A few days in Italy, it would be rude not to be in search of the up. On a ride organised by Traverse Aravis a group of Ripcor riders ventures on this search for all the clims that Italy and The Dolomites have to offer.
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. Also known as the "Pale Mountains", they take their name from the carbonate rock dolomite, itself named for 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who was the first to describe the mineral.
Day 1- Stelvio and Passo Umbrail
Our first day in Italy was a big one, the legendary Passo Stelvio, climbing out of Bormio and descending into Switzerland for lunch, before climbing back into Italy via Passo Umbrail.
Stelvio; with its elevation of 2757 meters, and roughly 25km in length is a big one to get the legs turning over. From leaving the chalet we were climbing up with the 48 hairpin turns creating the wall effect as you look up the mountain climb. It's one that appears to go on and on, but the scenery does not disappoint as you head higher and higher nearing the cafe at the top.
Upon reaching the top and taking a much needed coffee stop, the descent was quick, flowing and equally as beautiful. We descended into Switzerland with some riders having to stop intermittently to cool down their carbon rims from over heating. A huge bonus of disc brakes is not having any concerns of this.
Arriving at the base we knew one thing. It was a case of heading back up.. The Swiss side of the Dolomites was green, luscious and full of farm land as we waited at the base of Passo Umbrail for lunch served by Michael from Traverse Aravis
Once we were fueled up, the climb began again. Steeper than Stelvio and having already climbed a huge amount in the morning, the legs were quickly burning winding through the forests. Finally we joined back on to Passo Dello Stelvio with the descent of what we climbed ahead of us before rolling back into Bormio.
Day 1 complete.
Strava file below.
