Coppi’s Climb

Miles from Home - 5487.8
Firsts / Highlights - Coppi’s climb, sea kayaking
Miles Ridden - 37.81 miles
Vertical Feet - 4, 079 ft.
Route - View Today’s Route Here.
People - Just me and the ghost of Fausto.



This post is from June 11, 2009.

I found the road today that Andy Hampsten takes his tour groups on Elba. The climb is a bit of a legend because it is said that Fausto Coppi (possibly the greatest Italian cyclist) rode it frequently as a training ride. It is also claimed that he drank from Napoleon’s Spring near Marciana each time he reached the top of the climb. I never found the spring, but I didn't really have a description of where to look. Just about everything here is named for Napoleon since he spent his exile years here gazing at the coast of Corsica where he was banished.





Anyway, Coppi's climb was a tough one. I haven’t studied the distance in the GPS data, but I can tell you the grade was tough. It was rarely less steep than 10%, and it frequently kicked up to 16% for some non-trivial stretches. In Coppi's day, bikes had only 2 gears. One was for the flats and one for climbing. It was necessary to get off the bike, remove the rear wheel flip it 180 degrees and remount it to shift from one gear to another. As laborious as that may be, I'm thinking even Fousto shifted gears for this hill.



In addition to the ride, I explored the town where I am staying, Fetovaia. This island has white sand beaches, black sand beaches, pebble beaches and rocky shores. After my ride around, I think Fetovaia probably has the nicest beach on the island. As long as it was out my door, I took advantage by renting a kayak for a spin around the harbor.