Day 2: Big Mountain Passes
Day 2 of a big cycling adventure is always the test to me. After climbing Gavia, my legs have more than 2000 meters of elevation on them. With an ambitious plan to add another 2000+, how will I fare?
The plan for the day is to start in Bormio and make our way to Livigno. That involves climbing over Passo Foscagno and Passo Eira before descending into Livigno. From there, we would ascend Passo Forcola and Passo Bernina to get to San Moritz and close out the day with a friend in Maloja. Picturesque and ambitious.
The first part of the day was especially exciting for two reasons. First, we lived in Livigno for part of the pandemic and have driven the road between Bormio and Livigno many times. The turns are all familiar, but with a very different mode of transit. We know it to be picturesque, but it is unfamiliar by bike. Second, the Giro D’Italia had a stage that raced these roads and it was SO exciting to watch Pogacar triumph in May, riding these roads and finishing at the top of the Mottolino ski hill in Livigno. I’d certainly be channeling him on this ride.
As expected, the turns were familiar and every vista was spectacular. I love moving at cycle pace because I test my body and observe so much more. What I didn’t expect was the number of pros that we passed along the way. With the Tour de France in full force, we know that the riders blowing by us and riding in the other direction are the folks who probably just missed the cut and have ambitions for next year. They are training hard and have enviable dreams. There were also female riders tearing down the hills in their pro gear. It was so exciting for me to see. A local metal artist does cycling sculptures and one of his pieces was featured along the highway, a cyclist profile that read Tadej Pogacar Giro d’Italia.
Unfortunately, there was also a ton of car traffic paired with a lot of road repairs going on. This meant lots of stopping for lights where the road narrowed to one lane, lots of cracks and bumps in the road from where they had probably just installed high speed internet. I had a bit of a scare in my descent from Foscagno as I hit high speeds, bumps in the road, had a big truck pass me and felt that death wobble on my bike which was emphasized by my saddle bag. Woof. I held my shit together, but was shaken to my core. As exciting as it was to bike into Livigno, I’m not sure I would recommend taking that path into town given all that was going on.
Luckily a big delicious lunch at an agriturismo gave me time to shake off the nerves. We ate all the local delights in a beautiful shady setting and rehydrated before taking on the second half of the day. Biking in Livigno is gorgeous. There are bike trails that become the winter xc skiing trails. There are cows, many cyclists and walkers. And the valley is just so special. The mountains being familiar makes it that much more special. It was my first time on Passo Forcola, which felt fast after the prior climb. Then on to Bernina which I’ve done before from the other side. Reaching the peak and seeing the beautiful glaciers was special. Swimming in the pond that’s near the top of the pass was refreshing. The descent into San Moritz isn’t as steep as I remember and so it made for beautiful soft turns and a fast descent without concern. The road gets much busier closer to San Moritz and we shifted to a bike path to avoid being so close to the big passing vehicles.
Local roads into and through San Moritz made for a picturesque ride and the gravel roads to Maloja were bumpy but allowed us to further avoid traffic after a full day near the cars.
What an adventure!
