Official Ride 5: Gravel Colle delle Finestre

Gels check
Helmet check
Vest check
Passport check
Passport?!? That's different. Yep, today's ride crosses the border.. France / Italy. Hence the slightly different pronunciation of the mountain.. Oh and yes.. and did you notice that first word 'Gravel' that's not Italian for anything, that is indeed the English word for Gravel!! See also: Crazy/You're Kidding Me/No Way and Why.

Today's climb up and over Finestre will trace the infamous leg of the Giro d'Italia up a skinny country gravel road in the Italian Alps. A 7hr, 5400 calorie burning 100km loop (see pics for profile).

Today was the first ride we drove the car to the start point, as opposed to each previous days out and back from Chez Bear. And for the first time our day began with a descent (we all know what that means comes days end don't we) into a small Italian village for coffee and croissants, fuelling up for the inevitable. And then it began...

Every ride so far has been spectacular in its own way, and today's was no different. Starting in a little postcard Italian town in 30oC, winding its way up through smaller hillside villages, to a even smaller road that switch backed its way every 100ms or so up and up through a shaded hillside forest. Then we topped the tree line, the clouds and mist began.. Oh.. and the road ran out...
well the commonsensical paved version anyway. The incline and hairpins continued as we picked the best line on the gravel, making our way past free grazing cattle and the occasional accompanying gypsy wagon. We had plenty of time to take in the scenery as yesterday's Garmin double digits became a thing of the past, 7s 8s and 9s their replacement. Surprisingly the dulcet tones of the massive cowbells could still be heard over screaming lungs and an audible heartbeat.

As if on cue the cloud/mist broke, the summit appeared and we arrived at the top. After obligatory snaps , selfies and congrats all around, we commenced the descent down the other side.. The asphalted side, which was over all too quickly, and then the aforementioned ascent back up to the car. A climb which yours truly didn't take to too kindly at all, perhaps spent a few too many tickets ripping up the gravel side, perhaps paying the bill for yesterday's double Galiber efforts, maybe mentally already agonising over the return to the car the minute we stared rolling down hill. That said, we all arrived back at the car together, but kudos to Phil and Tony who rode an additional 4.3km of side streets to click it over an even 100km. I 'chose' to save that 4.3km for another day perhaps.

Tomorrow is a Travel Day, we leave the lodgings of Chez Bear in Briacon and make our way to Alp Duez, where our accom sits at the peak of the climb.

Another big day, an amazing day ticked off ✅ big days done, even bigger to come...