Italian Alps & Dolomites, August 2004

Call it a hommage to the recently deceased Marco Pantani, to the greats like Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Francesco Moser, et al. Or maybe it was a pilgrimmage to the monuments of Italian cycling: the legendary Stelvio, the mythical Gavia, the impossibly steep Mortirolo, the saintly Ghisallo di Madonna. Either way, we were there to climb, wine and get the after-dinner gelati and grappa in!