{"id":284169,"date":"2024-08-25T23:42:38","date_gmt":"2024-08-25T21:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.motorprosa.com\/?p=284169"},"modified":"2025-01-14T11:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T10:08:05","slug":"ive-had-enough-im-dropping-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.motorprosa.com\/en\/ive-had-enough-im-dropping-it\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ve had enough. I’m dropping it."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"I've
Lesedauer \/\/ Reading time: 7<\/span> Min.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A lurid title, I know. I occasionally mention that my home route, the road I prefer to ride on my motorcycles, is the famous Stelvio Pass. I feel very good about it, others probably don’t after a crash. The fact that people make fun of it goes against the grain. It’s enough!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Das<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Before you read, please note<\/strong>: this post was translated with the help of Deepl<\/a>.
If you find any errors \u2013 please have fun first and then give me a hint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Stelvio Pass is first and foremost simply an Alpine pass that emerged from an ancient mule track and grew for economic, political, military and, at some point, tourist reasons. It is the highest pass in Italy. If you insist on a paved road and a pass in the literal sense of the word, only the Col de l’Iseran is a handful of meters higher in the entire Alpine arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

48 hairpin bends wind their way up the mountain on the east ramp. Variety is guaranteed: there are narrow and confusing, wide and clearly visible, in the shade of the forest or in the heat of the blazing sun, linked by short or long, straight or winding sections. 1800 vertical meters are spread over 20 kilometers. Conclusion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE perfect road
 for compressed motorcycling.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I emphasize: MY<\/strong> conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For cyclists, the Stelvio is \u201cHer Majesty\u201d. There are nastier climbs, there are longer ramps, there are more challenging passes \u2013 but conquering the Stelvio Pass by bike is undeniably the highlight. Many motorcyclists feel the same way. Travel reports, tour suggestions, social media \u2013 everyone talks about the Stelvio Pass as the pass that \u201cmust\u201d be ridden once in a lifetime. You can see and hear it: More than half of all vehicles that make their way up to the Cima Coppi are motorcycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, not everyone reaches the top unscathed. Petrol stains from overturned motorcycles are as much a part of the Stelvio Pass<\/a> as the fumes from the sausage shops. Fragments of brake and clutch levers, decorated with splinters of blinker lenses, are scattered around the dark patches. The South Tyrolean road service will take care of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dropping

Fragments of an unsuccessful turn<\/h3><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A road with a steep gradient
 .. and many falls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why is that the case? Objectively speaking, the road is nothing special. It is asphalted from top to bottom, has two lanes, the hairpin bends are flat and the gradient is moderate. Actually, anyone who can get around a narrow traffic circle without falling over should be able to drive the Stelvio serpentines without any problems. But: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a lack of clarity. Retaining walls protruding into the apex prevent you from seeing around the corner. It takes a long and flexible neck to recognize oncoming traffic before turning in. It is not always possible to see how the road will continue out of the hairpin bend – everything approaching from above appears in your field of vision at fairly short notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be stressful and inhibit your flow. All it takes is two or three seconds of shock and your shoulders tense up, your gaze moves closer to the front wheel. You quickly lose control of your gaze. What’s more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road slopes inwards in most bends, which may feel a little strange at low speeds. This also means that the leg on the inside of the bend is suddenly a few centimetres further away from the ground than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m
 dropping.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So we have a conglomerate of conditions that motorcyclists unaccustomed to the route are unlikely to recognize in combination:<\/p>\n\n\n\n