An epic trip to Italy, organised by
The Col Collective, a specialist cycling company headed by Mike Cotty, and ably assisted by Deborah Malin, Knut, and Bryan of
Infocrank. Our adventure was the 'Ultimate Dolomites & Stelvio,' the 2019 edition available via this
link.
This was a relatively 'high-end' experience, with luxury hotels and all food provided, plus Col Collective jersey and bibs, a full range of Torq energy foods and rehydrants, and tools from Lezyne, all packed in a personalised race bag which was to hold our spare gear in the van that supported each ride.
One other significant benefit of using Mike's company was the provision of quality images taken each day by Mike, Deborah, Knut, Helen Erickson, and rider Doug Higley. Thank you all, and hope you don't mind them being reproduced on this blog! It will also explain why this edition of the blog has so many pictures!
Landing in Innsbruck in Austria, we were collected and transferred to the Romantik Hotel Cappella in Colfosco, commanding great views down into the valley of Corvara with the massive wall of the Dolomites towering over us.
The GRAC team were The Prez, Heyddie and Jan, and we joined a nice mix of keen US and Canadian cyclists, eleven of us in all.
 |
| Mike Cotty |
 |
| Personalised race bags provided for all participants |
 |
| Puddings available to hungry cyclists at our first hotel, the Romantik Arthotel Cappella in Colfosco |
On our arrival at the hotel, bikes were rebuilt from our bike boxes, and a late afternoon ride to cross the Passo Gardena got us straight into cycling mode, a relatively short ride of just 21km, but with the small matter of 571m of climbing in brilliant sunshine. Ride time 1h 15m, just enough to work up a little thirst ;-)
 |
| Our new Italian HQ |
On our first full day we took on the Sella Ronda Circuit: Passo Campolongo (1875m) 5.8km @ 6%, Passo Pordoi (2239m) 9.4km @ 6.8%, Passo Sella (2240m) 5km @ 6.5%, Passo Gardena (2121m) 6km @ 4.2%. We covered 51.4km with 1644m of vertical gain, with a moving time of 3h 22m, a good effort in beautiful weather and with spectacular vistas throughout.
 |
| An auspicious start to our cycling trip |
 |
| Sella Ronda Circuit |
 |
| Heyddie, showing early signs of fatigue (or was it too much beer the night before?) |
 |
| Jan, our fashion director, showing off his distinctive new socks |
 |
| What a bunch of poseurs! |
 |
Memorial to “il campionissimo” Fausto Coppi at the Passo Pordoi.
Passo Pordoi is located between the Sella group in the north and the Marmolada group in the south. It was first included in the Giro d’Italia in 1937, and first used as “Cima Coppi” in the 1966 edition.
|
On the second day we started with the Passo Valparola followed by the Passo di Giau, Colle Santa Lucia and Passo Campalongo. In total 87km with approx 2,500m elevation gain. Jan elected to rest himself, mindful of the demanding week ahead, and descended the Falzarego route after topping out on Passo Valporola, finishing with the Passo Campalongo to make a 55.7km loop with 1,422m elevation in a moving time of 5h 01m – this proved to be a sensible move with an absolutely stunning descent and, more significantly, he missed a huge thunderstorm that drenched the Prez and Heyddie as they came off the Campolongo later in the day.
Despite the big climbs earlier, the toughest section was the north-westerly track up the long valley to Arabba, into the wind, with a big storm brewing in the surrounding mountains.
The full day had our ride time at 5h 25m, covering 87.5km and 2,483m of climbing.
 |
| Mudguards fitted in expectation of the afternoon storm...they were needed! |
 |
| Mike Cotty, cyclist and photographer extraordinaire |
Group fashionistas, Jan and Sarah, comparing socks
 |
| Back at the hotel....the weather had finally turned! |
Evening treats, a superb buffet offered by the Hotel Cappella
For our third day, in anticipation of a storm developing later, the itinerary was changed (thankfully, as it was going to involve 3,000m of climbing!) and we reversed Jan's route of yesterday, with a stunning alternative ascent of Passo Falzarego, a solid 14km at an average of 6%. Stats for the day: 56 km, 1,420m of climbing and a ride time of 3h 13m.
 |
The first Maratona dles Dolomites was run in July 1987, a celebration of the first ten years of the cycling club Societá Ciclistica Alta Badia-Raiffeisen. The route was unique, snaking through seven Dolomite passes: Gardena, Sella, Fedaia, Duran, Forcella Staulanza, Falzarego and Valparola over 175km, and attracted 166 riders.
In 2019 over 9,000 cyclists from 72 different countries took part. The race starts in La Villa and finishes in Corvara. |
 |
| The three routes offered in the 2019 Maratona dles Dolomites |
 |
| Packing bikes for the transfer to Bormio: note the concentration on the face of non-mechanic Fabian... |
 |
| Pigging out on our last night in Colfosco |
The next day involved a four hour transfer to Bormio in the Italian Alps. A slow journey on initially tortuous roads, west through stunning scenery and a multitude of ski towns and villages.
Having rebuilt our bikes and settled into the Eden Hotel in Bormio, it was time for a little afternoon leg-stretch. Yeh right...OK, it was only 27km, but with 752m of steep climbing up through the woods and switchbacks to reach an outstanding viewpoint close to the Lago di Cancano in hot late afternoon sun...very hard work for us all. Ride time, 1h 47m.
And, a minor tumble for Jan on his way back down the hill, a car taking one of the hairpins too wide and leaving him with no alternative but to hit gravel and fall off. Some grazing to the knees, but, more importantly, a damaged rear brake disc and bent wheel, necessitating an urgent van transfer to the Trek store in Bormio. They were superb, replacing the disc, straightening the wheel and sorting out the rear brake hydraulics with just an €8 charge for labour. Chapeau!
 |
| Mike 'no fear' Cotty |
 |
| Superb service from the Trek store in Bormio |
Our biggest challenge came on day five, the Stelvio from Bormio followed by a descent into Switzerland, back into Italy to the town of Prato and then a second ascent of the Stelvio by the 'classic route,' a mere 25.4 km at an average gradient of 7.8%.
The Prez elected to climb to the 2,503m Umbrail Pass before the steep drop into Switzerland, and forego a further 300m of climbing to climb the Stelvio from the Bormio side, saving his energy for the classic Stelvio climb. Stats: 83 km, ascent 3,175m, ride time 6h 24m.
Of course, Heyddie did the two ascents of the Stelvio, although this effort was to cost him dear on the second ascent in the hot afternoon sun. Stats: 106 km, ascent 3,356m, ride time 7h 07m.
Jan, wisely, took the van to the top of the Umbrail Pass, descended to Prato and then took the classic Stelvio climb on, finally descending to Bormio with Heyddie. Stats: 83.7 km, ascent 1,890m, ride time 5h 01m.
We're happy to report that all three club members successfully completed their chosen route, and enjoyed a substantial rehydration exercise in the bar later on.
Mike's videos of the ascent of the Stelvio from both sides can be viewed at:
 |
| The full route is shown on the map. The profile shows Fabian's day, choosing to ascend the Umbrail Pass, then climb the Stelvio from Prato, descend back to the Umbrail Pass, and, sensibly, get the van back to Bormio... |
 |
| Readying ourselves for the big day in the well-equipped bike room at the Hotel Eden in Bormio |
 |
| View back down the ascent route from Bormio to the Umbrail Pass and the Stelvio |
 |
| The Prez on the ascent from Bormio |
 |
| Heyddie's first ascent of the Stelvio. Chapeau H! |
 |
| First col of the day for The Prez (Fabian) |
 |
| Steep descent into Switzerland from the Umbrail Pass |
 |
| Heyddie starting up the Stelvio from Prato in the afternoon heat |
 |
Hitting the final section of the Stelvio
 |
 |
| Almost there! The Prez digging deep, but loving it! |
 |
| Success for Team GRAC. Note that H could barely stand at this stage ;-) |
The task for our final day was to take on the Passo Gavia, a feared climb often used in the Giro d'Italia, and it proved to be a sufferfest for all, with some challenging gradients (up to 13%), poor road surfaces and the usual quota of idiotic motorbikes and luxury car rallies.
Stats for the day: 51 km, ascent 1,422m with a ride time of 3h 26m.
 |
| All smiles, despite the aching legs from the previous day's Stelvio success |
 |
The full week in view
Chapeau Doug & Heather, David & Jenny, Fred & Helen, Tom, William & Sarah, Mike, Deborah, Knut, Bryan & Annabelle, and, of course, the GRAC guys :-)
And finally, some stats for fellow club members to ponder...Fabian demonstrating his usual disdain for anything over 55km/h with Heyddie and Jan showing their usual flair for manic descents.
And the Prez's heart rate monitor showed how he learned the lesson of staying in the right zone for the big climbs as the week progressed. Yes, he was always a slow learner ;-)
|
 |
| Col Collective team members go their separate ways, with Team GRAC dropped off at Innsbruck Airport. Ciao! |
