Tour of Alberta Stage 3

Stage 3 of the Tour of Alberta was a 182km stage from Grande Cache to Miette Hot Springs. The plan for the day was to put either Thomas, Michael Olheiser, or Matthieu in the breakaway. The rest of us were supposed to look after Kyle and Chad. The stage started off fast, and it took a while for Orica Green Edge to let a group that they liked roll. Finally they let Thomas roll with 2 other riders. Thomas was a beast for getting in the move. He literally rode off the front until the break was established, and it took about 30km for the break to establish. He is an animal for getting in the break again. After the break rolled the pace slowed a little bit, and Orica controlled the gap to around 3 minutes. I have to say that this was one of the coldest races I have ever done. It was wet out, and was about 35 degrees all day long. It was miserable. I was shivering and my hands were numb for most of the day. When it is this cold you have to be sure to stay on top of fluids still, and you have to eat a ton. I focused on doing that, and our staff had hot tea in the car for us as well. That was a genius idea! Also once again I had Enzo’s Buttonhole Embro Stick all over my body. I had it on my legs, my chest, and on my arms. After about 120km the pace started to pick up. Over the first categorized climb about 130km in a Trek rider gave me a Snickers. That was pretty nice! The stage finished with 2 climbs that came in the last 15kms. We caught Thomas around this point. The rest of us positioned Kyle and Chad in a good spot for the finish. Kyle was in a break at the end, and finished a solid 18th on the stage. On the first climb I tried to hang on but only lasted about a km. After that I rolled in in a group with Evan and both Mikes. I focused on saving energy, spinning a high cadence, and finishing the food in my pockets. After you do work for your teammates it is smart to start focusing on recovery for the next day. These races are tough, and the fatigue adds up by the end of them. I am really happy how we rode as a team today. Stage 4 is around 160km long. We start in Jasper, do 3 laps of a circuit and finish up a 12km climb to Marmot Basin Ski Area. Tomorrow’s stage starts at 11:35 mountain time. Check out the live coverage here http://tourofalberta.ca/broadcast/ Here is a link to my ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/384985488