2015

Cycling

It doesn't always have to be this far: A first acquaintance with the Vosges.

For the third time in a row we headed for Bormio in June. This time Passo Dello Stelvio organised a King and Queen of the Mortirolo ride. When you were able to cycle up all three sides of the Mortirolo on a day, you get the title of Queen or King of the Mortirolo. After a long ride, the last 100 km there are no highways, we already decide to stretch our legs with Forte di Oga. The day after we ride the Gavia from Bormio and the Cancano. The third day was Mortirolo day. I decided to only do the Grosio and Mono side. Remember, two years ago I almost gave up on the Grosio side. I skipped the Mazzo side, the steepest of the 3 slopes. This time I cycled up without stopping. And as always on the last day of our stay, we cycled up the Passo dello Stelvio.

Plateau des Mille étangs

While we skipped Climbing for Life last year, we joined again this year. This time the location was Vosges, a lot closer to home. Two days, two rides, with the last ride ending on the Planche des Belles Files. The first day was a ride that ended up the Ballon D'Alsace. The second day, a hot and sunny day, I rode the longest ride. It all started flat in a beautiful area: Plateau des Mille étangs (thousand lakes). The first real climb of the day was the Ballon de Servance, a good warm-up for this day. The second climb was a nasty one: Col des Chevrères. From the main road it starts easy, but once you passed Miellin, the misery starts: irregular percentages that go up to 19%. We needed all the space from the road to get to the top. And finally we finished on the Plance des Belles Files with a last 100m of 22%.

Achievements:

  • Forti de Oga 1720m • 7.8% • 7 km • Profile
  • Passo di Gavia (Bormio) 1955m • 5.6% • 24.8 km • Profile
  • Cancano 1955m • 6.8% • 8.8 km • Profile
  • Mortirolo (Grosio) 1875m • 8.4% • 13.7 km • Profile
  • Mortirolo (Mono) 1860m • 7.5% • 12.7 km • Profile
  • Passo dello Stelvio (Bormio) 2757m • 7.4% • 20.8 km • Profile
  • Ballon d'Alsace (Sewen) 1171m • 5.2% • 12.9 km • Profile
  • Ballon de Servance (Plancher-Bas) 1156m • 4.1% • 18 km • Profile
  • Col des Chevrères 919m • 5.4% • 9.5 km • Profile
  • Planche des Belles Files 1148m • 8.8% • 7 km • Profile

In 2015 the odometer stopped at 6463 km. The altimeter reached 20175 m.