We knew today was going to be a big test……and it turned into a monster! Probably the biggest day ever!!
A day of superlatives in any event……the single biggest climb ever (2,332m), the highest pass ever (2,760m), the highest point to which I have ever ridden a bike (2,774m)….and by far the biggest day of climbing (3,431m!!).
So…the day:
It started in a relatively leisurely fashion…..with a 40km ride (all on wonderful bike paths)….
…..following the river up around 500m…
Just lovely…
….stopping for breakfast at Prato All Stelvia…literally meaning “Meadow at Stelvia”.
This was the start really!
Stelvia Pass is the highest pass in Italy…and only misses by 4m from being the highest pass in all of the Alps! (That title is held by the Col d’Iseran, near the Italian border in France (near Val d’Isere). Stelvio is a very regular stage on the Giro d’Italia…famous for its 46 ‘tournantes’….tight switch-backs which are all numbered.
It was a comfortable…and beautiful start….
…but the road soon steepened as we came across our first ‘tournante’ (numbered down from the top!)…
It was simply an extraordinary ride…..
…..as the landscape opened up as we climbed.
I must admit that I found the going lot easier than Corey! Nothwithstanding the 35 year age gap…and the fact that I smoke far too much…and drink far too much…and as a result weigh too much (& have to carry that weight up hill!)….I determined the key difference was…that I do not take protein powder!! Haha!! Nor ‘creatine’!! Which apparently “accelerates muscle recovery, hydrates and replenishes and supports peak performance”!! It didn’t for Corey! Maybe it is a social media myth. Hahaha! (I do know Iain partakes too….!)
Tournante 23…..thankfully way past half way….
We were above the snow!!
And then……we could see the last 20 tournantes!!
Really quite daunting…but really exciting all the same..only 400m or so to go!!
Better looking down…..!!
Today we had come across a lot of cyclists wearing matching gear. All Dutch it turned out…who were doing a charity ride….up Stelvia (particularly challenging for cyclists from a flat country!!)…all in aid of disabled children.
And at the top….there were hundreds of them…..with many cheering and honking as each cyclist reached the top! There they are…! It felt like the end of a Tour de France stage!!
We did not receive quite as much noise as the Dutch…but enough to be excited about….! We’d made it…!
And then we climbed up a bit further…not just to get higher than Col d’Iseran(!!!!)…but also to take these photos!!!
Snow!!! Haha!!
And that extraordinary road…!
We then dropped back to the summit for a Bratwurst in a bun….only $20.00 each!! Haha…not your average sausage sizzle!!!
And so to the descent!!
We had only gone down 200m or so…& then disaster!!
Our road was closed!!
Two alternative options…Google advised!! So we started on the first one…into Switzerland….!!
…but this really wasn’t going to work!!! Far too far a detour….
Otherwise..a terrifying goat track!!!!
So there was really only one way to go!! Under the barrier…..!
Down the closed road!!
…..beautiful!!
And we then met a couple of Austrian cyclists coming up in the opposite direction who confirmed that the road was indeed “closed”..but that it was possible to get through…with a bit of negotiation!!!
Wonderful ride…
…but it soon became apparent why the road was closed!! Haha
….all resulting from last night’s deluge!
Glorious ride – mostly – for there was no one else on the road!!!
It was a bit of a relief to reach the barrier at the other end however…!
…and so on down to the ‘bottom’….
…and well-deserved beers!!!!
It is difficult to explain really…..unless you’ve done it! But imagine……(for the benefit of Marlburians……)
We had just cycled up to the top of Mount Cook from the village..a monster!….dropping down for some celebratory beers…..a huge ride….
We were both well knackered…tired legs…sore bum……..actually buggered!!
And then having “rehydrated” enough…ready for a good sleep….
…we THEN had to cycle up 420m Mount Vernon…and down…..TWICE!!
It was somehow more daunting than those switchbacks! And yes….it was truly punishing!!
(IF YOU SEE KAY!!) .. for the benefit of grandson Fred!!)’
…not sure he is reading this yet!!!
And so to the top…again!!!
A mere 1,000m higher than our end of day beers!! You cannot imagine the relief!!
..and it was only (sadly)….a 200m descent to our accommodation at Trepalle.
Now…what was weird..was that when we “summitted” again over the Passo Fluela…at an elevation of a mere 2,384 metres!! (FFS!!!)…..
…was that there was a posse of Italian customs police!! (Now..Italy is unusual in that it has at least seven police forces!! )
These guys were armed!!
…an internal provincial border….!!!??
WTF?
..but here it is the Guardia di Finanza…! In charge of customs….!
So…why?
It turns out that this tiny Livigno region of Italy…has always been so difficult to get to…(particularly in Winter…still is!!)…that they were granted special status..such that no VAT is charged here! A benefit dating back forever?! Who knew!!???
So multiple “duty free” shops…as we rolled down to Trepalle (only picked off the Booking.com map for its affordability!)
…..had to look it up!!
And it gets stranger!!
Firstly…Trepalle is – apparently – the very highest “parish” in Europe!!! …at 2,209 metres!?
Not only that…the watershed from neighbouring Livigno is the only one in Italy that runs to the Black Sea!!! Have a look at the map and see how weird that is !!!!!
Anyway……we had arrived!
Knackered..buggered..exhausted..however you want to paint it!!!
Wonderful wee apartment ….(this is the view from the following morning!!)
Thankfully there was a bar not too far away!!
No English…..only German!!…..(& I thought we were back in Italy!!!!)
Ho hum!!
What a strange place all things considered!!
But try these stats for size:
Trepalle is the highest parish in Europe.
The average temperature…across the year …is below zero!!
Average (high/low) temperature in June is 11.1/2.0 degrees!!
Average rain days in June…..13..!
So we were lucky to hit it amidst a Europe-wide heatwave…so our minimum was a mere 9 degrees!!!!!!!
Hahaha… it was bloody freezing…having beers outside!! But they tasted soooo very good!!!
What a day!!!!!!!!
What a day!!!!!!!!
….sorry…….been a long post!!!!!!
OMG THAT BLOODY ROAD! Legends the pair of you!!!
What a fantastic day in the alps guys and the WEE climb. All power to you