Late 2019, we initially booked a vacation on Tenerife, where I would cycle up and down El Teide and Paula would bake in the sun.
Then Corona/Covid-19 happened and we decided to not take avoidable risks and cancelled that trip.
Paula being who she is, then asked me if I would be in for an alternative, like Italy, maybe the Dolomites…
The occasional visitor of this site will know that I didn’t need a lot of time to think that over.
HELL YEAH!
So, we found a hotel in Ponte di Legno, at the base of…
- Drum roll *
…the Gavia.
Yes, it’s also on the road up Passo del Tonale, but let’s face it: that has gotten slightly less attention during the history of the Giro d’Italia.
And while it’s not in the Dolomites, she also sanctioned a side-trip with a stay at a hotel in Corvara, as I was contemplating on riding the Maratona ❤️
I deliberately did not write a road book with stages, as that usually turns out to be a lot of fun, but that is mostly useless when push comes to shove.
As this was my 3rd Giro d’Italia, going into areas I already know pretty well, I just put some ideas ‘on paper’.
In the end, I was able to complete most of the climbs I had penciled in and my most memorable achievement was – indeed – the Maratona dles Dolomites.
The official event, which was cancelled in 2020 anyway, is hard to get a ticket for and if you do, it’s often an ‘all inclusive’ package, at a ridiculously steep price.
So, the Queen Stage of my Giro d’Italia 2020 was definitely stage 6, which was the long course of the Maratona. Under blistering hot conditions, I might add…
Full report on this Giro here.
