Cheesy Fondo

aka  - the Gruyère Cycling Tour was a very different day in the hills compared to the AlpenBrevet of a few weeks ago. The distance of 125km (also 85km version is available) and the 3 cols of low gradient, minimal ascent (do I really think 1640m is a small mountain these days?) looked to be a fast but challenging course on html.
So it proved to be - the first 5km were supposed to be controlled, with no overtaking before the safety car departed but we averaged over 38km for this section, and there were certainly a few nervous moments as we looped around and under the town of Bulle through a tunnel, in which I saw one guy running and pushing his bike down the center of the road straight into the 1732 starting riders. (983 would finish the 125km route, 635 the 85 km option.) He looked to have dropped something, I hope he found it and wasn't run over, we were speeding either side of him at high speed. Several more bottle necks formed around roundabouts and central reserves which forced the speeding peloton to slow up. Large multi-lingual noises communicating slow down were heard until we got to the first significant rise after several km.

Col du Mittelberg was the high point of the route at 1640m, and we soon seemed to be over this col. The road is a narrow, minor road which was fine for the ascent but the descent is quite tricky and no room for overtaking - except somehow one or two crazy riders managed to squeeze past. I wasn't going slow down here, I even overtook a couple, clearly everyone was accepting this as a dangerous descent and carefully getting down in single file to the main road towards Gstaad. Beyond Gstaad, the roads are larger and the descents safer (but much faster!)
The route proved to have long connecting sections between the 3 cols, and here it was necessary to form a group and do a few turns at the front to keep the speed high. It was very nice that all the groups were willing to work, and aim for the next group up the road.
Although the roads were open to traffic, it really felt like they were closed until beyond the col du Pillon. Down this twisting descent, the traffic had been stopped by the patrolling motorbikes, quite a lengthy queue was waiting at the bottom of the valley by the time I passed through.
The final climb of Col des Mosses was over 6km of 6% gradient, I pulled away from the group which sped to the base of the climb and so began climbing steadily towards one or two riders above. Over the top, and through a mass of vehicles trying to park for the car boot sale on the summit, I sprinted ahead to catch up with 3 other riders who seemed happy to have another member to help them back the final 40km downhill to Bulle.
After the steepest sections were navigated, we were joined by a larger group of around 6 riders who we latched on to and this is how we would have finished if it had not been for two sets of roadworks stopping us for several minutes. Everyone of course wanted to go round the red lights, but they were well marshalled and on this final section there was significant oncoming traffic so it would not have been safe to squeeze through. Because of this, the group swelled up to around 30-40 riders, but maybe only the first 15 were willing to make the pace at this time, mainly the riders who were together before the roadworks.
Into the final 2km, and the pace slowed down, it seemed like everyone wanted to try their own luck for a sprint finish. With 700m to go, a large roundabout appeared and rather than force myself left into the main pack, I swooped around the right hand side, and when we regrouped I found myself clear of the 40 or so riders by 10-20m and moving away from them, so I just tried to keep going for the final 500m. The finish is significantly uphill, the kind of finish Cavendish would complain about, so I felt my legs tire and the leaders of the big group came past me, I dont know if I'd have done any better waiting for the sprint at this stage.  
My official time was 4hr and 55s, average speed of 31kph and was good enough to put me in the top 25% of my age group. This was significant as this race was one of the 7 races in the world used as a qualifier for for the final of the inaugural UCI World Cycling Tour final, to be held in Belgium in 2 weeks time. It could be that if this event is popular, the qualification will be tougher next year, but I doubt I will make the long trip up to Belgium to be dropped on the first acceleration of the group. If I was challenging for the rainbow jersey then I'd be driving up for sure, but as I wouldn't have even beaten the 55-59yr old age groupers I know my place. I could at least beat the over 60yr age groupers.
And still, a ride in the Swiss alps with great weather probably can't be beaten, and should be a fitting end to the season. I'll be happy with my 25% age groupers medal.