Cyclopaat, an alter ego with a twist
While the presentation of both the women’s and men’s Giro d’Italia routes have been postponed, I’m not sitting on my hands waiting for it.
Besides, I’m pretty sure that the routes are basically finished, only a problem with the “Grande Partenza” preventing the official presentation(s).
Anyway, I have started to put together some ideas for my own Giro d’Italia 2025…
The Bernina Pass (2,328m, sign reads 2,330m) or Passo del Bernina in Italian, is the 6th highest mountain pass in Switzerland.
It connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz with the Poschiavo valley, which ends in the Italian town of Tirano in the Valtellina valley.
Once down in Tirano, the Mortirolo is only a short-ish distance away…
The possibility of another Giro d’Italia is becoming a reality, although the base camp will most likely not be in the Dolomites, but in the area around Bormio.
But if you think Bormio is “just” about the equally beautiful but less legendary climb of the Stelvio, or the deemed “easier” end of the Gavia, you are sadly mistaken.
True, at the centre of the upper Valtellina valley in the province of Sondrio, Bormio is mostly a popular winter sports resort.
So, how did I fare this Giro d’Italia 2020, compared to what I had in mind beforehand?
Well, I choked on the Mortirolo (from Mazzo) again and – barely – made it up the Bernina, all the way from Tirano.
The difference with last year being, that this did not happen during the same stage and that the Mortirolo was just as hot, but the Bernina was the coldest of all.
But, I kinda, sorta, had my revenge on the Mortirolo, as I was on its summit no less than four times, twice during the same stage.
I also ended up on the Stelvio summit three times, during my prologue and as finishes for stages 7 and 9.
And, I was able to complete the Maratona dles Dolomites, which had been on my to-do/wish list, since I first visited the Dolomites in 2011.
Not surprisingly, that stage (6) also came with the highest elevation difference (D+) of all stages: almost 4,250 meters.
(Well, the last few km of the Bernina anyway)
Since the climb to the Foscagno pass is 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.
