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Granfondo Stelvio 2019
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16-05-2019 11:51pm#1
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A lot can change in two weeks and you have to remember that this is an annual thing for the authorities in the area and they will have pass open as soon as it is safe to do so. That said, its not looking like it will be open in coming days based on webcam images from just now, see below, you can keep up to date with these on sites such as this one : https://www.bergfex.com/stilfser-joch-ortler/webcams/c4771/
The pass road itself is along that curved single story building in the mid foreground. (they're the shops...)
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I haven't done the Grandfondo Stelvio but I have been up the Stelvio a few times. Weather is a huge factor there.
The first time was in horrendous conditions in June last year. There was incessant icy cold rain on the climb which made it impossible to stay warm. The temperature drops about 1 degree every 100 metres so I was shivering when climbing for the last 5k to the summit. It was zero degrees at the top and I was soaked to the bone. The descent was a disaster and I had to do it at a crawl. I had lost all feeling in my fingers so I couldn't brake properly. I had to pull the levers with my full hands and, due to my uncontrollable shivering, the frame of the bike kept oscillating. I was still shivering hours later that evening in the hotel and the tips of two fingers on my left hand turned black and I lost feeling in them for a few weeks.
I've done it several times since then and I had dry conditions which makes a huge difference. It's not a particularly difficult climb. Most of the gradients are in the 5-8% zone. It ramps up to 18% for a short bit just before the multiple switchbacks and it levels out for a few kms about three quarters of the way up. The last few kms are tough going. The summit is visible but it doesn't seem to be getting any nearer.
It should be easier when doing an formal event as I'm sure the organisers will have a plan B. You'll also have the company of thousands of others. If it's forecast to be wet, bring as much layers as you can. I'd also bring 2 rain jackets and a change of gloves (wrap them tightly in cling film).
By the way, the Mortirola is a pig of a climb. Unlike the Stelvio, it's on a narrow back road with barely enough room for a bike and car to pass. It also has a lot of trees and foilage so there aren't any views as such. It turns and twists every few metres, has very steep gradients and just seems to go on and on. Lance Armstrong once described it as being 'just sick'.
Here's a pic of me doing the Stelvio for the first time. Looking at the snow, it's hard to believe it was mid-June!
PS - if you're there for a few days, the Passo de Gavia is fairly near. Not quite as high as The Stelvio but a more difficult climb with better scenery.-2 -
Wishbone Ash wrote: »I haven't done the Grandfondo Stelvio but I have been up the Stelvio a few times. Weather is a huge factor there.
The first time was in horrendous conditions in June last year. There was incessant icy cold rain on the climb which made it impossible to stay warm. The temperature drops about 1 degree every 100 metres so I was shivering when climbing for the last 5k to the summit. It was zero degrees at the top and I was soaked to the bone. The descent was a disaster and I had to do it at a crawl. I had lost all feeling in my fingers so I couldn't brake properly. I had to pull the levers with my full hands and, due to my uncontrollable shivering, the frame of the bike kept oscillating. I was still shivering hours later that evening in the hotel and the tips of two fingers on my left hand turned black and I lost feeling in them for a few weeks.
I've done it several times since then and I had dry conditions which makes a huge difference. It's not a particularly difficult climb. Most of the gradients are in the 5-8% zone. It ramps up to 18% for a short bit just before the multiple switchbacks and it levels out for a few kms about three quarters of the way up. The last few kms are tough going. The summit is visible but it doesn't seem to be getting any nearer.
It should be easier when doing an formal event as I'm sure the organisers will have a plan B. You'll also have the company of thousands of others. If it's forecast to be wet, bring as much layers as you can. I'd also bring 2 rain jackets and a change of gloves (wrap them tightly in cling film).
By the way, the Mortirola is a pig of a climb. Unlike the Stelvio, it's on a narrow back road with barely enough room for a bike and car to pass. It also has a lot of trees and foilage so there aren't any views as such. It turns and twists every few metres, has very steep gradients and just seems to go on and on. Lance Armstrong once described it as being 'just sick'.
Here's a pic of me doing the Stelvio for the first time. Looking at the snow, it's hard to believe it was mid-June!
PS - if you're there for a few days, the Passo de Gavia is fairly near. Not quite as high as The Stelvio but a more difficult climb with better scenery.
Fair play to you WA for completing that climb in those conditions! Even Pro's who are paid to ride these climbs would probably have abandoned! :eek:0 -
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I did it in 2015 & wrote a long winded post about it at the time on another forum if you want an honest account.
It's hard.
http://www.backroads.ie/forums/showthread.php?16783-Stelvio-in-the-slow-lane&highlight=Stelvio
That was a great read fat bloke
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