Bormio - passo del Gavia

I woke shortly before 10am!

A walk around town, followed by general procrastination. I could not believe that I needed motivation to get on my bike and attempt to climb one of the world's great passes.

After a final, short rain delay, I set off at about 330pm. My legs felt so heavy and it seemed like I was crawling, which I most surely was.

One thing I had not checked was how far it was to the start of the climb. I knew the Stelvio started in town, however was not sure if it was 10km or 40km to the start of the Gavia.

Fortunately it was the former, however it was a real grind getting there. The climb itself was ok at the start hairpins, smooth surface, etc), however it became progressively harder as I went along. The hairpins stopped about halfway, the quality of the road surface deteriorated at about the same time, and the steepness increased. Not that I was complaining as this was definitely better than work! One positive was that the short burst of rain made the air very fresh.

This was a real grind. 17km or so and 2,650 elevation at the top, although I do not know what the elevation of Bormio is to calculate the change.

I arrived at the top and was amused by the pet goat running around. Funnier to look at than the albino ferret on Alpe d'Huez, however not as friendly. I had a cup of hot chocolate with a massive amount of whipped cream on top. Professionally done, as these people would not want to start an avalanche! Also a piece of cake that seemed to have chocolate in it.

A careful descent and I realised just how steep some sections were. Even the bit at the start leading up to the start of the climb had a decent gradient. A good day's work all in all.