Almost a week has passed since my final ride in Switzerland and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that my Giro d’Italia 2015 is over and that it’s mostly going to be the flats of my backyard again as far as riding zee baik is concerned.
Oh well, we had an unforgettable time in Italy and Switzerland once more and collected enough memories during those rides to last for months.
Despite the current heatwave – the temperature is expected to rise to a healthy 40 degrees Celsius – the wind is continuing to do its best to make the efforts of my rides resemble climbing up another mountain.
The only difference with (most of) the wind I endured during my Giro, is that it’s not freezing cold – it’s more like a mistral, which is really not any better…
Cyclopaat constructed his own Giro d’Italia 2015 – on this page, you can find the links to the reports of part 2, the stages from Valdisotto.
Epilogue
As we will be leaving very early tomorrow morning, for the final “Swiss” stage of this Giro, I just flexed the muscles a bit around Bormio.
I headed towards Valdidentro, where the Alpen Hotel is located, which was our base camp in 2011.
After that, I returned via Le Motte, back to Santa Lucia and Bormio, were we then walked around town a bit, did some shopping and returned to the apartment.
We will start preparing the luggage and pile it into the car later on, which will probably exhaust me more than another Mortirolo 🙂
So, if all goes well, I hope to climb Gotthard, Furka and Grimsel tomorrow – a nearly 100 kilometer ride, including all descents, with a total elevation gain of of some 3,000 meters.
Going out with a blast…
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List – with links – of the stages from Valdisotto:
As I strained a muscle in my back while preparing the transfer, I was afraid I might have to spend a couple of days in the passenger’s seat of the car.
Tempting as that actually sounded at the time, I was not really amused – as I have built up some experience since my crashes in 2012 and 2013, I started taking NSAID’s and applied ice packs / heat patches.
However, I knew that the “transfer stage” to Bormio was a no go – apart from the inability to walk or stand straight, the only chance I had that I was going to be able to cycle again the next week, was to rest and (try to) relax.
So, no Mendola, Palade or Val Martello, just enjoying the views from within the car. The ride was actually enjoyable and not very eventful. We had a long(er) lunch stop in Silandro, where I had originally planned our base camp for part two.
Paula then knocked me out and put me blindfolded in the back of the car, as we were about to pass the Stelvio.
By the time we arrived in Valdisotto, I was pleased again with the apartment and the surroundings, albeit not as stunning as in Corvara.
We went shopping and had a beer and a good laugh on a terrace under a pleasant sun. It looks like I will live to climb another day – we’ll see tomorrow…
For the second part of the Giro d’Italia 2015, we’ve booked an apartment in Valdisotto.
Valdisotto is located just south of Bormio, on the road to Grosio and Mazzo di Valtellina, two starting points for the climb up the Mortirolo.
Other than the Mortirolo from Mazzo, I already cycled a couple of other passes in the area four years ago. Most notably the Gavia (both ends), the Foscagno, the Umbrail and of course the Stelvio.
The latter I cycled up twice, but I’m pretty sure that one of the stages will include it again this year, for instance if/when I decide to ride my own version of the Dreiländergiro*.
Almost a week has passed since my final ride in Switzerland and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that my Giro d’Italia 2015 is over and that it’s mostly going to be the flats of my backyard again as far as riding zee baik is concerned.
