Sunrise on the Flüela Pass is just as eerie as on Pordoi. We kit the bikes after a nice breakfast and set off on the 28 again towards Davos Dorf. Dörfli, actually. Davos is convinced it is not a famoous or exciting place. From Davos, we follow the Landwasserstrasse to Tiefencastle, where we join the 3 and begin the ascent to the Julierpass. We stop on the way up at the Marmorerasee, a retention lake that controls water flow down the assorted mountains and is filled with stunningly clear blue water.
From the Marmorereasee, we continue to the Julier Pass. The ascent to Julier is beautiful with rolling scenery and gentle curves that lend a sense of fulfillment to the viewer. We arrive at the top and find a bicyclist willing to take our picture together. We join the 27 at Silvaplana and the 29 at Pontresina, then it is on to the Passo del Bernina, where I work hard to get the perfect shot. The mountains surrounding the Berninapass are very photogenic.
Just past Baracon, we turn off onto the Forcola di Livigno, and proceed to the pass. We collect some cheese for later lunching from a tax-free shop at the pass, and while walking back up the hill, snap a postcard shot of why we ride GSs. Following the pass road, we make our way to the town of Livigno, where we tank up again and add a further 235.9km, for a total of 986,3km. We pick up SS301 southbound for the next planned pass: Passo di Foscagno.
On the was to Passo di Foscagno, we are surprised by a small sign for Passo d’Eira. Not famous, not loved, but still counts!
From Passo d’Eire, we continue to Passo di Foscagno, and on to Bormio. We want to be fully rested and ready to attack Stelvio in the morning, hoping to beat the tourist traffic. Bormio has a spa and appears to have nice restaurants. We find many medieval buildings and small grottos as we search for food. Alas, Bormio has the day off on Tuesday, and we end up at the only open restaurant in town, the Bar Nuovo. The staff are quite helpful and happy to have customers. We spend the night at Hotel Therme, where there is time to relax, but, alas, no spa. It’s also closed. For Tuesday.
