Epic rides 2022
Distance: 222km
Total Ascent: 7,002m
High Point: 2,678m
% Unpaved: 75%
Passo di Stelvio detour: a peace mission Emma Pooley sheds light on her journey from World Champion and Olympian to dirtbag bikepacker on a Signal Ti. Words & pictures by Sonder Rider Emma Pooley
Some climbs are beyond iconic in cycling – they’re more like minor deities. The Stelvio is one such celestial ascent: punishing, photogenic, regularly starring in the Giro, and invariably referred to in tones of reverence. Many cyclists believe the Stelvio pilgrimage to be a key pillar of the sport, pedalling their devoted way up its switchbacks to leave offerings of sweat and tears as sacrifice on its rough tarmac. As with most divinities, difference of opinion is considered blasphemous. But I confess to being a dissenter – perhaps the only one? I think the Stelvio is a rubbish ride: loud with cars and motorbikes, stinking of fumes, the top a circus of tawdry trinket shops and
overpriced bars. There are hundreds of more enjoyable climbs in the region. Admittedly, my feelings about it are biased by painful memories from the Giro many years ago: it was the queen stage in 2010. By struggling to the finish line in second place (my forte) I sealed my failure to win the Giro (a feat I would accomplish several more times in my professional cycling career). In road racing you lose on more days than you win, but some days you really know you’ve lost. Disappointment is hard to forget. So when cyclists start singing hymns to the Stelvio I just smile politely and change the subject, while inwardly rolling my eyes. I try to avoid
ranting about how overrated it is and how the traffic is awful, and the coffee up there is overpriced and terrible... because maybe, I thought, if I leave the Stelvio alone it will stay out of my way too. Until last August, when I found myself on a rocky path towards reconciliation. It was unplanned, like many of my exploratory bike rides are these days. I had just a 5-day window in the whole summer for a bikepacking trip (my favourite way to go cycling these days) and I wanted to go properly off-road, away from cars and roads. Without much time to plan or knowledge of the singletrail outside my local area, I turned
3048
1524 ele (m)
6
16
32
48
64
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96
112 distance in km
128
144
160
177
194
210
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