Cyclopaat, an alter ego with a twist
With our base camp in Bormio – Valdisotto, I can plot the Prologue of my Giro d’Italia 2025.
As is customary, this will start in/near a stop-over for the night on our way there.
There are a few (stop-over) options, but I want to avoid “useless” miles and car transfer(s) – either to the start or to the apartment – as much as possible.
This rules out most and leaves the option to start in Davos or Albula.
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 Giro d’Italia’s 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.
(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.
