Giro d’Italia 2020

How did this Giro d’Italia come to be?

Well, 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, for the Giro d’Italia 2020, we found a hotel in Ponte di Legno, at the base of…

Drum roll…

the Gavia.

Gavia from Ponte di Legno 2015
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 for the Giro d’Italia 2020, 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.