Fargo and Away

This post is much delayed…but I hope it’s worth the wait. I was too tired to post when we completed the ride, and then the next two days got away from me, too. So, pretend I posted this on Tuesday.

Today’s ride was what the entire Italy trip was building to: climbing the famous Passo di Stelvio.

The Stelvio is famous for being one of the highest passes in Alps at an elevation of 9,045 ft. It is along the border of Switzerland and was built by the Austrians in the 1820s. From the north side, there are 48 numbered hairpin turns. It’s a magnet for owners of sports cars, motorcycles, and road bikes. It’s been featured in the Giro d’Italia bike race multiple times, including earlier this year.

Our morning began early about 50 miles from the base of the Stelvio in Bolzano. We checked out of our hotel and began winding our way through the narrow cobblestoned streets to the river, where we hopped onto a bicycle path that was busy with commuters.

As we neared the edges of the town we picked up the pace, stopping now and then to snap a photo of a castle or bridge.

The going was relatively easy, as it was flat to downhill for the first 20 or so miles. It was hot, though, and we knew we had a big climb ahead, so we tried not to push the pace too much.

The cycleway was an amazing piece of infrastructure paralleling a river for many miles and train tracks for other long stretches. I wish the US had more cycleways like this; we are still waiting for our tiny path to get connected to neighboring towns.

We also passed through vineyards and orchards. The mountains were off in the distance, always reminding us of the climb to come.

The Stelvio climb began rather innocently. We found ourselves climbing up between a river and a road. The grades were manageable but it was noticeably warmer.

And then, we saw the sign for the first of 48 hairpins that would lead us to the pass. We were all smiles at this point.

From then on, we were climbing…

…and climbing…

…and climbing.

Along the way, every kind of vehicle is passing us, including a line of non-time machine Deloreans heading up as a line of vintage Jaguars descended.

We even saw a 3-wheeled Reliant Robin making the climb. I could not stop to take a picture, but imagine seeing this car navigating hairpin turns at 9000 ft of elevation.

After an hour or so the climb got steeper and the heat of the day really started to take its toll. There were stretches where the pitch seemed to stay above 12% for ever. Though I was pushing fluids, I felt myself getting closer to hitting the wall as I neared the pass. I had been doubting my ability to complete this climb for weeks, but even though I was suffering a bit, the ever expanding views were a welcome distraction. As I neared the pass, I was having some difficulty trusting my GPS, because the top still seemed so far off. I texted my family what I thought of its estimates.

When I finally reached the top of the climb, I was so exhausted I could barely function for a while. It was an emotional moment for me, and for several in our group. Many hugs were given. Some tears were shared, especially by those in our group who had overcome significant challenges in recent months and were not able to train the way they would have a wanted to train. I am so thankful to have been able to see my friends reach this goal.

I had a Coke and some food to revive myself and got ready for the long, fast, cold descent to Bormio. Because it’s difficult to come to a complete stop when descending, or even see beyond the road in front of you to have a reason to stop, I have few pictures to share from that part of our ride. At one point I was stuck on a long downhill behind a Range Rover going 25 mph, separated from the rear of the group, though my bike wanted to go faster. Finally, I was able to pass the SUV and catch the group. We found a small hydro-electric plant powered by an impressive waterfall and stopped to rest our brakes.

We all safely arrived in Bormio, and pedaled to our hotel with just enough time to shower before dinner, and just enough energy to finish dessert before going to bed.

The GPS put the ride at over 80 miles with almost 9000 feet of climbing. I’ve done a couple of longer rides with more climbing but none with most of the climbing concentrated over such a short distance. This ride took a lot out of me, but it was also the most rewarding ride I have completed.

I fell asleep as soon as I got to my room. And, that is why I did not post this blog on Tuesday.