race to advance my Rouvy career (read more about that here). So this was my first race ever. My first time ever in Slovenia also. And my first time ever I got up early in the morning on a Sunday to be on time for the start of the race. Not sure what was more brutal – the race or the early Sunday morning wake-up. In each case, I finished 15th out of 29 participants. Not bad for a first time, right?

NameTour of Slovenia | Izola – Koper
CountrySlovenia
Date of rideSunday, March 14, 2021
Distance (km)38.79
Avg Grade (%)1%
Height Meters (m)463
Linkhttps://my.rouvy.com/virtual-routes/detail/65840
TypeHilly
Difficulty (Rouvy’s rating)4
Difficulty (my rating – out of 10)4
Difficulty commentsRelatively easy ride. The uphill stretches can easily be managed.
Views (out of 10)8
Views CommentsSurprisingly beautiful ride. I have never been to Slovenia, but I loved the views along the coast and the smaller roads in the hillside. Fun discovery of this country next to Italy and Croatia!
Fun Level (out of 10)8
Fun CommentsI had quite a lot of fun, though it was probably influenced by the fact that it was my first race ever on Rouvy. The dynamics of the race were much more intense than I had initially imagined – I will definitely be part of more races in the future. Even if there would be no race involved, fun route for its profile.
Overall Rating6.7
Overall Rating CommentsFun profile with nice views and one that does not kill the legs despite the longer than average distance. Great way to discover Slovenia!