Typical fixie and trackies hates hills but why miss one of
the greatest cycling events in Italy... Giro d'Italia dubbed Stelvio Pass as cycling's killer climb. A little more than 200 kilometers Northeast of
Milan. This last day of August is Stelvio Bike Day. An open cycle tour, no charge, an
unforgettable event, breathtaking mountain scenery, and the road to the top closed to traffic!
Many cyclists consider Stelvio Pass scenically the nicest of all the Alpine Passes. It is possible to climb the Stelvio from two different sides or base of the Pass: from Lombardy, locals call it Lombardia, and Bormio at 1,200 meters elevation which Dan and his friends took, and also from Prato and South Tyrol, both in Italy. However, it is also possible to reach the Stelvio from Santa Maria in Switzerland in the west. The toughest and the most spectacular climbing is the one from Prato, with 48 hairpins. Starting from Prato, Stelvio Pass is 24.3 kilometers long. Over this distance, you climb 1,808 meters or just peaking at 6,000 feet. The average percentage is thus 7.5% straight to the top and a maximum of about 13%, topping Stelvio at 2,728 meters! This Pass is known for large SUVs to back up and maneuver to make it around some of the sharp hairpin turns. It's just not practical for modern trucks to use. The Pass is usually closed between October and May. What makes this Pass so famous is that about half of the climb is above tree level and can be seen from above, making for a very powerful and dramatic sight. Stelvio is just legendary. There are no flat places on the Stelvio, somewhere a person can keep riding and get a bit of rest! Check out Bike Race Info for an interesting read. How Stelvio came about also finds it very fascinating for me!
I remember Dan was still building his new road bike a few
months ago and now was confident to ride it hard, up these intimidating switchbacks, and then
back down wearing off those brake pads and heating up the rims. He mentioned that he uses a compact crankset 50/34 and with a 11-28 cassette. With this climb, you wanna make a bet which chainring/cog combination he used?!
He and his close friends Sonny and Sean Santiago, his Italian friend Sante Bagnara, and mentor Renato 'Ka Reny' Cataran were ready to climb when he messaged.... that was just before midnight at my side of
the world. By the way, except for mentor Ka Reny, this was their first time to climb this killer mountain! Brave men! Reny climb this behemoth last June during the Grand Fondo! It was snowy and windy that day... just a bad day as Ka Reny mentioned to him! So I had to ask, where else did you all climb? And hoping that this was in preparation for the event! He mentioned... Madonna del Ghisallo (from Erba and also from Bellagio kung saan mas mahirap), Colma di Sormano, Brunate, and Colle Brianza. HELLO!!! My inquiring stopped in it's tracks... the notorious Alps is just in their neighborhood, you know! Why should I even check Google maps, right?! He said it... and I'll just take it!
I checked my messages again early this morning and I saw his computer results. Not just the climb all done but the ride was finished and was probably driving home all tired.
I checked my messages again early this morning and I saw his computer results. Not just the climb all done but the ride was finished and was probably driving home all tired.
Finally, here's his proof that he and his close friends reached the top of
Stelvio Pass... with a BIG smile!
According to Stilfser Joch Cycling Day website, there were 7,500 cyclists went up to the Stelvio Pass from the South-Tyrolian side of Italy, Prato and another 1,800 went up from Lombardia to take the Bormio route (check the website for more pictures). The event was very festive and I won't be surprised if it added to at least ten thousand cyclists! Congratulations to you all! What an accomplishment! Here's more BIG smiles from everyone!
Yes we know that reaching the top also means going back down to get home, right! The rewards.... the fruit of labor... will be fast and furious... and done in a fraction of the time they spent climbing the switchbacks!
Here's a great shot of Dan carefully manhandling Stelvio on the return trip!
The Pinoys have conquered Stelvio Pass... and the second for Ka Reny! The next cycling day: Saturday 30th August 2014. But before that, they plan to participate at Sella Ronda in two weeks... September 15th! Same day as Arland's Philippine record setting event!
No comments:
Post a Comment