This is a collection of photos that I didn’t get a chance to post on the post for the day, because I didn’t have the photo at the time (i.e. I got it from someone else) or that I took the photo after I posted the day’s photos.
A sad day, as this was the last day of this wonderful tour and spending it with a great group of fellow riders.
I’m happy to have finished without any major issues. Sure, I had a cold and there was rain a’plenty. But overall I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
I’m looking forward to the next tour, whenever that happens, but I’ll enjoy the memories of this one until then.
The last two climbs of the tour. The first one, the Passo Campo Carlo Magno, came early. At 15km it was a steady climb, with a nice shallow upper half. We got rain on the climb and the descent was wet so caution was advised.
The sun came out by the time we hit the valley, and the second climb, the Passo Daone, was a steep, but relatively short, climb on a narrow densely forested road.
Lunch was at the top and the descent was pleasant with a short section where construction required some walking.
After a journey through a gorge, we reached the river valley where a lovely bike path brought us to the finish in Torbole.
Not a lot of pictures today with the rainy weather.
We did the last big pass today, the Passo di Gavia, which topped out at 2621m. Not a steep climb but long (25.4 km). It was foggy and overcast coming down which made the descent … interesting.
The climb was closed to motor vehicles so it was quiet and peaceful, and that also made the descent less stressful, not having to worry about oncoming vehicles.
After the descent, we hit the second climb, Passo del Tonale where we got some rain. That climb was nice and steady, so I was able to push a good pace.
With a nice downhill from the top of that, it was a quick finish getting to the hotel.
This was the queen stage of our tour. The Stelvio is a legendary climb, and the one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. We took the classic route from the east, starting from Gomagoi, close to our hotel.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Clear and sunny, but not too hot on the climb. Lots of people at the top definitely added to the atmosphere.
This is one of the best days I’ve had on the bike. The Stelvio is almost a religious experience, especially when the road opened up and we could see the many switchbacks up above us.
There was still lots of snow at the top, so I did a few obligatory bike-on-snow photos. On the descent we did a quick side tour into Switzerland, which was notable only because there were no border controls at that point.
The descent into Bormio was fast and fun, with numerous tunnels to keep things interesting.
Now, we stay in Bormio for two nights where we’ll get a chance to rest and enjoy the area.
Only one big climb today, and it started as soon as we left town. The Passo di Monte Giovo (aka Jaufenpass) is a classic Alpine pass with a length of 15.9 km at 7.1%
It was cool at the top but thankfully no wind today. We descended amongst the holiday weekend traffic comprised of motorcycles and fast sports cars, but no issues with that, thankfully.
The rest of the ride was a pleasant day, where we did a gradual climb up the valley towards the bottom of the Stelvio where we’re staying tonight. It was warmer in the valley today, warmer than we got earlier in the tour.
Tomorrow is the queen stage, as we climb the infamous Stelvio pass.
Today we left Klausen for another two pass day. The first pass, the Auna di Sopra, was not a high pass, and it is comprised of three small climbs separated by short flat or downhill sections.
The second pass was the Passo di Pennes, which is a classic Alpine pass, ascending through a long valley, and where the switchback segments are much longer than some of the previous climbs. We had a long gradual uphill through the scenic valley before reaching those switchbacks.
The weather was mostly sunny but the wind was strong and cold, especially at the top. As a headwind, it make the climb that much harder, but was welcome when it was a tailwind, although those moments seemed much to short to enjoy.
We’re now deep in the heart of German-speaking Italy, as a result of this region being part of Austria until after the First World War. The towns have two names, the German version presented as the first and the Italian version as the second. So our start town is Klausen/Chiusa and the destination town is Sterzing/Vipiteno. German is the first language used here, although everyone knows Italian as well.
Another day, another Dolomite. Two big passes today, which were
Passo di Furcia
Passo delle Erbe
After yesterday’s wet, cold conditions, today started cool but sunny. It started to become cloudy, with some wind later in the day but the rain that was predicted didn’t materialize, so a nice day to ride.
The finish town of Klausen is super cool with shops along narrow streets and a castle on a hill overlooking the town.
The route for today was fairly short in distance and elevation gain. That made the planning more flexible, as there was rain forecast for the morning, diminishing in the afternoon with clearing skies.
We started out in the wet and climbed the Passo Tre Croci where we all stopped at the cafe and hung out there for a couple of hours. Once the rain let up, we descended to Misurina, and hung out at the hotel we were staying until our rooms were ready.
I changed into dry clothing and returned to the road to climb the challenging Tre Cime di Lavaredo. This was a tough climb with the last 4 km averaging over 11%.
It was still a little overcast at the top when I arrived but I waited a bit and was able to see the massive Cime up close. Another satisfying day in the Dolomites.
Another big day in the Mountains. Some of us decided to do part of the rest day loop, known as the Sellaronda. The climbs were
Passo di Sella
Passo di Gardena
Passo di Camplongo
Passo di Giau
Making today more challenging was that I have come down with a cold, so breathing at high altitude was not easy. Fortunately, I rode the day with my roommate Nathan Hoover and picked up another rider, Nick, so we formed a group that stuck together to the finish.
We weren’t the fastest today, and we were also delayed by a flat tire. As well, the rain started falling as we got to the upper part of the Giau. However, it passed soon enough and we were treated to some great views at the top.
Leave a Comment