Valtellina: The Most Epic Alpine Passes Open Only to Cyclists

April 29, 2024

Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina: 15 dates and 9 climbs that have made cycling history, from June to September 2024

/OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Valtellina (Italy), an Alpine border valley; to the south, Lake Como and the metropolis of Milan; to the north, Switzerland. Valtellina and its Alpine passes have historical connections with northern Europe, mountain roads made of curves and slopes, great climbs and of course… great descents.

Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina 2024 is the chance to tackle the most beautiful mountain roads in the Province of Sondrio, those that must be done “at least once in a lifetime”, without cars, without traffic, only between cyclists. There are 15 scheduled dates and 9 climbs, from June to September. The first stage is at Passo della Forcola starting from Livigno, on the weekend of 1-2 June 2024.

The Alpine passes are timeless classics consecrated in epic stages of the Giro d’Italia in a combination of hairpin turns, alpine villages, mountain pastures and wonderful alpine nature. The top is every cyclist’s dream. The challenge is to reach the sign that awaits cyclists for the ritual photo.

THE TRANSNATIONAL PASSES: STELVIO AND SPLUGA

The names of the climbs already say it all and in the Enjoy calendar there is the history of cycling. The Stelvio Pass connects Valtellina and Val Venosta, bend after bend (40 on the Lombard side, 48 on the South Tyrolean side). The highest point is at 2,758 metres above sea level. Cima Coppi, named after the “Campionissimo” Fausto Coppi, who won a legendary stage here in 1953, will also be the highest point of the next Giro d’Italia 2024, in its 16th stage on May 21 between Livigno and Santa Cristina Valgardena. On the calendar of Enjoy Stelvio there are two openings of the Stelvio, the first on 12 June from Bormio (SO) and the second on 31 August from both sides: from Bormio (SO) and from Trafoi in the province of Bolzano and Santa Maria in Val Müstair (CH).

Moving to the opposite side of the province of Sondrio (in Valchiavenna), the Splügen Pass (2,117 metres above sea level) connects Italy and Switzerland through a road opened in the nineteenth century. The route offers a mix of anthropic and natural landscapes: waterfalls, tunnels, green mountain pastures and the artificial lake of Montespluga. The appointment is on Sunday, 30 June with closure of traffic from the town of Campodolcino.

“These places, in addition to extraordinary mountain landscapes and high-altitude natural environments of great beauty and environmental value, are also places of memory. Places where today, thanks to sporting activity, a further value has been added. Enjoy Stelvio allows a wide-ranging experience: sporting, aesthetic, cultural and immersion in nature. It’s an experience worth living.” Says Franco Claretti, director of the Stelvio National Park, who also has three more stages at the Cancano Lakes (ascent from Fior d’Alpe in Valdidentro on Thursday 13 June, Friday 12 July, Friday 30 August).

FROM THE RHAETIAN ALPS TO THE OROBIE MOUNTAINS

The Gavia Pass between Valtellina and Val Camonica is also in the Stelvio National Park. The ascent is a vertical journey up to an altitude of 2,652 meters: fir, larch and pine forests, then high-altitude meadows and finally the view on the peaks and the glaciers of the Ortles-Cevedale and Adamello mountain groups. The challenge starts from Santa Caterina Valfurva and S. Apollonia (on Friday, 14 June and Sunday, 1 September). But it is a well-known fact that here the sky decides the rules. Like on 5 June 1988. The Chiesa in Valmalenco – Bormio stage wrote one of the most incredible pages of the Giro d’Italia: snow, sub-zero temperatures, gusts of wind, bikes pushed by hand and cyclists on the verge of exhaustion.

Each climb has its own characteristic and a story to be told. Such as the Mortirolo Pass (closures on Saturday, 13 July and Thursday, 29 August) forever linked to Marco Pantani, or an ancient history such as the pass between Valtellina and Val Brembana called San Marco (closing on Saturday 15 June) due to the Serenissima Republic which wanted it built in the sixteenth century to facilitate its trade; or a panorama of pure beauty such as Campo Moro (Saturday, 6 July and Sunday, 8 September) with the Bernina group leading the climb.

The Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina project was born in 2018 on the passes within the Stelvio National Park. Today the initiative includes all the main passes of the Province of Sondrio and it has gradually become a wide-ranging event that sees many enthusiasts mingle both locals and from all over Europe (the last edition there were 23 thousand participants!).

The event is also open to hikers and anyone (with any non-motorized vehicle) who wants to breathe pure and clean air of the high mountains.

All information: https://www.valtellina.it/en/events/bormio/enjoy-stelvio-valtellina

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VALTELLINA – LAND OF CYCLING

From the great Alpine passes to the cycle paths of the valley floor, from trail trails to bike-parks, Valtellina offers endless possibilities for every type of cycling holiday combined with unspoiled nature, natural parks, vineyards, genuine food and good wine. Road-bike, mountain-bike, gravel and cycle touring. Here, cyclists are welcome! For more informations:

https://www.valtellina.it/en/bike

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The press release is part of the Agreement for the promotion of cycling in the Province of Sondrio, 2024.