July 25, 2003 – There has always been a bittersweet element of stage racing I have noticed over the years. On the positive side, we travel to many incredible parts of the world and visit towns and villages we might never have seen. On the other hand, we arrive crocked from the stage, and have no energy to look around, only to have to move on the next day. The 4th stage of Trans Alp was very much one of those occasions.

Stage 4: Neukirchen to Brixen, 3,526m of climbing and a total of 147 kms. Initially it seemed considerable time in large bunches after the initial 10 km climb on ashphalt. The first 40 kms flew by as we rode in a group of about 40 riders. At the 50K mark the longest climb of the day began. Winding for 30 kms up to Pfitscherjoch pass, the groups began to shatter. T Mobile (Brentjens and Bresser) rode in a group with Rocky Mountain Crystal Decisions/Focus (Platt and Heymans) and Corrotec World Team. The climb wound up the mountain through tunnels and endless switchbacks as the race approached the Italian border and we passed over into the Dolomites. After climbing for this long it was a cruel finish to the ascent to have to hike for half an hour to the summit carrying our bikes up a boulder field. After cresting the top a long gravel descent only lasted 20 km before a rolling 50 kms through a windy valley.

T Mobile had only 1 minute on Platt and Heymans at the top of the pass, but had no interest in a group effort for the final kilometers. By the finish of what is likely the most difficult stage that has been thrown at us in my Trans Alp experience, T Mobile had a 13-minute lead after Bart Brentjens put the hammer down with teammate Bresser mostly in tow. Their finish time was 5-1/2 hours.

For the Rocky Mountain Crystal Decisions women's team of Gretchen Reeves and Lesley Tomlinson, it was one of the longest days ever in a race finishing in 6:53. Many hours later at 8 pm, there were still stragglers finishing after a 12-hour day. The conditions were baking hot and sunstroke had become an issue for many.

Brixen is one of the most beautiful towns that this part of Italy has to offer. Buildings thousands of years old surrounding the town square and marketplace. We could barely get our bodies to the awards ceremony, let alone explore the town. Tomlinson and Reeves extended their lead for the overall to over 30 minutes. Platt and Heymans stand in second place behind T Mobile at 22 mins.

Stage 5: Brixen to St Ulrich/Val Gardena 2,493 meters of climbing and a short stage at only 47 kms. The race started after a deluge overnight, making the early going in the bunch muddy and challenging even up front. As the first climb 38 kms to the top, opened up the men's teams pulled away on the gravel road.  An interesting, and I think questionable element of the day, was to allow Pallhuber and Fontana of Seimens Cannondale to race the stage. This pulled T Mobile away from their competition as Platt had flat legs after the gruelling stage the previous day. The endless climb finished in another incredibly difficult hike to the top of the top of the Brogles Alm pass. Platt and Heymans came back to catch and pass all but T Mobile. Tomlinson and Reeves from Rocky Mountain Crystal Decisions managed to increase their lead by another four minutes after battling with All Gold women's team for the first 30 kms.