The School of Stelvio

Last week the Dawn Raiders annual trip abroad took place and this years chosen destination was Bormio in the Italian Alps, as opposed to Borneo in South East Asia as one friend thought.

The reason for choosing Bormio is because it is situated at the foot of the Stelvio Pass, one of the most famous and iconic climbs in the Cycling World.

Flying Ryanair from Dublin to Bergamo at 7.15am required a 3.30am departure from home.

Landing at 11.45 local time we then hired two cars which were located a 3 minute walk from the arrivals hall. There are cheap cars and expensive cars available for hire in Bergamo airport. The expensive ones make their money up front whilst the cheaper options lash it on when you return. Luckily for us a photo of a damaged rim was taken before the car moved out and upon return that photo saved us a few hundred euro.

Off we then set on the 3 hour drive to Bergamo, stopping along the way at an outwardly unremarkable roadside restaurant for lunch. Unremarkable until we were led out the back on to the terrace overlooking a lake and mountains to be presented with the most sumptuous of local Italian food all for the price of a McDonalds back home.

Our hotel in Bormio was the Funivia. A real cyclists hotel where the basement has a full workshop and bike storage garage and where every floor has a laundry basket for your cycling kit. Pop it in before 6pm and you will find it back by 6am washed and dried for you. The owners husband is a real cycling enthusiast who has 3 Pinarellos. An F12, a Gravel and an ex Team Sky Bolde TT bike all hanging up in the garage. Daniello also everested the Stelvio and earned for himself the moniker ‘Stelvioman’, just like Superman but with a cooler T-Shirt. He had some great words of wisdom too. He said “Many people come here and say that they only live once, we say you only die once but you can live every single day’

Iphones on our journey announced that the Stelvio was closed due to a massive landslide and thoughts of a wasted journey began to meander until a whisper which turned into a shout went around the hotel reception that the road would be open the following morning for 1 hour. It would mean a 6.30am start, a lie in for the Dawn Raiders.

Leaving the hotel the following morning as darkness fought with the sunrise to hinder visibility we found ourselves climbing almost immediately. Then just on the other side of town came the sign, Stelvio Pass.

The climb is steep but not brutal and the road surface is a pure pleasure, especially when our main training route at home in north County Waterford is affectionately known as both the Bengazi Boulevard and the Rubble of Roubaix. We are used to dodging craters the size of small cars in the dark whilst climbing the same type of gradient which actually turned out to be great training.

On a climb like the Stelvio you get a lot of time to think. Time to get to know yourself and your perceived limits. Time to appreciate all that’s around you and all that you take for granted. You listen to your breathing as you feel the pain in your legs. You gain perspective and peace as work, phones, email and all the cares and worries that come with everyday life just fade away and you find yourself just there, cycling up a mountain, surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery on the World. Whenever you find yourself in a place like that it’s important to realise that all of the Strava KOM’s are long gone. You are never going to get within an asses roar of that time some 22 year old 55kg Pro set. So slow down by 1km per hour and lift your head up. Stop staring at the ground beneath your pedals and take in every inch of the majestic scenery that surrounds you. Chances are you will never, ever get the chance to see it again.

We stopped a few times to take a few photos and the just as we neared the summit, having encountered cyclists from all around the World (Australians are amongst the most regular visitors to Bormio) we passed a guy in a Mallorca 312 jersey, said hello and received the reply ‘Howayaz lads’. I knew the voice straight away. Howaya Damien. We hadn’t met in about 10 years and there we were bumping into each other at the top of the Stelvio.

We regrouped in the highest up coffee shop, indoors as it was pretty cold even though the sun was shining crisply outside.

Getting to the top of a climb is always the goal but when you get there it’s all over. Remember to savour every pedal revolution of the journey to the top itself. Much like life that can be the most enjoyable part.

Gillets and Arm warmers  were put back on for the descent. Many cyclists bring a very small rucksack with a change of gear but I usually find a spare base layer is all you need to feel fresh once again for the descent, or after any time you stop for coffee on a cold day.

The switchback descent is exhilarating. You can get down faster than most cars, but have to be very careful as the cars pass slow riders on the way up and the road is not very wide so you are often exiting a corner just inches from an oncoming car. Caution is the best approach, most of the time anyway.

In the valley below we were soon in Switzerland where many of the drivers are so safety conscious that they test out their horns with amazing regularity. We were all in single file but they were still very keen to say hello with their horns.

After a quick lunch stop next came the Ofenpass. We hadn’t given this one much thought but in 28 degree heat after the 6 degrees at the top of Stelvio our bodies were questioning what the hell we were at. Back into the zone, back into the hurt locker. Get a rhythm going. 5 on the left, 5 on the right. Push for 5, pull for 5. Keep going, and going, and going. We all got there in the end with the general consensus being that there was more suffering done there than on the Stelvio itself. Partly due to the effort already put in.

A nice descent followed until we reached a tunnel for Livigno. You cant cycle through but there is a regular shuttle bus that brings you and your bike for around €5. Out the other side and we floated down into Livigno. A really beautiful tax free oasis. Coffee and Gelato were required and consumed. 40k awaited to get back to Bormio and with darkness encroaching we decided to catch a bus. The local busses all have bike racks on the back so €10 for bike and body got you over a seriously hilly 40k to Bormio where beer, vino and pasta await.

Next morning with the Gavia closed the Mortirolo was definitely on the cards. Dropping down 500 meters over 40k made everyone pause to think of the only way back. Straight back up the same road. How would the legs feel about that after putting them through the agony of the Mortirolo?

The Mortirolo, for anyone who knows Tickincor, is like Tickincor for 13k. It’s not a climb where you ride as a group. It is a real every man for himself do all you can to survive type of climb.

The best way to climb something that steep is as follows :

In the saddle push down with your right leg for a count of 5, then switch over to your left for 5 and vise versa until you feel your legs weakening. Then focus on pulling up for 5 on each leg a number of times. Then get out of the saddle and push down on the pedals with your body weight. 5 on the left and then 5 on the right.

By doing this you allow certain muscle groups brief periods of recovery and overall your legs will not get as sore or as tired as quickly as they may otherwise do. You will also be able to maintain a more consistent speed and pace by doing this.

The top eventually came and then we found ourselves riding along the crest of the mountain range going from one spectacularly scenic side to another before another hair raising descent to Tirano for lunch.

The climb back to Bormio wasn’t half as bad as expected with just one short sharp kicker to wake us all up.

For the 3 nights we were there we ate once in the hotel, once in the nearby steakhouse and once in the traditional Italian across the road and did not have one bad meal between us.

There are a number of good bike hire shops in Bormio but the one nearest the hotel does get booked up quickly so book well in advance if you can.

Finally another early start and as we headed for the airport we stopped at a cafe in a small town on the shore of Lake Como and asked for 5 take away coffees. It was a Sunday morning and the owner looked at us incredulously. We thought that he didn’t have good english but that was not the problem. We did soon find out though when he said ‘You do not take away coffee, you sit and enjoy coffee!’ Lesson learned and message understood, we all sat and enjoyed what turned out to be the best coffee of the entire trip. How often do we rush through all of the events of the day rather than giving those moments that deserve our attention more focus and stopping to actually enjoy life. If that is not what it is all about then what are we doing it all for?

Ciao,

Barry

Strava link to our spin:

https://www.strava.com/activities/2707887814