Cycling World Magazine March 2016 | Page 93

March 2017 | 93
group . Did I really hear them cheering ? Only once I came to a gasping halt did I turn and see Alberto Contador , resplendent in his neon team colours a mere 50m behind me . Maybe the cheers hadn ’ t been for my efforts after all . Before I had a chance to ask him where his playbox was and what was top of his DJ playlist he was passed me and into the descent without stopping .
As I sipped my hot gluwein and drank in the grandeur of the mountain peaks something remarkable occurred to me ; I had beaten Alberto Contador over the summit of the Passo di Gavia . I had completed the 26km in 1:50:46 and I was proud . Somehow the fact that Alberto had set off a full hour after me didn ’ t seem that important .
P . S . The descent of the Gavia is a particularly exciting one due to the steep gradient and tight corkscrew bends ; it ’ s like riding a roller coaster on a bicycle . On the way down I overtook an unsuspecting motorcyclist who did a comic book double take as I flew silently by . This is a fairy tale of a climb , tough ( the average gradient is 8 %, the middle section ramps up to 14 %) but never spiteful . Just when you feel you might be running out of juice the mountain gives you something back , a flat section or a tiny descent . I will return to ride the Stelvio but in the meantime if you have a chance to ride the Passo di Gavia take it , you will not be disappointed .
P . P . S . On my return home and on closer inspection of my invitation I noticed that I may have been the victim of a hurried translation from Italian to English . Only then did it become clear that instead of ‘ Pasta Party and DJ with Alberto Contador ’ it should have read ‘ Pasta Party with DJ and Alberto Contador .’ Oh well , I thought , there ’ ll beb plenty of time for that next year .