Jaime SierraDawn had barely broken when I was already packing the tent. A porridge of oats, raisins and peanut butter provided the final push for the Stelvio. Camped above Bormio and didn't want to ride down, not only I was lucky to refill my bottles at a luxury thermal hotel: their kindly staff even offered me a coffee. The real climb then began quietly. The valley soon opened ahead, framed by steep walls and distant hairpins. Cyclists streamed past, most far faster than me, yet after ninety minutes I had already completed half the ascent, with a well-deserved cappuccino at a roadside bar. Higher up after the pause, the road filled with motorbikes, but cyclists remained a different tribe: greetings, encouragement and curious comments about my loaded racks. The summit shimmered beneath the glaciers. After the Umbrail Pass junction came the hardest section: three kilometres at ten percent. Somewhere between the effort, the scenery and a stranger's encouragement, emotion took over. Three years ago the Stelvio had seemed impossible. Now I was climbing it with my fully loaded bike. Determination may not move mountains, but it certainly climbs them. The summit was crowded with motorbikes and souvenir stalls. After a celebratory beer and a walk to the "Three Languages Peak", I descended through the quieter Umbrail Pass into Switzerland. A Spanish family I met along the way rewarded my Betis shirt with conversation, a bracelet and a packet of ham: Travelling alone is rarely lonely, right? Back in Italy from Val Mustair, I solved my gas-cartridge problem before fighting an energy crash: chocolate worked like magic. By evening I reached Lake Resia, where a refreshing swim washed away the day's effort. There, on the quieter western shore, I found a perfect bivac spot. A farmer assured me I could stay, a shooting star crossed the sky as I finished dinner, and that was another day at the office came! #cycling #cyclinglife #Alps #stelvio #nature #mountains #cycletouring #italy #Switzerland
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