ROAD BIKE

A long descent will take us into the village of Valdidentro, followed by a plateau to reach Bormio. Here we continue to descend the old State Road SS38 (with several flat sections) for almost 40 km, until we reach Tirano (427 m), the lowest point of our tour. A short stop for a coffee and then it's off again towards the Forcola Pass. We have 35 km of climbing to cover with almost 2000 m of height gain, so we must be careful to conserve our energy for the last (and longest) climb of the day. We immediately enter Switzerland, with the most challenging part of the climb right at the beginning, leading to Lake Poschiavo. Here an 8km stretch will allow us to catch our breath for a while, before continuing on a steady climb for another 22km to the Swiss customs at "La Motta", where we leave the main road to the Bernina Pass to take the route for the Forcola Pass. A virtually flat section of one and a half kilometres will precede the last and hardest part of the climb, with gradients of up to 13%, but we will be rewarded by the beautiful scenery of "I Gessi", which accompanies us to the Forcola Pass (2315 m). A descent of 7 km with only slight bends will take us to the entrance of Livigno.

A short 6 km stretch of flat land to reach the village of Susch and then straight into the climb towards the Flüela Pass. This 13 km climb is quite easy to pedal, the first part with gradients of 8% while the central part becomes a little steeper, reaching 10%. The last 2 km are the easiest, allowing us to catch our breath before reaching the summit of the Flüela Pass, at an altitude of 2383m. A very enjoyable and easy descent takes us to Davos, a famous ski resort in the canton of Graubünden and often home to the World Economic Forum. From here we continue through the long valley, with a few ups and downs in the final part, which will take us to Filisur. This is where we enter the Albula valley and begin the second (and toughest!) ascent of the day. The climb offers spectacular scenery, as we enter a gorge carved out of the rock. The gradients remain constantly steep, with only one central, virtually flat stretch that crosses the village of Bergun, before becoming significantly steeper in the final section to reach the Albula Pass at an altitude of 2312m. The descent back to the Engadin must be tackled with care, given the narrow road and the fatigue accumulated during the day. Once in La Punt, the last 20 km will be a gentle up and downhill that will bring us back to our starting point of Zernez

Once we reach the opposite side, the first ascent of the day will take us to the Forno Pass (2149 m). A pedalable climb, of less than 10 km with a little more than 400 m of height gain, followed by a very long descent through the Val Müstair Valley which will take us to Glorenza. Here a flat stretch will lead us to Prato Stelvio, time for a coffee then we set off for the real climb of the day. The first 8 km are easy to pedal with a moderate incline. Then, a practically flat stretch will take us to the first of the 48 hairpin bends, each one numbered right to the top. Once we reach Trafoi, the road becomes steep and here we will have the most important inclines (up to 16%). The view of Mount Ortles will keep us company during our last efforts to reach the 2758 m of the Stelvio Pass, allowing us to fully enjoy the panorama, a unique environment with its peaks and glaciers. At the pass we’ll take the opportunity of having a light lunch and, after the obligatory photos, we head for Bormio. The descent is not demanding, we will only have to pay attention in the tunnels, especially if it’s a day with a lot of traffic. Once we reach Bormio, we will cover a flat stretch to reach Isolaccia to face the last climb of the day, something not to underestimate given the effort sustained on the Stelvio Pass. It is divided into two parts: the main one, of 15 km to reach the Foscagno Pass (2290 m), followed by a descent of 4 km and then the last stretch of 3 km that will lead us to the Eira Pass (2210 m). The last 6 km of descent will take us back to Livigno.

We start by going down the old SS38 for 30 km until we reach Mazzo di Valtellina, where we begin our climb up the Foppa Pass, better known as the Mortirolo Pass (a more classic one, as there are actually two other versions on the Valtellina side). It involves killer gradients with some as steep as 18% over a distance of 12.4 km and  1300 m of height gain.

The real challenge will be to pedal the entire climb without ever setting foot on the ground, so prepare a suitable set of sprockets to reach the summit!

Once we reach the pass, after the traditional photos, a pleasant descent on the Brescia side takes us to Monno, in Alta Val Camonica.

A 14 km relatively flat stretch will take us to Ponte di Legno (1258 m) where we can enjoy a quick (and not too heavy!) lunch. This is where the second and final ascent of the day begins: the Gavia Pass.

The climb is 17.8 km long, with a maximum gradient of 16%. The Gavia certainly doesn't have the same gradient as the Mortirolo, but it has to be said that we'll be tackling it at the end of the day, after the Mortirolo, and so, in order to reach an altitude of 2621 m, you're definitely going to feel fatigued! However, the satisfaction of reaching the summit is beyond words: today we managed to accomplish two of the most epic climbs in cycling history. Now we just have to face the descent to Santa Caterina Valfurva (with due care, given the narrow road and the amount of blind bends) followed by the final, slightly downhill stretch, to Bormio.

We continue downhill to the village of Valdidentro, more precisely to Isolaccia where, from the roundabout, we tackle a climb to the "Torri di Fraele". We will approach it from this side as was the case during the 2020 Tour of Italy, an 8 km climb with 21 hairpin bends which presents its most challenging section in the middle, with a maximum gradient of 11%. The second part involves the majority of the hairpin bends and is very rideable with gradients of around 7%. On reaching the "Torri di Fraele", about 1.5 kilometres of flat terrain flanking Lake Monte Scale anticipates the last short uphill stretch of 500 m. This will take us to the Cancano lakes (1945 m), where we can also grab a light lunch at the mountain refuge. The first part of the return journey will be downhill on the same road as the ascent, then we will keep to the left and descend to Premadio. We then take the State Road 301 which leads to Foscagno, starting with a flat section that brings us back to Isolaccia, where we initially started the climb on the way up. The last climb of the day will be divided into two parts: the main one of 15 km to reach the Foscagno Pass (2290 m), followed by a descent of 4 km before the last 3 km climb to the Eira Pass (2210 m). The last 6 km of descent will bring us back to Livigno. L'ultimo strappo di 3 km che ci condurrà al Passo d'Eira (2210 m). Gli ultimi 6 km di discesa ci riporteranno a Livigno.