Last Of The Climbs in Cannobio

The shortest ride of the trip and the hardest climb I have ever done: up from Cannobio to Cavaglio San Donnino, then on to Gurrone, where 300m of the road is at 26 to 39%. I ran out of gears and had to walk. Then a beer at the bar on the way down. 18km and 558m.

This was the last climb on my list in the valley, on Saturday 24 August 2019, and I'll let my note from the day tell it:

"The last to make and an absolute killer. This was my shortest day as I only had this climb to make. Two villages to run to. The first part was as you would expect in this area, nice twists and turns and an average of around 10%. The 2nd part of the last village was the steepest climb I have ever encountered. It is not much more than a kilometer in length, but most of it is over 20% and around 300 meters is at 26–39%. YES 39%. WTF... I ran out of gears on the steepest part and had no choice but to dismount. All the more reason for going back to a 22 speed rather than my current 10-speed setup. Well worth the effort though as there is a bar at the top of the first climb for a coffee (or a beer in my case) before the descent. Absolutely stunning views."

Cavaglio San Donnino And Gurrone

The two villages are on the north side of the Valle Cannobina above Traffiume. Cavaglio San Donnino sits on a shelf at about 500m and is part of the valley's own municipality, Valle Cannobina, along with Crealla, Cursolo, Falmenta, Gurrone, Lunecco, Orasso and Spoccia. Gurrone is higher still, at about 700m.

The RideCannobio, Cavaglio San Donnino And GurroneSaturday 24 August 2019

The route, from my GPS track. Green: Cannobio. Up past Traffiume to Cavaglio San Donnino (white), on to Gurrone (red), and back the same way, with a stop at the bar. This ride on Strava →

18.0kmDistance

558mClimbing

708mHighest point (Gurrone)

205mLowest point (Cannobio)

1h 23mMoving time

15:54–18:26Out on the road (2h 32m)

13.0km/hAverage moving speed

50.4km/hTop speed

118 / 185Heart rate, average / max (bpm)

745Calories

39%Steepest section (from my note)

Carbon CrossBike

How The Day Went

15:54 – 16:23

Part oneCannobio → Traffiume → Cavaglio San Donnino

6km206m → 485mtwists and turns

16:23 – 16:46

Part two: the wallCavaglio → Brandeno → Gurrone

1.6km→ 708m26–39%walked the worst

16:46 – 16:57

Back down→ Cavaglio San Donnino

1.4km

16:57 – 17:53

The barCavaglio San Donnino

56 mina beer

17:53 – 18:26

Down to the lake→ Traffiume → Cannobio

8km

The numbers back up the note. From Cannobio to Cavaglio San Donnino is about 6km and 280m of twisting road. Then the last section to Gurrone climbs about 220m in roughly a kilometre and a half, and the GPS shows me going slower and slower until I was walking. After that, the bar in Cavaglio for nearly an hour, and the descent home: 18km and 558m, the shortest ride of the trip and by a distance the steepest.

A bottle of Moretti beer on a table on a bar terrace overlooking the valley — A beer on a terrace above the valley.

A narrow street in a village in the Valle Cannobina under a cloudy sky — One of the valley villages.

A steep wooded gorge with a white stream far below — The valley below the villages.

Where It Is

Gurrone (marker) above Cavaglio San Donnino in the Valle Cannobina, with Cannobio to the east.