Caught me a kitty. Sometime it’s all too easy.
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.
I walked around Bormio during our rest day, not really doing too much so I could rest my legs, especially since I was still recovering from my cold
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.
