Trans Lombardy Challenge

Next Thursday Craig and I leave for the Lombardy region of Italy and another Thompson Tours bike trip.  We ride several climbs that were featured in the recent Giro d'Italia and the course is the setting for the Giro de Lombardy.  We start in Ponte di Legno in the Italian Alps and end down by Lake Como.  430 miles, 53k of climb.  Day 1 we have a short warm up ride to Passo Tonale.  Day two starts the main ride and is a scary 10k loop over Passo Gaia and.....sigh.....Mortirolo.

Subsequent days take us to Passo Vivione to Borno, to the shores of Lake Iseo, including Passo Croce Domini (13 miles, 5k climb) and finally, to the Passo Ghisallo (the cycling museum the Madonna del Ghisallo is there) followed by the Muro di Sormano ("the wall", a nice little 2k climb, 15% grade).

Watch this guy riding only the back wheel;

DAY 1 Warm-up ride around Ponte di Legno 15 miles 2,150 ft 

DAY 2 Ponte di Legno 

 Passo Gavia 

 Passo Mortirolo 

Ponte di Legno 

71 miles 10,000 ft 

DAY 3 Ponte di Legno 

 Passo Vivione 

Borno 

53 miles 5,750 ft 

DAY 4 Borno 

 Passo Croce Domini 

 Passo Maniva 

 Passo Tre Termini 

Sale Marasino 

76 miles 9,500 ft 

DAY 5 Sale Marasino 

 Colle di San Fermo 

 Colle del Gallo 

 Passo di Ganda 

 Dossena 

San Pellegrino Terme 

65 miles 8,400 ft 

DAY 6 San Pellegrino Terme 

 Passo San Marco 

 Premana 

 Passo Agueglio 

Varenna (then ferry to Como) 

91 miles 11,150 ft 

DAY 7 Cernobbio (Lake Como) 

 Civiglio 

 Passo Ghisallo 

 Muro di Sormano 

Cernobbio (Lake Como) 

60 miles 6,500 ft

The next few days we will ride easy in comparison; the PV signature ride up to Larch Mt. Saturday and Sunday, the Tour de Hood.  A week off with swimming and strengthening and then we are off.