Cyclopaat, an alter ego with a twist
It was raining (again) this morning and C. tweeted he might have been hit by a truck overnight (or at least by a minivan).
Not very good conditions to undertake more crazy climbing expeditions, like taking on both the Gavia and Stelvio in one ride…
But once again he couldn’t help himself and around 9:20 he and T. set course to Ponte di Legno. C. was hoping for a chance to tackle the Gavia from that side, since the 1st attempt on Wednesday failed…
(And a bit of Fuorn)
The weather will continue to be ‘rainy’ for the remainder of this vacation.
Perhaps with the exception of tomorrow, when it’s expected to stay (at least) dry. C. will use that day to climb the Stelvio from Bormio and the Gavia from Ponte di Legno.
Sunday there is the ‘Mapei Day’ which means the Stelvio will be closed to motorized traffic and there will be all sorts of sporting events (roller blading, running, cycling).
Would be nice, but the weather looks really bad for that day.
Today, he took on the Umbrail Pass and used the Fuorn (Ofenpas) as a warm up – he caught some rain, but nothing like yesterday…
For the first time during this (cycling) holiday, the rain spoiled (half) the trip and C. was forced to postpone the climb of the Gavia from Ponte di Legno.
He did manage the climb from Bormio and that of the Passo del Tonale through the rain, but eventually it was raining cats and dogs, so T. told him to stop…
(Well, the last few km of the Bernina anyway)
Since the climb to the Foscagno pass is actually not really starting before leaving Valdidentro, C. had an early start this morning.
The road to it runs in front of the hotel…
So, at 9:25 he took off for the first 15 kilometers of climbing today.
And since he had planned quite a trip today, that early start was necessary too.
Before checking in to the Alpen Hotel in Valdidentro, Toerbeest made a stop in Mazzo di Valtellina, so Cyclopaat could climb the Mortirolo.
This climb is considered to be one of the toughest in Europe, but after the Zoncolan, any climb (here) seems like a piece of cake 🙂
Besides, the Mortirolo offers more shady – tree covered – stretches than the Zoncolan, which makes a BIG difference under sunny conditions.
