March 2017 | 91
Alpine towns of Bormio on one side and Ponte di Legno on the other meeting at the summit at a height of 2618m . When ridden from Bormio the climb is 26km long . It begins gently at first , the SP29 road leaving Bormio and meandering gently through the pine trees . The route passes uneventfully through the sleepy villages of Uzza , San Antonio and San Gottardo before entering the verdant Parco Nationale dello Stelvio . At 13km you reach the village of Santa Caterina , the road ramps up , turns right and the real fun begins . Up to this point in the climb I had been riding with rh + General Manager Marzio Demartin , an ex professional skier with the build of a pro cyclist . He had been taking it easy on me and we chatted as we rode along together . Having reached the turn he rose from the saddle , accelerated away and as he disappeared into the distance shouted over his shoulder , ‘ This is where the real climb begins , welcome to the Gavia !’
We had decided to set off early as my flight time from Milan Linate airport meant I would have to take on the Milan rush hour traffic . Up the mountain early and off the mountain early was my mantra . Back in Bormio Alberto Contador was addressing a crowd of eager cyclists before formally firing the start gun , hopping into a helicopter and flying to Ponte di Legno where he would do the same on the other side . He then returned by helicopter to Bormio . There he mounted his Tinkoff-Saxo S-Works Venge , rode up the Gavia , over the summit and descended into Ponte di Legno before turning around and riding back up to the summit !
Out of Santa Caterina the crumbling tarmac twists through the pines and in a heartbeat you ’ re clear of the hustle of the world below . This is an impossibly pretty climb , small and intimate , gentle even , replete with mountain goats who casually occupy the road and eye the passing , panting cyclists with mild disdain .
At about 20km the road kicks up to its steepest gradient . The scale of the landscape grows and each bend reveals another colossal Alpine vista . The scale of the mountain scape sends shivers down your spine . It was here during the 1988 Giro that a US 7-Eleven-Hoonved rider , Andy Hampsten from North Dakota made history in the most extreme conditions the Giro had ever seen . As the weather closed in and the torrential rain turned to snow , the peloton pleaded with the race organizers to cancel the stage . Most
teams were woefully ill-prepared for the conditions but the 7-Eleven- Hoonved management had predicted the weather and had stocked up on extreme weather ski gear for their riders .
With the peloton in disarray , Hampsten and Dutch rider Erik Breukink attacked , descending the treacherous snow covered roads into Bormio without fear , desperate for the shelter of their team cars . Breukink won the day and Hampsten entered the record books going on to become the first and only American to win the Giro d ’ Italia .
Having passed the steepest section the road flattens and winds its way across a plateau before revealing the biggest surprise of the ride , a mountain top lake , Largo Nero sparking amidst the snowcapped peaks . Heartened by the sight of the summit and with the relentless pull of gravity reduced by the gentle gradient I upped my pace . I could see a considerable group of cyclists and photographers gathered at the inflatable summit marker which had been specially erected for the event . As I grew nearer , the sight of the crowd made me stronger and I crossed the line at a pace that seemed to impress the assembled