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FALL 2017 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 02
THIS CLOSE TO NOTHING
THE ULTIMATE ALPS: EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME
BY DEXTER FORD | PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR AND HERB PILCHER
About 50 million years ago, Africa, which was probably glancing down at its iPhone, crashed headfirst into Europe, which was just sitting in plate-tectonic traffic, minding its own business. Like the hood of a crash-test Mercedes, neither Europe nor Africa were ever the same. A big chunk of Africa wound up on the top of the Matterhorn. Which is great for bargain-hunting climbers who want to conquer two continents for the price of one. But for us riders, the important thing is that this global fender-bender created the Alps. For people who prefer riding in curved lines, there is no better place on earth.
Austrians and Italians have fought for centuries over the Dolomites. Now we know what all the fuss was about.