All six of us (the guys on bikes and the girls in the car) agreed today that the Stelvio climb from Prato is the best we’ve ever done. The views are truly magnificent, and the weather today was perfect for enjoying the experience. I’ve posted a photo below from the top, showing many of the approximately fifty hairpin bends on the climb. And, just for good measure, there’s a photo of a sunflower I took yesterday.

As for the stats, the climb is the third highest in Europe, and only misses out on being the highest by 42 metres. It’s 2,760 metres high (more than 9,000 feet). It took me 2:07 to ride the 24.5 km; an average of 11.6 kph. Amazingly, I passed nearly 40 riders on the way up, but no one passed me. I was joined by two young skinny guys early on, but ended up dropping them. The full stats for the day are here:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1935883383

The descent was also a beauty. I passed several cars on the way down, and ended up sitting with a group of motorcyclists for about 10 km into town. There were 40 hairpins coming down, so it was a very technical descent.

All in all, it was a great day. We’re having another lay day tomorrow in Bormio. I will however, publish a post.