NOTE: Scroll all the way to the bottom for photos and maps/metrics from today’s ride.

I guess I was pretty worried about today’s climb, because I recall having a dream about it last night, although I don’t remember the details. I do know that I woke up at about 5:00 AM feeling nervous and couldn’t get back to sleep. Several of the other guests on the trip had similar experiences, so it was comforting to know that I was not alone.

We all met for breakfast at 7:30, then met downstairs at the bike garage at 8:30 where we loaded our luggage onto a van being driven by a new arrival, Guido. He’ll be driving our luggage to each hotel and taking videos of us along the route.

Today it was Enrico’s turn to drive the van, and Massimo’s turn to ride. We got another reminder about how to safely descend a big mountain pass, and a long briefing on the route we’d be taking. Today’s ride would begin with a 30 km climb up the Umbial and Stelvio Passes, including a stint in Switzerland and a 3 or 4 km dirt section.

The Stelvio Pass is Europe’s highest road pass. Closed in the winter, it is famous as the site of fierce fighting during World War I, as the ‘greatest driving road in the world’ according to the British TV Show Top Gear, and as the site of nine stages of the Giro d’Italia, including Fausto Coppi’s famous victory in 1953, when he was the first over the summit the first time the Giro headed over Passo Stelvio. As a result, the roads are jammed with cyclists, motorists and motorcycles.

We began our ascent from Glorenza via the Passo Umbrail, climbing steadily up from the valley below. The group quickly split into several smaller ones and I found myself somewhere in a middle group. My heart rate was higher than I’d like it to be, perhaps due to a combination of nerves, lack of training time, and the three or four coffees I had at breakfast. We passed through the Swiss border and continued climbing until we soon made a left turn and headed up the steeper sections of the Umbrail. I climbed alone for a long time, keeping Greg and Bettina in my sights, but by the time we hit the Stelvio they were way up the road and I was climbing with two Venezuelans and one American behind me.

News Flash! It turns out that none of the guys who I previously identified as Floridians are actually from Florida. One of the Venezuelans, il Maestro, told me that the mail is so bad in Venezuela that if they actually want to get something, they use a mail service in Florida.

We all met up on a switchback to get something into our stomachs and then began to climb together. I was marveling at the fact that while I was in the Autobus, I was certainly not going to be the Lanterne Rouge. Meanwhile, I was also out of water and Enrico was nowhere in sight; he was at the top of the climb supporting the riders who arrived earlier. The descent from the Stelvio is so steep and at such a high altitude that you need to put on warm clothes prior to the descent.

As a result, by the time we reached the 3 km to the summit mark, I was toast. Cramps set in to my thighs and I had to stop to down some electrolyte pills with the little water I had. The rest of the guys were sympathetic, but ready to reach the summit and went on without me. Thankfully, the electrolytes did their job and I summited just a short time after the rest of the group, although the pro who passed me like I was standing still (I probably was) and the constant noise and exhaust of the passing motorcycles certainly didn’t help.

Once at the top, we all had some food and water, took the obligatory photos with the Fausto Coppi monument and the summit sign, then put on our warm clothes (so glad I bought that new wind jacket the night before I left!) for the long descent to lunch. The descent was steep, technical and cold, requiring constant attention, good bike handling, and occasional stops to let the fingers, back and neck stretch out.

We regrouped for lunch in Prato Allo Stelvio at the base of the Pass, then continued another 60 km or so to our hotel for the evening. Everyone summited, nobody got hurt. We celebrated at dinner and are now looking forward to tomorrow when we’ll do another 80 km or so and about 1,900 meters of climbing.

Ciao for now!