Cycling the Penserjoch Near the Italian-Austrian Border
(continuation)

I resumed riding after this respite to tackle the remaining six kilometers. The road went around the eastern face of Corno Bianco (2,705m) then continued in wide, sweeping, and long zig-zags at a fairly steady—and sharp—12% clip. The view at this point was very panoramic. I gained elevation very quickly.

(Above: Looking west, about four kilometers to go to the summit. Corno Bianco, I believe,
is the prominent peak in the background.)

The summit was visible from approximately 1½ kilometers away. It took me longer than expected to get to the top, my eyes having been bigger than my…well…legs and lungs.

(Below: The S508 as it climbs out of Asten; Val di Pennes below)

(Above: Towards the end of a monster 67-km climb; looking southeast
at the last steep bits as seen from Passo di Pennes)

And of course there were outstanding views from the summit. Looking northeast, I saw snow-capped mountains that stood silent and foreboding—like proper Teutonic mountains should--across the border to Austria. I turned to face northwest and saw at a distance suggestions of a high road that may well have been the road to 2,474-meter Passo del Rombo (Timmelsjoch).

(Above: The sine qua non photo at the summit; this one looking southwest)

The 1,260-meter descent to Vipiteno (948 m) was 17 kilometers long; quite steep and technical. I couldn’t pick up much speed because of the tightness of the turns. I met a guy coming up, his sweat-drenched face wearing the painful grimace that I so well know. Ah, mountain cycling, such an apt metaphor for life!

(Above: The initial, sweeping part of the descent from south to north; looking northwest)

(Below: Descent continues. From one dumb animal to another--there's something about cows and me...)

The only negative aspect of the descent were the two unpaved segments near the bottom. These rough patches appeared to be temporary and hopefully had been later paved. I decided to have lunch at a "truck stop" just outside Vipiteno where I was treated to extremely generous serving of a mushroom omelette and pommes frites.

The place is very Austrian (Germanic); not surprising since Brennerpass was 15 kilometers away and this area, and much of Sudtirol, belonged to Austria until World War II. The only reminders that one is still in Italy are the Italian names on the street signs—though here, an Italian name took second billing to its German counterpart.

As so it was on to Passo di Monti Giovo. I took the S44 heading west and after a short, flat (and busy) stretch out of Vipiteno/Sterzing, I started climbing again. Passo di Monti Giovo, elevation 2,094, stood 15 kilometers from where the climbing began at Gasteig. Much of the initial stretch (and indeed the entire climb) was through a coniferous forest which obstructed the views. But between clearings, I caught glimpses of the Otztaler mountains to the west and the Val di Racines below. The S44 is one of those uniformly graded engineered roads presenting an unrelenting 8-10% (though the grade became considerably steeper as the road neared the summit).

(Above: Descent, nearing Vipiteno)

A stampede of Ferraris passed me mid-way up the climb. I counted 14 red ones and a handful of silver and white ones (query: why would anyone buy a Ferrari in a color other than its trademark red? It would be like buying a Bianchi bike in blue, instead of Celeste Green, doesn’t quite look right.)

(Above: Along the S44 around Calice on the way to Passo di Monti Giovo)

The climb continued in a monotonously strenuous manner, with unchanging coniferous covering, until I neared the top and had risen beyond tree line. After a left bend, the road abruptly exposed me to a fairly stiff headwind which, in addition to the steepening of the grade, almost brought me to a dead halt.

Much like Passo di Pennes 10 kilometers to its east, the summit of Passo di Monti Giovo is visible from over a kilometer away—a benefit or a detriment depending on the kind of day one is having. It frustrated me somewhat, because the wind slowed my progress considerably. After a couple of hairpin turns, the road took shelter and I was able to resume my normal pace. The last two kilometers were the most enjoyable part of this climb, wind and steepness notwithstanding. The summit provided beautiful views all the way out to the Stubai Alps on one side and the Val Passiria on the other.

(Above: Looking northwest; sections of the finishing stretch visible below)

Follow this link to view boring pictures of Bolzano (use your browser's back arrow to return).

Last Updated: January ,(, /),(