Passo dello Stelvio and Lake Como

Travel day - We are heading north to Bormio at the base of the Stelvio National Park.

This had to be one of the best travel days we have had. We got up early and rode to Florence Station. While Cam dissassembled the bikes I went in search of the Post Office to send home yet another care package of stuff we have collected along the way.

However, this was not to be. There was no one at the Post Officer who spoke English and the cow of a woman who was serving me was not interested in my very poor Italian. Alas, I grabbed my stuff and went back to Cam very frustrated.

We bought our tickets for Milan and then went to have a coffee and wait for our train to leave. From Milan we caught a regional train upto Tirano and then a bus to Bormio.

It sounds like a long day but everything flowed really well and we basically got off one train and straight onto the next.

As we arrived in Bormio the heavens were warning us of the impending rain so we decided to grab a hotel. We headed over to the Tourist Office and found a cheap hotel (or what we thought was a cheap hotel).

After settling in we headed off to explore town. As it neared dinner time we headed to a restaurant that served pasta - we needed carbs for the climb up Passo dello Stelvio tomorrow.

Dinner - I have to mention dinner as it was one of the best meals we have had. We started with an entree of Smoked Goose followed by pasta - I had spinach pasta balls with some kind of cheese sauce and Cam had deep fried cheese balls rolled in a buckwheat flour and salad. All our dishes were local specialities.

Thursday - Passo dello Stevio

We woke up and looked outside - it was still pretty cloudy but there were patches of blue sky. We dediced to catch the bus to the pass and then if the weather was okay, ride down to Prato del Stelvio and then ride back up.

The bus trip was educational. I don't know how they get the buses up the road in winter. It is narrow, steep and full of tight switchbacks and tunnels.

We were met at the top with falling snow and cold winds. Did I mention snow - you know that white stuff that falls from the sky when it is really bloody cold!!

We tossed up what to do - should we ride, should we catch the bus back down and try tomorrow...... we decided to give it a go. I made it down 12 switchbacks or roughly 3kms before I could no longer feel my fingers. The weather was getting worse so we turned around and rode back up and straight to a hotel for coffees and a hot fire.

During the time we were defrosting the weather cleared and we decided to give it another go. We decended to switchback number 32 and decided to turn around and head back up. This gave us enough time to get back to the top and catch the last bus back down to Bormio if needed.

As far as climbs go it wasn't that bad. I know I know I just admitted that a climb wasn't total hell. Don't get me wrong it was still long and hard but easier going that Alpe d'Huez. Once we arrived at the top we headed again to the hotel - this time for lunch as well as to again defrost.

We walked in the door and were instantly greeted by the owner telling us to sit by the fire and she ordered us soup and hot chocloate. We were too tired to argue. Guess we looked cold or something.

After warming up we decided to ride back to Bormio. A decision that ended up not being a warm one.

As soon as we popped over the top of the pass the weather was completely different. We were instantly hit with a blisteringly cold gale. We gritted our teeth and kept going - slowly to keep from freezing. About 1/4 of the way down we ran into rain/sleet and this made it so much more unpleasant. By the time we arrived in Bormio the weather had set in.

We both had a hot shower and warmed up before returning to the restaurant from last night for another gormet feast.

Friday - Gavia Pass

First is was Col fever, then an insect bite now it is Passo fever. Cam had decided that he wanted to tourture himself a little more and seeings the weather had cleared he decided to ride up the Gavia Pass.

I stayed in Bormio and hit the Post Office to finally send the care package that I tried to send in Florence and to do our washing.

Saturday - Bormio to Colico

We checked out of the hotel and rolled out of town. Today's ride take us from 1200 metres down to 400 metres. the going was easy with an occassional incline thrown in to keep us awake.

We arrived in Tirano with nearly 2 hours to spare before our train left. We didn't realise just how quickly our ride was. Our average speed was just under 20km an hour.

After buying our ticket we grabbed an early lunch and warmed up in the sunshine.

The train trip was about an hour and by passed a stretch of the trip that was not ideal. The directions in the Lonely Planet were dodgy and there were many sections of the ride that we were not allowed to ride in bikes so we dediced to catch the train and be done with it.

We arrive in Colico at around 2pm and headed to the campground. Once we set up camp we went for a walk around town - we found a pub with a TV and settled for the arvo to watch the end of the Tour.

Once the Tour had finished we header to the supermarket and grabbed some food for dinner.

Sunday - Colico to Lecco

The only hard part of todays ride was a side trip to Abbazia di Piona. According to the Lonely Planet it was about 5km's return to the Abbey and back. What they don't tell you is that it is actually 2.5kms well more like 3.5kms on a pebblecrete road. When I say pebblecrete I mean like the pool surface but the rocks are fist sized! It was so bumpy that I actually had a pain in my kidneys. To top things off, once we actually arrived we couldn't go in because of course it was a sunday and they had sunday service. doh!!

We turned around and rode back out to the main road. The trip back was no where near as bumpy as we were riding slowly uphill.

The rest of the ride was uneventful as we followed the road as it wound around the lake. We arrived in Lecco at lunchtime and headed straight to the campsite 4km out the other side of town. After setting up camp and having some lunch we decided to ride into town and see if we could catch the end of the Tour.

Our luck had run out - on the way into town it started to rain and after seaching ALL the pubs in the centre of town we settled on F1. What a totally boring sport to watch on TV. Once we realised that we weren't going to get any Tour we headed back to the campground for dinner.

Monday - Lecco to Bellagio

The ride to Bellagio took us along a narrow road sitting just above the water. After riding through two long tunnels on the way out of Lecco the road winds its way to Bellagio. The views were beautiful, we looked across the lake at the road we rode in on yesterday.

After riding for a few km's we came across a small peaceful town with the lovely campsite - we couldn't believe that we stayed in Lecco with all the noice when we could have ridden for another 10 minutes or so and been at this campsite. Oh well next time..

The ride to Bellagio was short - only about 20 km's. We arrived in town and decided that we would have a coffee and something to eat as we didn't really have breakfast. We stopped at the tourist office to find out about accommodation for the night. The campsite was about 4kms out of town at the top of a nasty climb. We both agreed climb aside, Bellagio is a town that you want to be in the centre to experience. We a hotel and dumped our stuff. Cam wanted to visit an Abbey close by that was dedicated to the Patron Saint of Cycling. The only downside - it was of course on the top of the mountain. The Lonely Planet described the climb as humbling........

After climbing for about 9km at grades reaching 14% in sections we realised that we were not on the right road! Why does that only ever happen when the going is tough?! Thankfully the right road was below us so we were able to basically roll the rest of the way to the Abbey - about 5 kms. In the end we climbed about 200 metres in altitude gain further than we had to..... doh!!

The church was sweet - as you walk in you notice that it is really quite small, it is then that you notice all the bike frames and race jerseys hanging on the walls, not bad for a church!

Next to the church is a monument to cycling and then next to that is the beginnings of a new cycling museum being built. behind the monument is a look out with a great view back to Lecco and also down to the road that we rode in on this morning.

We heading back down to Bellagio - wow - it was so fast.

We had a shower and then wondered around - very slowly as our legs were trashed. We found an awesome place to have a drink overlooking the lake. After a few beers and some really bad service we moved on. We found another bar and ordered some cocktails. Only the best - we earnt them!

After a few drinks we headed back to the hotel for dinner and bed. I was very very tired.

Tuesday - Bellagio to Como

We were not quick to get on the road today. After having some breakfast in the hotel (part of our room rate) we packed our things and hit the road. It was again a short day today. Thank god as I my legs were still really sore from yesterday.

The road was not as flat as yesterday but we took each hill slowly and after about an hour or so we stopped for coffee at a little bar that overlooked the lake. We didn't realise just how high we had climbed. The water was a long way below us. That only meant one thing - a decent - as Como, our final destination was right on the water.

Not long after coffee - like 5 or so kms we rolled into Como. What a beautiful little town. We rode to a piazza near the water where we found a restaurant. We grabbed lunch and enjoyed the fact that the ride was over and we would be heading to Verona.

After a very relxing long lunch we had a look around town. We were checking our some post cards when Cam was approached by a journalist and we were asked some questions about our travels and what we thought of the lake Como area, they finished the interview off with some pictures and a promise to send the article to us when it is finished.

We rode to the train station and caught a train to Milan and then onto Verona.


Click here to see some pics