Stelvio - Giro stage 14 - Gutted!
[ posted by iain Sunday, May 22, 2005 ]
Today was supposed to be the big one for us at the Giro, a ride up the mighty Stelvio to watch the race come through. All the signs had been good this week that the pass would be open to ride and the race would go over the top. We came over from the Ortisei last night and stayed in a guest house at the foot of the climb. There were rumours last night that the pass maybe closed for the tifosi but we heard nothing definite. This morning however, unfortunately the rumours came true. Having turned a handful of the forty-something hairpins on the climb we were met with a large crowd of irate cyclists and two policeman blocking the road. The pass had been closed to fans due to the risk of landslides and avalanches. Everyone was gutted, we were barely halfway up the climb and couldn't go any further. The race would still proceed but only race personnel and those fans who had been up at the station for days would be allowed onto the pass. We had to sit out the wait for race near the village of Trafoi. It was good to watch all the same and we managed to get some photos [
see here ] , but left feeling a little disappointed that we missed a really good opportunity to ride a climb which is as mythical as it is inaccessible.
