Fargo and Away

When the alarm went off this morning, I was pretty sure I was just going to stay in bed. Legs felt dead, my brain was foggy, and I was still feeling the effects of the extra glass of wine from last night.

Instead, I got up and went through my morning ritual. I find it difficult sometimes to remember everything I need for long rides: helmet, glasses, lights for the bike, GPS, load the route in the GPS, snacks, sandwich, layers for descending from the passes, extra gloves, drink powder, water bottles, water for the water bottles, phone, bike shoes, helmet…oh wait I already have the helmet…but where are my glasses? Oh, on my head. I make several laps around the room until I’m confident I have everything, then, one more check, and I head to the elevator. And as soon as the elevator closes I realize I left my helmet on the bed.

Eventually, I get downstairs and have breakfast with the group. Eggs aren’t out yet so we have to wait. I think about how tired my legs are.

Beata comes down and she’s had a horrible night sleep. She’s debating what to do also.

We finish breakfast, take care of last minute business, and get to our bikes.

My bike this morning is showing a dead battery in the gear shift lever. I wonder if this is a sign to skip the ride and go back to sleep. Ken says, “Don’t worry about it. My shifter has been showing dead since yesterday but is still working.”

I’m out of excuses.

Our group set out today to do essentially the reverse of the ride we did on the first day. Two big climbs with a planned stop in the town of Cortina for lunch and some shopping.

Beata decides to ride, too, and we are in the same group. We start the climb to the first climb. Within a half hour we come to a church that Beata wants to check out. I follow so I can get off the bike and stretch a bit. The church turns out to be super charming.

Beata comes out of the church beaming, and takes off up the hill. She starts singing Shake it Off.

The stretching stop helped me, too. We rejoin the group and as we gaze down on the lake from where our ride begins, the vibe shifts in the right way. Everyone is smiling and laughing.

Someone unintentionally makes a heart on the bench.

We get back on the bikes and prepare to climb for the next hour or so.

Though we have been on this road before, it looks different coming from the other direction.

Everyone finds their own rhythm and we arrive at Passo Falzarego.

We refuel and fill our water bottles. A motion is made to skip Cortina, as by the time we would get there all the shops would be closed. We decide instead to have a coffee stop at the bottom of the next climb. My legs are very happy with this decision. Cortina would have added 6 miles and over 1000 feet of climbing.

Several in our group did go to Cortina and had a lovely time.

The second climb is a bit shorter now, and several groups make their way to the Giau pass where we stop to warm up as it has gotten a bit cooler.

All that was left was a fast descent and pace- line hammer fest back to the hotel.

We topped it off with some photos by the lake and some beverages and snacks at a lake-side shack there.

Tonight, we pack up as tomorrow our ride is not an out and back: we head from Alleghe to Bolzano for some R&R before we tackle the Stelvio Pass.

All and all, a great day, and one that ended far better than it started. Sometimes you just gotta get on your bike and go and trust it will all work out, as it did today.

Buonanotte!