The Mountain Diaries Day 3: August 18th

I was really looking forward to today. Not only did we have a full day in the saddle planned but we were meeting up with the dream team that is Markus Neuert from Cyclefilm & his ace driver come support crew (AKA his father). The plan was to recce the beautiful Drei Laender Giro sportive course. Now it doesn’t take an Einstein to work out just where this little gem gets its name from, translating literally to ‘Three Country Tour’. The forecast was perfect, blue sky and high temperatures, but before we could ride we needed to drive to the start point which meant summiting the Stelvio.

Coming from Bormio the mountain features a series of single lane tunnels. Not such a problem on the bike (provided you have lights) but in a car it can be problematic, especially when you meet an oncoming car mid tunnel. This is exactly what happened on our drive out to start the recce. With the voice from the hire car centre clearly ringing in our ears “one damage equals 900 euros, two damage equals 1,800 euros…” there was no way we wanted to try and squeeze past an oncoming car. Eventually the Italian driver ahead decided to reverse but what should have been a simple maneuver turned in to an astonishing piece of comedy driving that would have clearly left a driving instructor saying “handbrake on, engine off. I’m very sorry Signor Squinzini, you’ve failed.” Probably followed by “have you been drinking this morning?” We watched in amazement, in tears of laughter, as he continually ground his VW Golf down the inside of the tunnel trying to get out. 10 out of 10 for effort I have to say, 0 out of 10 for driving skill. I just hope some of my video footage came out ok! YouTube here we come!

Starting in Nauders, Austria, with a fast start ascending the Reschenpass (more of a mound than a mountain) you then cross over into Italy for the highlight of the day. No introductions needed for this mountain, the Passo Stelvio this time to be ridden from what’s known as the ‘classic’ side. From here you descend into Switzerland for a loop covering the Offenpass and a final sting in the tail to Norbetsh and back to Austria.

Covering 168k with 3,300m of climbing and touching three countries in one ride clearly spelt ‘B.R.I.N.G. I.T. O.N.’

After the Reschenpass the road gently descends for over 30km making the going super fast and especially inspirational with beautiful scenery and the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the 3,905m snowcapped Ortler, poised in the background.

The day really began as we hit the town of Prato after 36.5km at the base of the Stelvio. From this side the ascent is over 24km’s in length with an altitude gain of 1,808m and average gradient of 7.4%. So easy to slap a few key facts down when sat in front of the laptop, it couldn’t be easier. In practice it’s far from it. Over its course you have 48 numbered hairpin bends to become intimate with and don’t forget that you have to climb for 8km out of Prato before you even hit the first of these!

A magnificent ascent, voted the #1 driving road in Europe by Top Gear as Jeremy Clarkson, Richard ‘the hamster’ Hammond and James May put three super cars to the test. Although, if I was king I would quite happily ban all motor vehicles from these roads and let the cyclists enjoy them for what they are.

Although its length and number of switch backs can be daunting, early on you get a clear view of the top which I found good for motivation. Focusing on the progress that you are making was a just reward for such a tough climb. The gradient is generally constant meaning that you can get a rhythm going. I could feel the warm sun solar charging my muscles as I made my way to the summit, loving every pedal stroke.

From the summit you start the descent towards Bormio, fast switch backs with the adrenalin pulsing through you. After 4km’s we took a sharp right and crested the top of the Umbrailpass. It was here that we entered Switzerland. The decent is incredible, the initial section being technical with hairpin switchbacks. There’s no time for a lapse of concentration as, after a left hand turn over a wooden bridge, the road turns to gravel. Totally awesome. It’s always cool to ride the dirt on mountain passes, gets me dreaming of the olden days, adding to the ‘out there and doing it’ feel that the mountains always give me.

At the bottom we took a sharp left and immediately started the Offenpass (or Fuorn if Italian) on exiting the village of St Maria. The Offen is a 14km climb but it’s only after 5km’s that you see the sign at the bottom to mark the start of the climb. From here you have 9km to truly enjoy the beauty of the Swiss National Park, incidentally the last brown bear sighting on the pass was not so long ago so best to stick to the roads.

A long descending valley road meanders its way past signs for Davos and Kloisters both of which are just a stones throw from where we were. It wasn’t over yet though as there’s one nasty sting in the tail of this course, a 6km climb from Martina to Norbertsh in Austria. At this point you can feel the day's riding in your legs, the climb isn’t especially steep or long (with about 10 hairpins) but if you’re not suspecting it then it could catch you out.

A double dinner at the base of the Stelvio to reminisce the perfect day of cycling really put the icing on the cake or maybe it should be the ’snow on the Ortler’.

Ascending and descending the Stelvio by car to get back to Bormio at night didn’t have the same buzz, and fortunately this time we didn’t meet any crazy Italian drivers in the tunnels!

Day 3 col count: 4 – Reschenpass, Passo Stelvio, Offenpass & Norbertsch.

Cumulative col count: 8

For GPS route information for the Drei Laender Giro click here

Stay tuned to Cyclefilm for details of the Drei Laender Giro DVD.