Friday 2nd of September 2011

I made it up in time for breakfast - just. The plan today was just to warm up the legs really, nothing too long or too steep. I managed to get on line so I could look for suggested routes on mapmyride and I found a couple or at least had an idea which hill might not be a killer for the first day. Dressed up and sun-cremed up I headed down to the bike store to give the bike a once over since I'd put it together in a rush yesterday. I'll get some pictures of the bike corner but it's huge and there are loads of team jerseys hung up on the walls including one I noticed from Team Sky which had been signed by Chris Froom (currently second in the Tour of Spain behind Bradley Wiggins and was leading it at one point).

I headed out of the town and up the hill to be faced immediately by a downhill. Wasn't expecting that. Turned out that it took me to a small village with a road only wide enough for one car and as a result there was a traffic light system which surprised me having two hairpin turns in it and a ten percent plus slope. I was puffing and panting and I was only two miles down the road. I made a couple of small 'diversions', one of which I had to turn back but the other was a nice path along the river. Soon I was heading up the hill though and it wasn't going to stop for the next twenty kilometres. The gradient was nice and steady and I made it up without the need for the bottom gear. There was a large glacier on the opposite side of the valley which reminded me about the possible temperatures at altitude. Probably around this time the sun went in and the temperature started to drop. Nearing the top there were a series of galleries (tunnels) which I don't like going through without any lights on so I'd brought along a flashing rear light for such occasions. After clipping it into the mount I carried on and just left it on all the way back. The top was about sixteen degrees and it was starting to rain so I accompanied my gilet with arm warmers and set off back down. The road had seemed reasonably good on the way up but it's dangers became apparent on the way back down. It had gaps about 10-20cm wide running parallel to the direction of the road and most importantly they tended to be on the corners. Not what you need after doing 65km/h down a straight. The rain continued but it was only very light.

Looking back down the valley 

One of the galleria

Made it to the top

The other side of the pass - Livigno? 

Once back I showered and went for a walk around the town but first I sniffed out some free cake and fruit by the bar made available for cyclists.

River through the centre of the town

A jacket seemingly made out of scotchlite material - see you from miles off at night in this

Dinner was excellent again although a small mistake probably caused by them moving mine and my neighbours table meant that I got his horse steak. I'd seen the list of what I'd ordered previously and I thought it was the fish but I couldn't remember exactly so I started on the veg. Then the waitress turned up and took it away from me and brought me the fish dish. She then brought the fish for my Belgian neighbour before bringing him a steak as well, which was what he'd ordered in the first place. Oh well. After a little discussion with my neighbour he had said the ride I'd done today was 'Easy" - oh cheers. 20km Category 1 climb and he thinks it's easy. He has a point.

Tiramisu

Tomorrow, Stelvio!