Giro d'Italia Mountain Challenge 2006
Matt Donaldson decided to raise some money for Orchid Cancer Appeal by completing a cycle ride in Lombardy in North East Italy on 12 September 2006 which included climbing three of the largest mountain passes in the Dolomites that are used in the Giro d'Italia cycle race. The ride from Prato allo Stelvio over the Passo dello Stelvio 8964 feet (2758m ), Passo di Gavia 8509 feet (2618m) and the Passo del Mortirolo 6026 feet (1854m) covered about 100 miles including 45 miles of very severe climbing. Matt was accompanied by two friends this year, his coach and club mate Trevor Figgitt, who had decided to celebrate his 46th birthday by joining him on the uphill sections and for the second year running his best mate Paul Ross took time off from sailing to join him and act as ride support in a car providing food, drinks and mechanical assistance as well as complete some of the route on his bike.
Matt had chosen to support the Orchid Cancer Trust this year to say thank you for the ongoing help and support they are giving to 17 year old Stefan Cawston who, as well as being a friend and rugby team mate is also the son of one of his oldest friends. Stefan is having a tough year fighting cancer. He has under gone three different bouts of High Strength Chemotherapy and Stem Cell Transplants this year. Since Matt returned from the ride Stefan has been told by his doctors at St Barts in London that he is in remission and that currently his body is cancer free although he is facing further surgery in 6 months to aid his recovery and protect against reoccurrence.
(Click on the picture to see it larger, in a new window)
The journey to Bormio and our base at the Hotel Genzianella in the Lombardy region of Italy was uneventful. The hotel was beyond our expectations with bike storage, cleaning and maintenance facilities. The room was lovely with Trev and Matt sharing the large room and Paul by warrant of his snoring having the smaller room to himself. The bathroom was amazing and the shower something of a reminder of an ideal home show display, massive shower head, jets that shot out of the wall to douche the body and an ominous looking probe that none of us had the courage to use!
On Monday 11th we all went out on the bikes to stretch the legs and explore the area, after an hour Paul decided to let Matt and Trev find their mountain legs in peace so the pair set off up the San Carlo to the Passo di Foscagno at 2291m (7446 feet). The midday heat and the frenetic pace Matt set early on meant that before the summit they turned back as they had no more water and were cooked. This coupled with the shocked look from Federica who runs the hotel, when she heard what they intended to do the next day, and her statement that no one rode the Stelvio, Gavia and Mortirolo in one day, not even the pro peloton in the Giro d'Italia meant there was a certain tension in the air that evening. Although the massage the team got meant they all felt in top condition for the following day.
Tuesday 12th September dawned clear, bright and promised a warm day for the epic ride. After a hearty breakfast we loaded the car with the kit and drove over the Stelvio.
 |
 |
(Click on a picture to see it larger, in a new window)
We unloaded the bikes at Pratto allo Stelvio and at 10:30cet after a handshake and best wishes we set off up the legendary Stelvio with its 53 hairpins. We started the climb at a steady pace and used the initial 5% gradient to settle in to riding before the road kicked up into the trees and stayed at a steady 9 or 10%. Trev set the pace with the laws of physics being on his side, 11 inches shorter and 6 stone lighter than Matt! Soon everyone settled into their own pace and good progress was made up the mountain. At 2000m the trees disappeared and we could all feel the air becoming thinner, the heat of the day was countered by the height gained and it was warm but not too oppressive. The only problem with coming out of the trees was that we could now see the road snaking away above us to the summit. Legs were aching now and each hairpin was a blessing as it gave momentary respite from the gradient. As the summit neared Trev graciously waited for Matt and they took the 2758m (8964 feet) summit side by side with big smiles. Paul took some photos at the summit while Trev put his bike in the car with Paul's while Matt put on his helmet and some extra layers for the descent to Bormio
 |
 |
(Click on a picture to see it larger, in a new window)
As Matt plummeted off the mountain hitting speeds of up to 53mph, not quite getting the speeds of the day before when he hit 68.4 mph off the San Carlo. Trev and Paul watched his progress from above as they took the road a little slower on 4 wheels. The mountain which had taken around 2 hours to climb only took 35 minutes to descend to Bormio before swinging left onto the road that leads up to the Passo di Gavia, although the heart rate was lower to say the descent was a rest for Matt would not be right as all the braking for hairpins and German camper van drivers meant his shoulders and fore arms were full off lactic acid by the time he reached the bottom, this is to say nothing of the three short unlit tunnels on the descent where it was all Matt could do to make out where the road went over the top of his sunglasses. As Matt reached the bottom slopes of the Gavia and realised quite how much his legs hurt the cavalry arrived in the car and he took a moment to take off the extra layers, gloves and helmet, he had put on for the descent which in the full heat of the valley were quite stifling, he also took on some food and some fresh bottles before the three riders started up the Gavia together.
(Click on the picture to see it larger, in a new window)
After the gentle introduction through the village of Santa Caterina the road reared up to a leg burning 10% gradient, the midday heat in the trees was oppressive and everyone settled in to a rhythm that suited them. As the 2000m tree line approached the team took time to sit down, have a drink and a bite to eat and admire the views of the valley and various peaks around Bormio. Spirits were high as we set off again after the short break.
As the trees disappeared the gradient went up and the heat and thin air really made Matt and Trev work hard, both coughing like 20 a day smokers in reaction to the rarefied atmosphere. The last section past the Fausto Coppi memorial was very hard,
both struggled as the pace dropped before passing the glacial lake and the final kilometre to the summit.
Trev christened the picture below 'Matt and his little boy out for a ride!' The size disparity and parallax error creating much amusement when the team saw the photographs that evening. On arrival at the summit of the Passo di Gavia 8639 feet (2618m) Paul very quickly became the most popular member of the team as he was on hand to take some pictures and provide coffee's, rolls and a big piece of apricot pie from the bar at the summit. The rest was appreciated and a group of Italian cyclists also at the summit, after sharing the knowing looks and respectful nods of cyclists who have completed the physical challenge of one of the highest road passes in Europe were assisted by taking photos of their group for them.
(Click on the picture to see it larger, in a new window)
The camaraderie of sport overcomes any language or cultural barriers that may have existed elsewhere. Cheery waves as the Italians departed toward Bormio and Paul and Trev got in the car as Matt put his helmet and layers on again for the descent to Ponte di Legno. The road off the summit was little more than a track, although tarmac covered it was crumbling and had plenty of debris, Matt shot down the descent again working hard to stay upright, make each hairpin, avoid plummeting into the valley below and avoiding the ubiquitous Transit van coming the other way on one hairpin halfway down!
 |
 |
(Click on a picture to see it larger, in a new window)
The car caught Matt up in the valley and from there it was gently down hill along the valley to the foot of the legendary Mortirolo. This is the climb Lance Armstrong described as the toughest mountain he ever climbed on a bike. A nice way to finish the day! It was 1730 cet and we had 17km of fierce climbing and a descent to get in before we lost the light at about 2000 cet. The evening heat was incredible as we set off, all off us had our shirts unzipped and sweat pouring off us. The aching legs eased as each rider settled into their rhythm, encouragement from the locals in the hillside village of Monno spurred the riders on with calls of 'Forza' echoing in their ears as well as some friendly chicken impersonations for Paul from a group of local teenagers as he shot back down through the village to get the car. The previous 6 and a half hours in the saddle were beginning to take their toll on Matt as he started to tire. Digging deep into his reserves of courage, determination and mental strength he pushed on up the mountain, the strain clearly visible on his face, the 'dead Elvis grin', as Lance Armstrong named it, showing the effort he was putting in. Trev waited for Matt at the 13km point and they pushed on together to the top. With 3km to go the climb levelled off to an easy 5% gradient and both Trev and Matt thought the climbing was over As they rounded a bend they were confronted by the steepest bit of road they had seen all day climbing at up to 17% in places, Paul watched from the car behind as each excruciating pedal stroke nearly brought the bikes to a stand still.
Into the last km and both Trev and Matt were out of the saddle straining every muscle and sinew to keep the bikes moving, not sure how far was left to climb. Matt later admitted that some words of encouragement from Paul and thoughts of what Stefan was going through compared to his own short term suffering meant he completed the final 500m with tears welling up in his eyes, good job he had his sunnies on or it might have spoilt his macho image! With a last big effort Trev and Matt found the summit and completed a gruelling day in saddle with the ascent of the Passo del Mortirolo at 6019 feet (1852m). Altitude gained 23859 feet (7230m) and a job well done. Paul was desperate to ride a descent so Matt offered to drive down to enable Paul to test his descending skills. That was the last Matt and Trev saw of Paul until the Marco Pantani memorial half way down, where after taking some photos of the modern monument Paul resumed his descent and met the car at the bottom with a huge grin and non stop excited chatter about how cool the descent was. That was two firsts for Paul on the trip, first massage and first mountain descent both experiences seemed to be to his liking. All that remained was the journey back to the hotel, shower and a night out to toast Stefan, Trev's birthday and completion of the ride.
 |
 |
(Click on a picture to see it larger, in a new window)
On the Wednesday Paul conquered his own Everest when accompanied by Matt he rode the final climb of a Giro stage from 2004 up to Bormio 2000m ski station, a huge effort made for another first and another big cheesy grin.
Matt would like to thank everyone who took an interest with words of encouragement, sponsorship and donations to Orchid. Thanks to Dan Ellmore at Impsport for taking Matt's design for the shirts making it better and then producing the finished article ready for the ride. Special thanks to Matt's wife Pippa, Paul's wife Kate for backing the friends in another adventure to raise money for charity, mid-life crisis? What mid-life crisis? Thanks to Trev for all his help on and off the bike and being Matt's pilot fish on the mountains. Finally Matt would like to thank Paul, without Paul none of this is possible. His selfless commitment to make things run smoothly, his understanding of what makes Matt tick and how to get the best out of him are an inspiration.
For Stefan Cawston good luck mate, stay healthy.
Flower power works...
Orchid Cancer was the first registered charity dedicated to fund research into diagnosis, prevention and treatment of both testicular and prostate cancer and to increase public awareness of these previously neglected diseases.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men. Around 2,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK. The highest at risk age group is between 18-32 years old. Between the age of 15 and 50 about 1 in 500 develop it. If caught at an early stage 99% are cured. Only 5% of men regularly check their testicles. A simple regular self-examination is now known to help detect the early signs and reduce the amount of treatment needed.
Prostate cancer kills one man every hour in the UK and a man has a 1 in 11 lifetime risk of developing it. Over 30,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. Prostate cancer mainly affects men over the age of 65, though in the UK more than 1000 cases per year affect men under the age of 55. If you're concerned, ask your doctor about an examination and a PSA test.
To
sponsor Matt for this Epic Adventure go to https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/italyride