There are stretches of asphalt in some corners of the world that can thrill thousands of enthusiasts every time they are climbed. One of these is theAngliru. Gilberto Simonhe won in the Lampre jersey in 2000, when he was 29 and still had no Giro d'Italia under his belt. On that climb, he battled gravity, risking putting his foot down on gradients that would scare any generation of cyclists. 12,4 kilometers with an average gradient of 9,8% with peaks of 24%.
September 13, 2023, is one of those days to mark on your calendar. Because la Return on the occasion of the 17th stage he will arrive at Alto de AngliruA hint of sadism will accompany every enthusiast watching that stage which will exhaust every athlete who started that day. Let's make a I leap back 23 years to get in the saddle with Simoni on those slopes and understand how to tackle and what it feels like on one of the most feared climbs in the world.
What do you remember of that day, emotions and sensations?
I had never won stages at the Vuelta. The Angliru one can say that... helped me change gear because the following year I managed to win the Giro d'Italia. In short, I started to believe in myself even more. That day I managed to get ahead of the game a little because I knew it was impossible to beat those of Kelme-Costa Blanca, with all that was doubtful in those years. Having slipped into the breakaway, I managed the race well. I had no other chance, so I only went away on the run.
What kind of climb is it?
It's a climb that takes you to the limit and must be interpreted correctly. On climbs like this, you must not look at the opponent. You have to think about yourself and find your rhythm on those ridiculous slopes. If you misplace a gear, you risk putting your foot down. It's an unforgiving climb, when you take it, your heart immediately jumps in your throat.
What kind of relationships did you have?
There were no compact cameras. I didn't have a triple. I had a ten speed Campagnolo with a 39 in front and a 28 and 29 in the back. removing the hardest gears. This was because I knew you could win by choosing those gears. I remember that the Kelme guys used a triple instead.
What do you remember about that climb?
There is a straight stretch of one kilometre where they did not return and I remember that really my legs were bursting. I was going five miles an hour and thought, "If I get to four, I'll stop." One wrong gear shift and you'd end up slamming your foot down. With the risk of not even being able to get going again.
In an attempt to catch you, Roberto Heras, who won that Vuelta, set the record for the climb. To this day, no one has managed to break that 41:55.
The Kelme guys were in an impossible condition to tackle. If you look at the footage, it looked like a team time trial. If you took the hardest section as a reference, maybe from the middle onwards they could be beaten. Today's climbers are really strong. But the complete stretch for me has an unreachable time.
Despite this, you tackled the climb with just under six minutes and managed to save two at the finish…
I'd been on the run all day. I didn't feel very rested when I reached the climb because I'd been pushing hard beforehand.
As a climber, you also experienced a technological evolution in those years. There was also a much lower pedaling cadence.
Yes, the relationships forced you to do so. For me and the mechanics mounting a triple would have been blasphemy, a blow to my pride. A few years later I remember doing the Zoncolan with both a 39 and a 36. They're two different things, the pedaling, the reaction of the muscles. But we get to the limit anyway.
And what kind of bike was your Fondriest from that year? Would it have changed anything with a current bike?
It was very light, with the mechanic Pengo we did an incredible jobA frame all my own for uphill races. Short bike and a more forward position. The big difference from today is the material, mine was made of aluminumUnrideable downhill, but uphill I don't think I would have noticed that many differences with the current ones. Different geometry wouldn't have had the same impact as the current gear ratios. I weighed 60 kilos, so the aluminum worked very well for me. I don't remember the exact weight of my Fondriest but it was at the limit of the regulations.
How do you breathe on a climb like this?
You're always at full speed. Even though, apart from that one-kilometer stretch, there are hairpin bends that allow you to relaunch and "rest." But it's a continuous apnea…
How does the Angliru stage fit into a Vuelta?
It's scary. It hurts. It's a climb where you don't make huge gaps. This is because everyone goes up the slope without letting the bike slide too much. It's difficult to attack without over-revving. It's true that If you have a bad day you can get hurt, but with the relationships that are used today you somehow save yourself.If someone in crisis found themselves facing it with the ratios we used in 2000, then yes, they would sink in the rankings.
Who would you see as the favorite on a climb like this?
I would say that for better or worse, all climbers are favorites. Riders like Vingegaard or Roglic They can bet on him, but I don't see Evenepoel as such an underdog either; we've seen his power. It'll be a great match, but it's hard to make a prediction.
If you had to give advice to a rider who wants to win on the Angliru, what would you tell him?
If they want to win they have to do what I did in 2000. Avoid direct confrontation with the general classification riders and anticipate from afar, arriving at the foot of the climb with a precious gap. There's little advice to give; you have to push what you have, what you feel.
If you had to rank the hardest climbs, where would you put the Angliru?
One of the top. Although I have to say that the one that impressed me the most is perhaps Punta VelenoIt's terrible. But I can't make a ranking. Let's say that the slope numbers do it themselvesThen it comes down to personal experience. Because there are tough climbs like Mortirolo and Zoncolan that you can tackle in different situations and say they're more or less tough. It's a very personal judgment. Angliru himself I remember that in 2003 I did it again with Casagrande and I was fighting for the classification and it hurt me much more than in 2000.
