Started riding about 20 km / 300 m below Bormio. As my timing was again fucked up it was sunday again. So i thought i would not go up Stelvio but Gavia, because i figured it to have maybe half the traffic.
On my way to Bormio the was a road cycling race going on. I asked one roadie who was watching about Stelvio vs Gavia. He said if you have to choose one, then Stelvio. I thought alright then.
Sitting in a cafe in Bormio, watching the traffic going towards Stelvio i returned to the old plan and cycle Gavia instead. I started the climb at noon, full sun exposure, it's a north-south pass. When i had looked up the height profile it looked mellow, but i don't know what it was, i found it really exhausting. Maybe the sun or maybe that i basically only had some yoghurt, bars and a bunch of peaches until i reached the pass. Traffic was really ok for a sunday.
On the pass i saw the first two wild capricorns since i've been cycling in the mountains. Awesome, finally. I had a Cappucino and a beer and started the descend. Wow, absolutely amazing views. I stopped every now and then to take in the views. At one point i was taking a photo (not the title photo) amd i heard some cracking next to me. Two female capricorns climbed down some rocks to lick somw salt right next to me.
I had no idea they weren't scared of humans. I continued the descend, an absolutely beautiful narrow road down to Ponte di Legno, where i took a room, absolutely knackered. Feeling better now after the Pizza.
I did Chicago to Istanbul last year but went around the Alps due to time constrains on my Schegen Visa, so this year I wanted to tackle them. I've cycled a couple greek islands, then from Athens to Patras, then Rome to Florence, and Bologna to Venice and Vicenza so far. The heat here is killing me.
I'm headed to Zürich, so unfortunately I'm going Northwest following Italy cycle route 2 through Trento and Merano.
That sounds great.
Even here in trentino it was really hot. Yesterday afternoon i was not having it anymore and decided to do nothing for the rest of the day but lay in the shade. And i was still at 900m. I wanted to go to bolzano today, but i may stay up around mendelpass so i don't go all the way down to the valley, really not looking forward to valley temperatures and humidity.*
I think it should cool off a bit in the coming days though. Still i plan to go to bolzano library tomorrow and figure out an alternative plan, because it seems i can't deal with the heat, and my plan was to keep going south towards greece / turkey.
*already cooled way down, thank god.