Stelvio Pass

[mattSV]

Just got back from a 3700 mile trip to Italy in the car, did all the usual touristy stuff - Tuscany (where my brother lives), Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Lambo Factory tour, Ferrari Museum (and took a California for a good blat), Venice blah blah blah.

On the way back we decided to come back via the Stelvio Pass, as seen on Top Gear. Weather was a bit crap (see pics) - around 30 degrees cooler than Rome!

However, what an amazing bit of road. Very little traffic, and even in the ****ing rain and snow, with a car loaded with vino, we still had a right giggle.

If you ever get the chance, especially on a bike, then you must do it - just be prepared for 'changeable weather'.

On the way:-

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xotQ4G3EhZw/TfT79dKSYFI/AAAAAAAAD8U/R6rzF__G4zU/s720/DSC03300.JPG

Good news:-

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l0Z-YBFbMQc/TfT7-frVpcI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/vq3B5Ub0hak/s576/DSC03301.JPG

Bikes on the way up - still warm and sunny

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gDKuRcd6UiQ/TfT8Fl_MKYI/AAAAAAAAD8w/X_GRNu4tHLM/s800/DSC_1014.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KKrfHk5pgS4/TfT8HSfUg1I/AAAAAAAAD80/9rf8vI_ThJY/s800/DSC_1015.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-j5rxhMdI9no/TfT8I9-tSiI/AAAAAAAAD84/kNymE9j3PcY/s800/DSC_1016.JPG

On the way up - weather starting to close in

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-clIW5204Gz8/TfT7_lWB4eI/AAAAAAAAD8c/FWDwtsEDG9E/s720/DSC03307.JPG

[mattSV]

Nearly at the top - and it is now snowing heavily

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DwePH54mK7Q/TfT8LWGxpcI/AAAAAAAAD9A/Wt95cWsRF0U/s800/DSC_0001-1.JPG

Felt sorry for these guys:-

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GERTtoxVdh8/TfT8MtNTIHI/AAAAAAAAD9E/XcXAhaYODMc/s800/DSC_0003-1.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CV_AyH2Soao/TfT8NxrolxI/AAAAAAAAD9I/BiW3r_EgKow/s800/DSC_0004-1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3-Sx9gmOtvk/TfT8O2eaaRI/AAAAAAAAD9M/9sg2zTA0QOw/s800/DSC_0005-1.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-STlBi1jZqtg/TfT8QSNaYbI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/GbwObeDSZJM/s800/DSC_0006-1.JPG

[mattSV]

Not the greatest quality pics - visibility by now was starting to close in:-

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XmwlZlqiVEI/TfT8R5pZAKI/AAAAAAAAD9Y/noMHAvCio7M/s800/DSC_0008-1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bwAMpmn_uho/TfT8TS_A-dI/AAAAAAAAD9c/vd0Q0kvQKOM/s800/DSC_0009-1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LX8RmiBFPAc/TfT8UC1lpgI/AAAAAAAAD_U/RMInwH1I4-k/s800/DSC_0011-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ifFnE_LauSI/TfT8ZG_cnhI/AAAAAAAAD90/g0v-IrcHI3w/s800/DSC_0020-1.JPG

[mattSV]

At the top

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--KURd4H-7rw/TfT8VP-qDqI/AAAAAAAAD9k/FMEy9it9aH4/s800/DSC_0015-1.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kJDYs3j1UJs/TfT8W_WEtRI/AAAAAAAAD9o/XBOXjELLI9k/s800/DSC_0016-1.JPG

A hell of a climb to the top of second highest paved road in the Alps

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yNf2VgA1Ut0/TfT8YbDLYlI/AAAAAAAAD9s/YaeZRXGqb18/s800/DSC_0017-1.JPG

[mattSV]

After 48 hairpins on the way up , a lovely hot chocalate in one of the bars, and then it was down the other side towards Switzerland. It stopped snowing, the cloud lifted, the tarmac was fresh, the corners more open and flowing - time for some fun again:-

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IXBVeGWjDsg/TfT8bZEqzMI/AAAAAAAAD-A/m9MUO940ACU/s800/DSC_0022-1.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YFMvLyJzA4o/TfT8abmVPLI/AAAAAAAAD98/UK_xgmkuKEE/s800/DSC_0021-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VLSc-Zj-qrg/TfT8cUD3LbI/AAAAAAAAD-E/T7jw6tGg3jU/s800/DSC_0023-1.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cQtOx5e_YuQ/TfT8oNIOoeI/AAAAAAAAD-g/0k5nUEUB_2M/s800/DSC_0038-1.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9egRXV-NBqU/TfT8tt8UZHI/AAAAAAAAD-w/JzV344geDkA/s800/DSC_0041-1.JPG

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https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hMMBZsAaKdc/TfT8x7R-HeI/AAAAAAAAD-4/53USiw9qr3M/s800/DSC_0043-1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-26FFox5u_co/TfT80BWNPnI/AAAAAAAAD-8/8fCfy1DT_r4/s800/DSC_0044-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0rn4LV1PPUA/TfT82N8cO7I/AAAAAAAAD_A/xE4BycPu-ac/s800/DSC_0046-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9KCaQhK4mBo/TfT856jBl2I/AAAAAAAAD_I/nUotxngwFlw/s800/DSC_0052-1.JPG

[mattSV]

The ideal tool for the job?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CPlppe2sVuk/TfT8rwYftMI/AAAAAAAAD-s/VeBzxKl28Zk/s800/DSC_0040-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2tHmo2cwTmw/TfT8fM4AebI/AAAAAAAAD-M/v09ncUvIEPs/s800/DSC_0031-1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L8L11YoGEWs/TfT8hGstkyI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/n5cQ48octns/s800/DSC_0032-1.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-89874RYZq-Y/TfT8loK8MqI/AAAAAAAAD-c/yWjYDYyyW_g/s800/DSC_0035-1.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iGUZB7ufRgg/TfT83wyNfJI/AAAAAAAAD_E/0ANlJZGbUPY/s800/DSC_0050-1.JPG

[Quiff Wichard]

Nice roads

Shame you is a crap driver ... :D

[Quiff Wichard]

oh and get off the computer and help Anita to sort the washing out...

[Specialone]

Excellent matt, looks like a good trip :)

[andrewsmith]

Corking Matt

Was the road Icy when it started snowing, or is that a purely English thing

[Exi]

Just got back from a similar trip. Plan was to do the Stelvio pass as well, but we only left ourselves a day to get from Venice to Calais, so decided to just take the shortest route.

[mattSV]

Corking Matt

Was the road Icy when it started snowing, or is that a purely English thing

On the way up the road was wet, but not icy - that meant I could keep the car in 'dynamic' mode (stiffer suspension, brakes 'pre-loaded', tighter steering, better throttle response) rather than having to switch to 'normal' or 'all-weather' :cool:

[mattSV]

Just got back from a similar trip. Plan was to do the Stelvio pass as well, but we only left ourselves a day to get from Venice to Calais, so decided to just take the shortest route.

You could have still done it(just!) - we left Venice (Mogliano Veneto) at about 11:00 on Saturday morning, and got to Calais at 10:00 on Sunday morning - we kept to the limits on the autoroutes and stopped for a kip for couple of hours.

[Geodude]

Great pics and that road looks ace but i doubt i would have the talent to ride them :( Maybe one day i will give it a try.

Is it hard work or do you get better as you go?

[mattSV]

Great pics and that road looks ace but i doubt i would have the talent to ride them :( Maybe one day i will give it a try.

Is it hard work or do you get better as you go?

Three of the bikes in the photos were tippytoing themselves all the way up, a combination of being not very confident riders and **** weather conditions - we overtook them three times on the way up, they went past us when we stopped for photos, then we would overtake them again.

At the top however, they all had massive smiles on their faces.

Second part (Swiss side) there was armco instead of solid walls, and the corners were a bit more 'open' - this meant that you could look through the corner to see if there was anything coming, and then taking a wider line on the way in. The better weather on that side helped too. The tunnels on the way down were 'interesting' though - narrow single track, carved out of the solid rock (i.e. walls not lined at all), twisty with no lighting - luckily we didn't meet anything coming the other way.

I would suggest that you do not need 'talent' to ride/drive these roads, just the right levels of confidence and common sense. If however you do have 'talent' then you could have a right hoon.

[Geodude]

Cheers for that and i think the tippytoing part describes my riding well. So i just need to get me some more of this 'confidence' stuff then i might earn me one of those massive smiles :D

[Specialone]

The stelvio pass top gear episode is on dave ATM, what a coincidence, me likey :)

[Luckypants]

Am I the only one who cannot see the photos? Seems like I cannot see images on the Google user content server thingy :(

[mattSV]

You should be able to see them LP, if not I have also put them on Facebook so you should be able to see them under my photos on there...

[Paul the 6th]

Cracking pics buddy, but.... I'll see your stelvio pass and raise you with pordoi pass in northern italy :razz:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hMeOItiIB0c/SjVXuC6rNbI/AAAAAAAADow/YyA8hBuaT1U/s800/IMG_0533.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bImi5Kcfn50/SjVYOD9jjqI/AAAAAAAADow/B0dEUiIHY9U/s800/IMG_0540.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yVEJbgICAKQ/SjVXengY3xI/AAAAAAAADow/B8ZQ6VAbFG0/s800/IMG_0527.JPG

Top of the dolomites (feels like top of the world)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rsLBzH026oE/SjVXhOpMXZI/AAAAAAAADow/8R4mxulk5Z4/s800/IMG_0528.JPG

If you've never been to the alps, put it on your bucket list...

[Luckypants]

You should be able to see them LP, if not I have also put them on Facebook so you should be able to see them under my photos on there...Thanks Matt, I took a look. Fantastic trip mate, looks absolutely superb.

[L3nny]

Nice, makes me realise how lucky I was to go up there last September in 20 degree sunshine.

Pics here (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=2376243#post2376243)if your interested

[Drumming_Animal]

This is now officially on my "To Do Before I Die" list. Probably on the "To Do More Than Once" list aswell