Ed and Martin jumped off at the deep-end, first day at the Giro 2015 and they went for the hardest day with, arguably, the hardest climb of this years race. The Passo del Mortirolo strikes fear into the heart of many a bike rider. The boys find out why.
“I’m never happier than when I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving along a stage route at the Tour de France.
Dear Readers – Our beloved colleague and friend Ed Hood suffered a serious stroke in February. We don’t expect Ed will make it back into our bunch, so we’ve started a GoFundMe page to help Ed with his future. Read the full post here – and please consider donating.
** Click this link to donate to the GoFundMe page to help Ed **
We’ll be posting a selection of Ed’s work from the past 16 years, because great story-telling never gets old.
“My first time of riding it was like nothing I’d ever done before – the unrelenting >10% grades reduced me to stopping, even walking in some spots, and when it was over I had to think twice about whether I’d ever repeat that kind of torture.”
The words of our very own Richard Pestes on our focus for today, the Passo di Foppa; better known as the Passo del Mortirolo, all 1852 metres of it – or is it 1854? It depends on the reference source you consult but the Giro organisation goes for the latter.
Let’s continue on the theme of what people say about the Monstro. Some dude called Lance Armstrong said; ‘On the hardest parts, I was hurting, really hurting. The Mortirolo is the hardest climb I’ve ever ridden.”
Mark Cavendish with his gift for straight talking said; ‘It’s savage, f**king savage, unbelievably steep and it just goes on and on. If you asked me for two words to sum it up I’d say ‘steep’ and ‘long.’ Actually, make that three words; ‘long,’ ‘steep’ and ‘sick.’
Fabio Aru had this to say on the rest day; ‘The Mortirolo is the stuff of legend. I’ve only ridden that side of the mountain once in training, and never in racing conditions. Riding it after a Rest Day introduces an unpredictable element because it is long and very hard.”
The climb was introduced to the race in 1990 when Venezuela’s Sierra was first over and took the stage. Chioccioli achieved the same double in 1991 and went on to win the race overall.
Chioccioli wasn’t bad on the Gavia either
It was ’94 when Pantani burst on to the scene, first over the summit and winning the stage after putting Indurain and Berzin to the sword.
Indurain and Berzin
The record for the climb – 42:40 was set in ’96 by Gotti who also took the stage, that day. In ’97 Belli was first over with Tonkov taking the stage. Gotti was first over again in ’99 with Heras the stage winner. Illiano it was in ’04 with Cunego winning the stage. Basso did the treble in ’06, summit, stage and overall. It was Colom first over in ’08 with Sella taking the stage.
Basso has a fine record on the Mortirolo
Basso did it again in ’10 with Scarponi the stage winner but Basso would go on to win the GC. The last time the race crossed the Mortirolo was ’12, Zaugg took the honours at the summit and De Gendt the tappa.
Today will be the 12th time the Giro has breasted the beast.
Marco – What can you say
Let’s talk gears for a moment, 34 or 36 at the front with 11 to 29 at the back is the choice for most; but Contador has a 30 on board as do all his team, on cassettes specially assembled for the occasion. But the Alpecin sprinters are on 32’s as their mechanic told us, last night.
And whilst the Mortirolo may be the first category main course dish of the day, there’s the Campo Carlo Magno (cat. 2) and Passo del Tonale (cat. 2) for starters then a cat. 3 to Aprica which has to be tackled twice; there’s a loop to the Mortirolo and then Aprica again for desert.
The Carlo Magno kicks straight out of Pinzolo, the start town with virtually no neutralised section before kilometre zero; 13.3 K @ 6.7% average with a max of 12%.
Next up is the Passo del Tonale another brute @ 15.3 K, 6.1% average and 10% maximum.
At the top is the memorial to the many Italians who died on this front in the 1914-18 war when Italy fought with the Allies against the Germans – and here, against the Austrians.
But no clinging Flanders mud in Northern Italy; freezing cold Alpine warfare in the snow and the famous ‘vie ferrate’ constructed with wire rope and ladders so troops could make their way across otherwise impassable terrain to a network of strong points high in the mountains.
The ‘vie ferrate’ have been renovated and are now the playground of walkers looking for extreme adventure. The drop off the Tonale is technical – and wet as we drop down through Ponti de Legno where it straightens and becomes FAST. The grind to Aprica is 14 K long at a modest 3.5% average but with nasty 15% section early on.
And tributes to Marco Pantani are never far away when you’re on a Giro mountain stage. Aprica and the drop, drop, drop to the valley floor; we’re on a mission because the Mortirolo shuts to everything except race traffic at 13:00; it closed to ‘civilians’ yesterday.
Disaster strikes, at a roundabout not far from the foot of the Mortirolo we pick up the direction arrows for TOMORROW’s stage; it takes a wee while for it to compute what’s happened and it’s enough for us to miss the cut on the Mortirolo.
‘Plan B’ always has to start with a beer. . .
Hole up in a bar in Mazzo di Valtellina, watch the race pass, grab a few pics, tuck in on the ‘fine corsa’ van and take our pics of the beast ‘after the fact.’ Simple!
Ryder Hesjedal has just jumped the break as we sit down to pick up the TV action which is en route Aprica. Alberto’s boys tap out the grim rhythm behind; Roman galley slaves had a better deal. Astana ride shotgun, ready to take over when the Saxo boys fade. Ryder takes the GPM points and now it’s a long way down to Tirano.
By the time they reach us Ryder has been absorbed, there are maybe two dozen clear.
A lone Chernetski for Katusha then the gruppo maglia rosa with Contador well to the fore.
It’s well splintered after that and the gaps are big, huge and the faces are pained. Eisel gurns and Brown tries to get back through the cars. Flags, the ‘fine corsa’ vehicle, let’s go!
There’s no messing, it’s steep right off, the vines don’t last long and we’re in the trees. That’s the thing about the Mortirolo, no great vistas most of the time just trees, dry stone walls, concrete retaining walls, crash barriers and a grade which simply does not relent – 10.9% average with 18% snaps for 11.8 K – as we shadow the polizia ever upwards.
The snow gates remind us that things get serious here in the winter as the crowds stream down past us.
The views – when the trees do open up – are stunning, out across the valley but most of time it’s thick greenery either side of what was a goat track.
The 40 K to go sign must be a cheery sight when you’re in the 34 x 32 and still have to get to the top of this horror then climb Aprica – again. The tornantes – hairpins – count down from 39, we’re at 15 with the whiff of brakes and clutches filling the air.
The Pantani Memorial comes at 12, against a wall which retains the mountain side; ‘because the climb is like a wall’ they say.
The little man’s best time up here was 43:00 during his winning ride in 1994. Steep though it is, it is an actual public highway which goes from point A to B, unlike the Angliru which finishes at a car park among Martian scenery or Bola del Mundo which services a radio mast.
Pozzovivo was quoted as saying that whilst the guys in the gruppetto may be on a 32 sprocket, he’d race some of it on 39 x 23; he says that when the ‘Bigs’ need a 32 cog; “it seems ridiculous !’
The trees open out near the summit but the lay of the land means the vistas aren’t amazing. The crowd was big but not huge and in fairness to the tifosi there are very few places to park a motorbike let alone a car or camper van.
The descent?
Well, in a nutshell, it was loco – we tucked in behind the race and those boys don’t hang around.
Our thoughts on The Mortirolo? Cav was pretty much on the money.
It was November 2005 when Ed Hood first penned a piece for PEZ, on US legend Mike Neel. Since then he’s covered all of the Grand Tours and Monuments for PEZ and has an article count in excess of 1,100 in the archive. He was a Scottish champion cyclist himself – many years and kilograms ago – and still owns a Klein Attitude, Dura Ace carbon Giant and a Fixie. He and fellow Scot and PEZ contributor Martin Williamson run the Scottish site www.veloveritas.co.uk where more of his musings on our sport can be found.
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