Mavic Trans-Provence 2019 // Day 1
Mon 17th Jun, 2019 @ 3:30 pm
Dawn rises on the Col d’Allos as the first wave of riders open their accounts at Mavic Trans-Provence 2019. The rain and isolated claps of thunder of Day 0 are long gone as the shuttles climb through the thin inversion to top out at 2250m into a bright morning sun.
Four stages greet riders on Day 1, with the day taking in 1794m of ascent with almost double that number in descent as they make their way from the Ubaye Valley to the Verdon and the forests above Colmars. Those riders who have raced previous editions of Trans-Provence will no doubt find the opening liaison familiar, only to be following an altogether different route under a stifling Summer sun.
Day 1 isn’t the fiercest in terms of climbing or out-and-out descending, but it was still enough to test even the best of the bunch as they learn to read a trail and find their speed. The heat was the real enemy as an initially very cool day turned out to be fiery enough as the day wore on.
The time sheet will show where riders stand after the opening 51km, but there’s plenty more blind, time trail exploration to come where they can make good their Day 1 mistakes.
Day 1 Statistics
Start: Barcelonnette
Finish: Villars-Colmars
Distance: 51.48km
Ascent: 1794m
Descent: 3313m
No. of Special Stages: 4
