Day 23 - Three New Passes
Monday1st August 2016
I leave Camping La Tartufaia at 9am. When I stop for fuel a Buell XB12 Lightning pulls in. I have a chat with the owner, another Buell enthusiast.
Next I ride up a small ravine road that has been recommended by the campsite owner this morning. It is narrow with cascading water everywhere and many very old tunnels. The sort of road you never find without local guidance.
Next a beautiful ride up the gorge to Passo della Presolana at 1300m. There are 7 very tight tournanti just below the summit. I stop at an alpine style cafe and souvenir shop in the village and enjoy a cappuccino and a marmalada croissant sitting outside on a terrace and basking in the hot sun .
Then I double back the way I came to head for Passo del Vivioni. This one is special. The road climbs up the valley into the tree line past lots of walkers and tourist lodgings. It is a poor road surface with huge dips and broken carriageway.
Then it changes as you ride up over the 1200m contour. The road is now single track and well paved. Fortunately there is virtually no traffic as there are few passing places.
The views down and across to the distinctive jagged mountain peaks of the Dolomites across the other side of the valley are quite stunning. It is quite hard work with the possibility of a car coming down towards me round the blind corners. But I see only 3 or 4 cyclists all the way up.
I stop at the small refugio at the top for an espresso. They have rooms and an extensive lunch menu, but I have determined to have lunch in Edolo.
After lunch I take the road from Edolo to Ponte di Legno and start the climb up to the Passo Gavia. This is a big one and it takes an age on the worn out road, much of it is single track with a few passing places. It is astonishingly beautiful and I'm feeling very pleased with myself; this route is new to me and is one of the most spectacular I have ever found in the Alps.
The clouds are rolling in close and forbidding. I stop above a small shimmeringly blue lake just before the top to take a few photos.
As I approach the summit the clouds are gathering and before long I am riding in and out of wispy cloud. The temperature is dropping rapidly as I gain altitude.
Finally I arrive at the refugio at the 2,562m summit of Passo Gavia. I stop for an espresso at the top. I have met no traffic on the climb up but there are a few hardy bikers enjoying the views at the summit.
After the coffee stop I follow the long twisting ride down to the lovely tourist town of Bormio. This is a cycle racing route and much wider and better paved than the tortuous run up the south side of Gavia.
Bormio lies at the southern foot of the famous Stelvio Pass, Stilfersjoch in German. I follow the satnav to a camp site a few miles south of the town. Stelvio can wait.
Here I meet a lady rider called Franziska. She is quite a world traveller. At present she lives in Uruguay but is visiting her parents in Germany and doing some alpine touring on a 650cc BMW baby GS. She has lived in Australia and travelled the world either by bike or backpacking. A tough lady.
The camping ground is in a narrow valley running down north-south so the sun is behind the glowering mountains by 4pm and won't be seen again until after 10am. A gloomy place.
 |
| Random meeting with another Buell owner |
I leave Camping La Tartufaia at 9am. When I stop for fuel a Buell XB12 Lightning pulls in. I have a chat with the owner, another Buell enthusiast.
Next I ride up a small ravine road that has been recommended by the campsite owner this morning. It is narrow with cascading water everywhere and many very old tunnels. The sort of road you never find without local guidance.
 |
| Cascade country |
Next a beautiful ride up the gorge to Passo della Presolana at 1300m. There are 7 very tight tournanti just below the summit. I stop at an alpine style cafe and souvenir shop in the village and enjoy a cappuccino and a marmalada croissant sitting outside on a terrace and basking in the hot sun .
Then I double back the way I came to head for Passo del Vivioni. This one is special. The road climbs up the valley into the tree line past lots of walkers and tourist lodgings. It is a poor road surface with huge dips and broken carriageway.
 |
| The climb up Passo del Vivioni |
Then it changes as you ride up over the 1200m contour. The road is now single track and well paved. Fortunately there is virtually no traffic as there are few passing places.
The views down and across to the distinctive jagged mountain peaks of the Dolomites across the other side of the valley are quite stunning. It is quite hard work with the possibility of a car coming down towards me round the blind corners. But I see only 3 or 4 cyclists all the way up.
 |
| The distinctive jagged mountain peaks of the Dolomites |
I stop at the small refugio at the top for an espresso. They have rooms and an extensive lunch menu, but I have determined to have lunch in Edolo.
 |
| Ponte di Legno |
After lunch I take the road from Edolo to Ponte di Legno and start the climb up to the Passo Gavia. This is a big one and it takes an age on the worn out road, much of it is single track with a few passing places. It is astonishingly beautiful and I'm feeling very pleased with myself; this route is new to me and is one of the most spectacular I have ever found in the Alps.
 |
| Feeling blessed on the climb up Gavia |
The clouds are rolling in close and forbidding. I stop above a small shimmeringly blue lake just before the top to take a few photos.
 |
| Climbing up Gavia from the south |
 |
| The clouds are hovering over the summit |
 |
| In and out of the clouds |
Finally I arrive at the refugio at the 2,562m summit of Passo Gavia. I stop for an espresso at the top. I have met no traffic on the climb up but there are a few hardy bikers enjoying the views at the summit.
After the coffee stop I follow the long twisting ride down to the lovely tourist town of Bormio. This is a cycle racing route and much wider and better paved than the tortuous run up the south side of Gavia.
 |
| Glacial lake near the summit |
Bormio lies at the southern foot of the famous Stelvio Pass, Stilfersjoch in German. I follow the satnav to a camp site a few miles south of the town. Stelvio can wait.
Here I meet a lady rider called Franziska. She is quite a world traveller. At present she lives in Uruguay but is visiting her parents in Germany and doing some alpine touring on a 650cc BMW baby GS. She has lived in Australia and travelled the world either by bike or backpacking. A tough lady.
 |
| Camping at Valdisotto |
The camping ground is in a narrow valley running down north-south so the sun is behind the glowering mountains by 4pm and won't be seen again until after 10am. A gloomy place.
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