Cycling Bergamo - Episode 04 - Passo San Marco
The Passo San Marco represents the highest peak reachable in the Bergamo area with a road bike.
It connects the Valle Brembana to Valtellina, bridging the provinces of Bergamo and Sondrio, both lands of great cyclists.
For all of us, this climb represents a challenge to be faced at least once a year.
It's a long, exhausting ascent, especially hot during the summer; sudden rains are frequent, and the suitable period to tackle it is limited to the months when the road is not covered in snow.
With its elevation of 1,985 meters above sea level, the pass is about 60 kilometers from Bergamo.
The real ascent officially starts in Olmo al Brembo, with an average gradient of 7.9% over 18 kilometers, with sections reaching 11-13%.
It's a climb that generally requires descending from the same side. However, if you have the endurance for a total route of about 200 kilometers, it's possible to descend from the north side towards Morbegno and return to Bergamo along the eastern shore of Lake Como.
Starting from the 1980s, the valley depopulated, but in the last decade, it has been undergoing a promising revival.The Valle Brembana has been experiencing a second youth in recent years.
Many young people are returning to settle here, creating new businesses related to the territory and sustainable farming, rediscovering old animal breeds and traditional dairy products.
Ferdy Wild and Trattoria Delle Miniere - both in the Lenna area - represent two very interesting culinary realities in the valley.
Certainly, perhaps not by bike, they deserve a visit with the right amount of time.
The first, undoubtedly, dates back to the early 20th century when the renowned San Pellegrino was a tourist destination for "pleasure," with casinos, spas, and Grand Hotels that attracted numerous visitors.
Today, the town is much quieter and hosts passing travelers. We can't fail to mention Bigio, which has been a hotel and famous pastry shop since 1932, known for its biscuits.
Gasp's passion revolves around cooking, music, and cycling, filling his free time.
The dishes he creates are made with selected ingredients, with Italian flavors that have Asian nuances. The cooking techniques used don't excessively alter the foods but rather enhance their taste, allowing them to be fully appreciated, perhaps accompanied by a bottle of wine during an Italian summer evening.
Alessandro not only enjoys the view of the sunrise and sunset from his home's windows but is also fortunate to live in the most beautiful area of the city: Città Alta, right on the Venetian Walls overlooking Bergamo.
This is the ideal starting point for bike rides.
The Diamante represents Basso's flagship model. After over 22 years since its first version and 8 evolutions that have continually improved it, this model now boasts the lightest frame in the range.
It features clean and classic lines and is the ideal frame for climbers, the ultimate choice for those who want a high-performance bike still made in Italy.
In addition to designing the frame, Basso has created the Levita integrated fork and stem. Elegance and the pursuit of lightness are the guiding principles of this project, which we can say has been fully successful.
You easily fall in love with this Diamante; when you ride it and start pushing, it feels like everything is easier, faster, you don't need to get used to it, even in challenging situations, it's all natural and immediate.
The size 53 frame weighs only 760 grams.
It's a monocoque built with Toray 40T and 30T carbon, the Levita stem in the 110mm size weighs 330 grams. This way, it's really easy - and not very costly economically - to achieve a complete bike under 6.8 kg.
The three available colors make it difficult for anyone to choose: they are all too beautiful to pick just one. The frame is compatible with both mechanical and electronic groups.
As always, Cicli Corsa offers the possibility to customize every detail of the complete bike assembly. Currently, we still have some frames and complete bikes available.
At the moment, it's about two months from the order placement.
However, the waiting time for sizes not immediately available has been reduced; at the moment
