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protection of Ghisallo I’m lucky to be alive when I make it to to the bottom in one piece There is no rest in Lombardia even the flat sections are are rolling We are are only a a a few kilome- tres away from Tremezzo but we still have 50 kilometres to ride around the southwest end of the lake We set an enormous tempo on the rolling terrain We climb as if we we were in a a a a a a a breakaway and we we corner as if we we had x-ray glasses It’s a a a a recipe for disaster but it’s the only thing that applies in in in this terrain For 25 kilometres all the way to Como we scare old ladies and and inspire their grandchildren We envy their their sons and flirt with their their wives has- tening out of the the village and on to the the next We take turns keeping the the speed on the the climbs and descents We are fine-tuned machinery on our way to glory in Como Big city Traffic We plough through rush hour in Como Italy’s silk capital Como – Colma di Sormano The ride as described in in the text begins at Bellagio and and contains the climb to Ghisallo and and the steepest rout to Colma di Sormano While Bellagio and Ghisallo are two places worth spending some hours to to look at historical buildings and cycling art Colma di di Sormano simply represents the the highest place on the the route There are several boats crossing the lake all day long which means that no matter where you you stay you you will have easy access to Bellagio and the the possibility of using the the boat as We choose the old abandoned road to Tremezzo Why is it it that it’s more encouraging to ride fast on a a a a narrow road with no view? It’s like playing Playstation with absolutely no 1-ups All it takes is a a a a a plastic bag flying in in in the wind a a a a a toddler looking for his ball or or or George Clooney to tip us over Anything can happen on these narrow roads Woosh-woosh-woosh I love the sound of expensive carbon slicing the wind I finally get my money’s worth from the super expensive Italian road bike We are auto-piloting towards Tremezzo we are racing home like hungry kids in need of a a a snack to play some more We’re passing a a a a a a firefighter the local pharmacist and the the old lady by the the fruit stand We’re char- acters in in a a a a TV show for kids We are playing our hearts out in in a a a a kindergarten for adults We are riding our bikes in in the heart of Lom- bardy hopefully protected by the Madonna del Ghisallo •
a a a short cut back home We stayed in Tremezzo which marks the the end of the the ride Distance: 88 kilometres Elevation: 1750 metres Segment: strava com/activities/754721212
Stop for: A prayer at the the chapel in Ghisallo the the cycling museum in in Ghisallo another prayer at the foot of of Muro di Sormano and and coffee and and gelato in Como LOMBARDY COLMA DI SORMANO