Category: Pass

Just as there are some undeservedly overlooked climbs, there are also some particularly star-studded ones. One of the biggest stars is, of course, the Stelvio, as Italy's highest mountain road pass (2,757 metres high - see here) and one of the highest climbable passes in Europe, which has become a mecca for country cyclists. Gavia and Mortirolo But such mountains are also Gavia and Mortirolo. Gavia, like Stalevio, is famous for the Giro d'Italia. It stands out for its altitude (2621m), just behind the Stelvio. I wouldn't say it's difficult from Bormio, the 25.6km climbs 1404m, which is an average of 5.5%. Of course, averages are always very deceptive, we used to laugh at the steeper parts, "but this is a 5-6% hill", while we were trudging along for kilometres at 8-10%, so don't underestimate it, if only because of the distance. The other side is much harder, but the classic is the side towards Bormio, although I note that the Giro also tends to attack from the side towards Ponte di Legno. The Mortirolo owes its fame to the Gavia, which, because of the constant weather uncertainty of the Girok in the 1980s, came into the picture in 1990, when it needed another pass nearby. This became the Mortirolo, the first super climb of the Giro. The Mortirolo can be climbed from three directions, the steepest from the NW, from Mazzo di Valtellina, it is 12.5 km, with an average of 10.5% and a gradient of 1300m. The Giro has only used this direction for the umpteenth time, initially 17km (6.7%) from Monno, but now it has become the classic The two mountains are quite close to each other, the passes' roads are practically parallel, so cyclists have long cycled them as a circuit, usually from Bormio. This makes