The organised ride for the day had been
to head up Stelvio, turning left before the top in to Switzerland
before dropping down and going clockwise around the valley up and
back up another pass and back down Stelvio. Looking at the chart I
reckoned about 40-45km of climbing or probably in the region of 4
hours. Hmm. Now I like the challenge of an ascent but there seems
to be a mindset around here of putting yourself through pain as some
kind of penance. Don't just do a nice ride with nice views and a bit
of a challenge but really make yourself suffer finding the hardest
routes. It's not something I look for in a ride so I decided against
the day trip. Instead I was going to go for a walk. After all I was
on a holiday with cycling and not just a cycling holiday. I thought
that I would repeat the route of my mountain run the other day but
this time I would carry on to the top. I guessed it would take a
couple of hours to get up there. The weather looked good enough to
put on some suncream but I was heading up to 2,000m so packed a
merino thermal and the softshell jacket in the rucksack along with my
mini lunch provided by the hotel and some water.
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| At last - a picture of Bormio |
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| another few hundred metres possible up the ski slope |
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| This was actually a road up to a bar - 30% gradient I guess they don't get much passing traffic |
At the top the bar was open so I
coughed up €2.50 for a can of coke and had it with my lunch.
Temperatures were good and the sun was drying my running vest on my
back. After eating I went for a walk a little further up, hoping to
get my ascent over 1,000m for the day. I spotted a sign for a bar -
15 minutes walk and headed up the something like 30% gradient hill.
A Fiat Panda 4x4 passed me coming down the hill and it reaffirmed my
deduction that most of the production of Panda four wheel drives
ended up in northern Italy, to get to bars and places like this
otherwise (in winter) impossible places to reach.
Downhill was obviously less taxing on
the old aerobic system and I zoned out again listening first to
Chilli Peppers and then Pink Floyd on the way down, finishing off
with some New Order. Cool back in time for cake and Vuelta. Chris
Froome taking an amazing victory for SKY in a tough and very fast
stage. I noticed the group ride were back already and they were in no rush to leave either. Turned out they must have cut short the ride and only ridden up and down Stelvio.
Dinner was lacking the promised chips
with the plaice but the cannellone was excellent.
On the way back to the room I signed up
for tomorrows ride. A short one. The weather is predicted to be
similar to today and I can always extend the ride with another ascent
up to Bormio 2000 if I'm feeling strong.
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| Green light(strip) is given for my room - I'm committed! |
I particularly like this image of what looked like a naughty chair... just how naughty would you have to be to be left alone there at 1900m :D
OK, That is jut mean - sharing photos like that while we are sitting in the office and watching the rain fall outside :) Wish I was there too!
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