When we published the article in which Bruno Quadrio told us about Mogast on April 1st , our curiosity was still lingering, especially regarding the two Berlin-based friends with whom he and his team had conceived the event linking the Mortirolo, Gavia, and Stelvio Passes ten years ago. One is named Mauro, the other is Niccolò , and it was from an exchange between them that the idea of cycling the three Valtellina passes on the same day was born.
Berlin, province of Sondrio
Mauro answers us from Berlin at the end of his workday. He left 15 years ago following his partner who was moving for studies, then decided to stay. He studied at the DAMS (Department of Music and Performing Arts) and started out as a journalist. He explains that his family in Valtellina has deep roots in cycling , that in the 1990s, when he was a kid, he read about it in magazines, and that moving to Germany certainly hasn't lost those good habits.
" Mogast was born here in Berlin," he says, "where there's a pretty lively scene among the people I know . Maybe you've already mentioned it, but one day my friend Niccolò came out with one of those typical provocations among thirty-year-old, not-so-grown-up Italians. He proposed a challenge on the Stelvio, I countered by adding the other two climbs , and that's when we created a disaster. When we started, we didn't have the idea of organizing an event , so we never sponsored it much.
It's something we do in our free time with a small sports club, and we started it with a get-together of people we knew. The first year, we sent out about thirty letters, complete with handwritten envelopes and addresses, to friends, inviting them . But since the scene is so vibrant, word of mouth spread very quickly , without us having to do anything special. We've always tried to keep the numbers small, also because none of us would have time to keep up with it if it got much bigger.
The bike all day
The story continues. Mauro says the effort involved in organizing Mogast isn't that great : a few hours of bureaucracy with the Federation and little else, although he later thinks better of it and says they actually dedicate more time to it.
If the distance weighs on him, he doesn't let it show. He says he returns to Italy around the two solstices, in June and December , though he admits he sometimes makes exceptions. His work as a bike courier is a huge inspiration , so much so that we're talking about creating a blog dedicated to the many encounters he has.
"I find it very stimulating," he says. " Every day I turn on my little radio and I don't know what awaits me . It allows me to stay in touch with many facets of the city and discover them. We often work with artists, galleries, photographers, and it's truly a way to discover unexpected corners of the city . Every day you could paint a portrait of someone you've interacted with, and there would be ideas for journalism, even if free time is limited for now.
«The bicycle in Berlin is one of the vehicles of socialization, has brought me many of the friends and acquaintances I have. So on the weekend it often happens that I do bikepacking and in any case, as a means of transport, the bicycle is my first choice."
The Journey of Ulysses
But the kilometers in the city are not those on its mountains and in the wait for the three climbs under the Valtellina sky , in the wait for the return there is perhaps a pinch of the spirit of Ulysses.
"When you set out on your journey to Ithaca," says the poem by Konstantinos Cavafy , " you must hope that the Road is long, fertile in adventures and experiences . (...) Ithaca has given you the beautiful journey, without it you would never have set out on the Road: what else do you expect? And if you find it poor, Ithaca will not have disappointed you. Now that you have become wise, with all your experience behind you, you will already have understood what Ithaca means ."
June is almost here, the words follow one another and seem to spring from the profound thoughts of someone who left his homeland, but remained inextricably linked to it.
"I always die on the Gavia," reflects Mauro Illarietti, a German from Valtellina, with equal poeticism, "about halfway or a little further. Everything that comes after two-thirds can be difficult. I think it's simply the combination of slopes, lack of oxygen, and length of the stride . But it's beautiful to end with the Stelvio, because it's gradual, it's majestic. The Gavia is also majestic, but the Stelvio is a little more gentle than all the others. Being longer, it gives you time to say goodbye to the day or celebrate it in the best way ."
Like an extended family
He smiles when we tell him that their event is included in the list of cycling tourism events in Valtellina , along with Enjoy Stelvio, Stelvio Santini, and Re Stelvio. He spots the intruder, laughs heartily, but credits Gigi Negri (who is the driving force behind those events) with the strength and ability to motivate them when, after ten years of Mogast, the momentum seemed to be fading.
"We're a group of friends," he says, "so we're always in touch, and it's intense. We know more or less where we can get with the energy we have, and we know we don't want to risk getting into a conversation we can't handle . We each have our own ideas of what we'd like to do, and our Mogast, as it is, is a compromise between what we think is manageable and our aspirations.
"I honestly don't know if it could explode, but we're certainly very pleased with how it's going. We're also very pleased with the human satisfaction of seeing people who often return, perhaps even years later. We enjoy being able to have direct contact with those who come and the fact that they end up forming a kind of extended family."
