It’s not often that you get a stage where the geographical route mirrors the elevation profile, but this one almost fits the bill perfectly. In keeping with just about every stage of late, stage 131 has precious little flat virtual tarmac, and at almost a thousand feet (almost three hundred metres) of climbing, it’s another leg burner.
The rollout crosses the Belyy Atig river almost immediately, and if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that that means you start climbing from the off. The first climb is one and a half miles, all of it forested, and the climb crests where the road crosses the railway line heading west out of Druzhinino.
That’s followed by a lumpy five mile descent to Pervomayskpye, and not one river crossing but two. The Gryaznukaha river is at five miles before an up and down delivers you to the Utka river as the road (the P242) passes the town on its southern flank at seven miles. Pervomayskpye offers some brief respite from the forest before you’re straight back in for the next twelve miles.
There are no towns in the forest, just rivers. The Bol’shoy Shishim crossing is at nine miles, followed by the Bol’shaya Cheremsha two miles later. The Cheremsha joins the Karemka river soon after and as you follow the course of the river heading east, so the climbing starts all over again. The biggest climb of the stage starts at eleven miles and takes you up three hundred and fifty feet over the course of just three miles. It’s a slog basically.
The climb tops out at Kollektivnyy Sad at fifteen miles and that’s also the highest elevation on the stage at over seventeen hundred feet. The descent features yet another river crossing, the Vtoraya Listvyanka at seventeen miles, before the road climbs again. These rivers are nuisance, eh?
But you’re not done with water. The road crosses the Indichyok river at twenty one miles, which just leaves one more climb before a final descent sets you up for the sprint to the line as the road finally exits the trees as you approach Revda to the south.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 945 feet / 288 metres
RGT Magic Road: zuHnXkpOx0tC
Max elevation: 1729 ft
Min elevation: 1341 ft
Total climbing: 918 ft
Total descent: -1017 ft
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