I had slept in my leg warmers, and full kit; so getting ready was a bit quicker than usual, at least. The chill remained in the air though, and a cold drizzle accompanied me for the first 1.5 hours of climbing up to the top of Wolfgang Pass.
From Wolfgang, it was a short descent to Davos, before beginning the Flüela Pass proper.
The rain abated momentarily, as I swung onto the climb. Then, the snow began...
I was already in the lowest gear, and crawling up into the snow line. Once into the banks of white stuff, I felt very much alone on the hillside.
Passing cars shot me shocked glances; as I counted the kilometres to the summit.
At the top, I pulled off my gloves to take a quick photo. They took a good 5 minutes to get back on, with my hands like frozen claws; but it was worth it (it's the most liked picture on Instagram so far).
I descended out of the heavy snow, thankfully onto dry roads. Sat in a café at the bottom, I warmed the feeling back into my hands.
From Flüela to Fuorn. Thankfully my spirits lifted by caffeine and sunshine, this one was that much easier.
I stripped off layers as my body temperature built, and reached the summit with full dexterity returned to my digits.
Descend. Down, down, down; into Italy. 85 kilometres of downhill to the finishline.
I stopped for Gelato, to celebrate. Then continuing in the sunshine, with a superb tailwind, I hammered past the thousands of apple orchards alongside the river.
I reached Merano with time to unpack, grab a fantastic takeaway pizza, and even take a quick spa.
What an incredible day of contrasts.
Going into my rest day, my totals sit at 73 hours riding, 1583 kilometres, and 19,140 metres climbed.
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