June 12 - St Bernard Pass From Aosta

I got past the last switchback and a little farther?

I decided to sleep until 7:00. Breakfast started then, but I was in no hurry. I was having trouble deciding if I was going to ride because the weather report did not look good. When I got back to my room I could see a few tiny patches of blue mixed in the overcast. The sky in the direction of Paso St. Bernado looked promising, so I put on my cycling clothes and left by myself at around 9:15.

I was proud of myself leaving town because I did not get lost. That is unusual for me.

The climb began after 2km and never stopped. The road had a lot of traffic because it is an alternate route to the autostrada tunnel that goes under the pass. The shoulder was very wide and I did not feel unsafe most of the time. I got squeezed once by a string of trucks and cars on a very steep pitch. Fortunately I could keep a straight line and not weave into their path. At the point where there is an option to take the tunnel, I veered off onto the old road and traffic became very light.

The grade on the climb was fairly moderate up to this point, but it soon kicked up a couple of percents and maintained that steepness. I caught up to Debbie at Saint Rhemy and we played leapfrog for a while. I put on my rain jacket and long-fingered gloves because it was getting cold and we were feeling some spritzes of rain. We stopped at a small cafe around noon and split and salami and cheese panino. This was the official turnaround spot on our route sheet. It was not the summit, however, so we decided to ride the last 7km to the top. After short while, it started to sleet. I decided to turn around and go back to Aosta rather than risk hypothermia and slippery roads. Debbie went on. She told me later that after stopping at the summit, the sleet stopped and the road dried out. I am disappointed that I didn't get to the summit, but at the time I had to make a decision.

Here is a link to today's ride. The elevation is not accurate but it is not too far off.

When I got back to town, I stopped for gelato. This time I had limone and melone. I reached the hotel around 3:00.

We were on our own for dinner tonight. Several of us went to an upscale pizzeria. As some of you know, pizzerias in Italy have a lot more on their menus than pizza. I had a mixed salad (it was nice to get some fresh greens) and linguini with pesto, scampi, little white shrimp, green beans and small chunks of potato. It was the best meal, yet.