Just found out about the Col Collective and mike cotty through bike radar.........absolutely fantastic series of films, beautifully shot, wonderfully edited, uniting music AND superbly ridden. Thank you so much for a truly magical reminder of why I ride a bike!
GilletNick Orme Welcome Nick! Suuuuper happy you like the videos. We're hoping they help many cyclists get through the winter months and inspire them to take on a challenge or two of their own next year and beyond! Ride safe! Mike Cotty & The Col Collective team :-)
just last week I did this same climb after doing the Mortirolo that day. The road condition from the unlit tunnel to the top is a horrid patchwork with ample potholes to match, a decent would be sketchy at best. The descent down into Bormio is better. Take a headlamp or front light for the tunnel, or use your cell phone, it was dark.....tail light is a must! Watch the weather and get off the summit before the afternoon thunderstorms come in. It is a great tough climb!
Climbed the Gavia after the Mortirolo which makes it for an epic ride, but the clouds moved in and for the second half of the climb all you could see were 300m of tarmac ahead and all white over the cliffs. Although it made the ascent even more epic, I missed all the amazing scenery shown in the video...i guess i will have to do it again! That tunnel is brutal...
Excellent video, thank you for posting. I have added to my playlist and will send to all the people who have ridden with me in the past on the Gavia and who will be riding this year. I usually ride the Passo 4-5 times each year. I like the northern approach much better and the is generally less traffic. Hope to see other great Italian climbs in your videos.
I rode it in june when it was very cold and snowy but worth it. All my cycling dreams came true on this -so epic especially from my hometown of tirano. I know it sounds corny bt it was almost spiritual for me . beautiful beyond compare even compared to stelvio . This mountain is very dear to us italians -the battle of san matteo and the giro legends. do it you'll know what i mean .
Pietro Bombardieri Hi Pietro, I can totally relate to the spiritual side of the mountain. That's what makes it so special, so happy you have the same feelings! Peace, Mike
'd be nice to do this. Cool weather will be good, I climb slowly, so outside of the summer should be possible. On one of my climbs in Italy, a car was coming down. The road was narrow like here on the Gavia, I had to stop and lean against the wall right of me. For me, that's part of the charm of those Italian climbs. Can't get any better excuse to take a rest!
Those tunnels freak me out, I was once caught in there without a rear light in Smoky mountains Tennessee, had to pass 3 tunnels in a busy road, it was a nasty experience.
Rob Phillips Hi Rob, we rode this at the start of September. The conditions can change in an instant so always best to be prepared for just about anything. What always remains the same is you're in for a simply superb climb! Ride safe and best of luck!
hey Mike,good work mate.hopefully,someday i will climb the mythical Giro and Tour Giants in the future.the scenery is breathtaking!!!I have one question,how can you climb out of the saddle so much without going to the red zone?I mean,I also get out of the saddle but after a minute or so,I enter the ''death zone''(lactate threshold)easily.(is it because you do a lot of base training?is it genetic,high vo2 max?)keep 'em coming,best regards from Greece.
panos climber Glad you're liking the videos, super happy about that! Regarding climbing out of the saddle there are a few tips that can make this easier (or more sustainable). Make sure you have a low enough gear, I tend to use a 34 tooth small chain ring and 25 or 28 tooth lowest gear on the back. I prefer to keep a higher cadence if possible, as soon as the legs start to grind up the climb I know I'm going to be in trouble. The next thing is to make sure you're not pushing too hard and to try and stay within a zone that you're able to sustain aerobically (a lot of this comes back to gearing, if you haven't got a low enough gear then you can find you're having to push harder than you would like to just to keep moving). I've always felt comfortable climbing out of the saddle (hence why I do it a lot). I don't have massive raw power to remain seated, especially when it gets steep, so I guess this has been something that I've adapted over the many years I've been cycling. Base training certainly helps to put the building blocks of fitness in place and since I mainly focus on endurance cycling I've put a ridiculous amount of miles in over the years which no doubt helps too. Good luck conquering the giants of the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites! Ride safe. Mike
Cima conquistata nel 2010 in occasione della Granfondo Pantani. Salita stupenda che mi è rimasta nel cuore!!!
Mike Cotty you've created another inspirational master class..wow what a beautiful climb
Thank you Spencer!! Stay tuned, much more to come!
Thank you for all of these beautiful videos. Looking forward to more.
What a luscious climb!
Just found out about the Col Collective and mike cotty through bike radar.........absolutely fantastic series of films, beautifully shot, wonderfully edited, uniting music AND superbly ridden. Thank you so much for a truly magical reminder of why I ride a bike!
GilletNick Orme Welcome Nick! Suuuuper happy you like the videos. We're hoping they help many cyclists get through the winter months and inspire them to take on a challenge or two of their own next year and beyond! Ride safe! Mike Cotty & The Col Collective team :-)
You guys make great videos! Rock on!
just last week I did this same climb after doing the Mortirolo that day. The road condition from the unlit tunnel to the top is a horrid patchwork with ample potholes to match, a decent would be sketchy at best. The descent down into Bormio is better. Take a headlamp or front light for the tunnel, or use your cell phone, it was dark.....tail light is a must! Watch the weather and get off the summit before the afternoon thunderstorms come in. It is a great tough climb!
These video's are great! I just moved to North East Italy, and these video's give me some goals to achieve.
You're a lucky man Jimmy Pemberton Enjoy all of those beautiful climbs!
Now I just need to build up my legs for this!
And what fun that leg building will be Jimmy Pemberton :-)
These videos* (plural, no apostrophe)
This gradient is brutal
Climbed the Gavia after the Mortirolo which makes it for an epic ride, but the clouds moved in and for the second half of the climb all you could see were 300m of tarmac ahead and all white over the cliffs. Although it made the ascent even more epic, I missed all the amazing scenery shown in the video...i guess i will have to do it again! That tunnel is brutal...
Excellent video, thank you for posting. I have added to my playlist and will send to all the people who have ridden with me in the past on the Gavia and who will be riding this year. I usually ride the Passo 4-5 times each year. I like the northern approach much better and the is generally less traffic. Hope to see other great Italian climbs in your videos.
Italiaoutdoors Thanks for sharing! Many more Italian climbs to come! :-)
This climb is amazing. Discovered it thanks to you. Had the same weather. Religious feeling.
Beautiful! So good to hear, the Gavia is a truly spiritual place for cycling.
Graham Van Der Wielen. I'm riding a Cannondale EVO Hi-Mod with Mavic CC40C wheels. Always brings a smile to my face, especially in the mountains :-)
great one
I rode it in june when it was very cold and snowy but worth it. All my cycling dreams came true on this -so epic especially from my hometown of tirano. I know it sounds corny bt it was almost spiritual for me . beautiful beyond compare even compared to stelvio . This mountain is very dear to us italians -the battle of san matteo and the giro legends. do it you'll know what i mean .
Pietro Bombardieri Hi Pietro, I can totally relate to the spiritual side of the mountain. That's what makes it so special, so happy you have the same feelings! Peace, Mike
'd be nice to do this. Cool weather will be good, I climb slowly, so outside of the summer should be possible. On one of my climbs in Italy, a car was coming down. The road was narrow like here on the Gavia, I had to stop and lean against the wall right of me. For me, that's part of the charm of those Italian climbs. Can't get any better excuse to take a rest!
Absolutely! Some of the old Italian roads are simply remarkable!
Those tunnels freak me out, I was once caught in there without a rear light in Smoky mountains Tennessee, had to pass 3 tunnels in a busy road, it was a nasty experience.
***** Yeah, always best to have some safety lights on your bike just in case. Never a good thing heading into a dark tunnel!
Thank you Brasil 👏
Why do you thank a country that has nothing to do with all this?
Great video of a fantastic pass. Wondering if Mike ever sits down on any of these climbs?
Jason Riley Ha, I realise I stand a lot (just feels good that way). Thanks for watching. Mike
Thank you for great videos w. beautiful music. Have you ridden Monte Zoncolan ?
I climbed it two weeks ago...LOL that tunnel...I did not see anything inside...it was really dangerous..:-)
Cotty ...brilliant ! what wheel are u using if u dont mind ?
I'm using the Mavic CC40C, a great all-rounder. Look out for more videos coming soon!
More Cotty brilliance. Wish I was suffering alongside you Mike. Looks like you were up it before sunrise as there is no one on the road?
We were super lucky with the traffic and the weather! This was the last climb of the day, chasing daylight! Yeah baby! :-)
oh , sunset.. yowzers..
This videos and all others are amazing !!
What is the song's name of this one ?
I Was on hollyday there
Great video, I'm planning on doing the climb this August. What time of year did you film this?
Rob Phillips Hi Rob, we rode this at the start of September. The conditions can change in an instant so always best to be prepared for just about anything. What always remains the same is you're in for a simply superb climb! Ride safe and best of luck!
Thanks :)
The tunnel lighting is still marginal. Brand new LEDs driven by proximity sensor which is randomly switching them on and off :-)
hey Mike,good work mate.hopefully,someday i will climb the mythical Giro and Tour Giants in the future.the scenery is breathtaking!!!I have one question,how can you climb out of the saddle so much without going to the red zone?I mean,I also get out of the saddle but after a minute or so,I enter the ''death zone''(lactate threshold)easily.(is it because you do a lot of base training?is it genetic,high vo2 max?)keep 'em coming,best regards from Greece.
panos climber Glad you're liking the videos, super happy about that! Regarding climbing out of the saddle there are a few tips that can make this easier (or more sustainable). Make sure you have a low enough gear, I tend to use a 34 tooth small chain ring and 25 or 28 tooth lowest gear on the back. I prefer to keep a higher cadence if possible, as soon as the legs start to grind up the climb I know I'm going to be in trouble. The next thing is to make sure you're not pushing too hard and to try and stay within a zone that you're able to sustain aerobically (a lot of this comes back to gearing, if you haven't got a low enough gear then you can find you're having to push harder than you would like to just to keep moving). I've always felt comfortable climbing out of the saddle (hence why I do it a lot). I don't have massive raw power to remain seated, especially when it gets steep, so I guess this has been something that I've adapted over the many years I've been cycling. Base training certainly helps to put the building blocks of fitness in place and since I mainly focus on endurance cycling I've put a ridiculous amount of miles in over the years which no doubt helps too. Good luck conquering the giants of the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites! Ride safe. Mike
Nice. What brand/model bike is that?
Does he ever sit down?
Io l' ho fatta quando ancora non era asfaltata...
Whoaaaaaaa! Super cool!
why is this dude always standing...