The Climbing Lama: Doppio Passo dello Stelvio 18th September

The Passo dello Stelvio is the highest mountain pass in Italy at 2757m. It falls short of being the highest by a mere 13 metres if the Col de l'Iseran in France is the highest as claimed by the French. The Stelvio has been in the Giro d’ Italia numerous times and the view looking down the Prato side of the pass is instantly recognisable to the tifosi.

To get the most out of my two days riding, I planned to climb this mountain not just the once but twice! The idea was to descend the 3km back towards Bormio after ascending from that side and continue descending into Switzerland via the road off the Umbrail pass to loop around to Prato and climb from this side too.

Given it was now mid-September and the first heavy dump of snow had already fallen, the weather was to be a lottery. Fortunately I won the jackpot as the day was perfect! Clear skies and relatively mild temps greeted me as I rolled out the door from my hotel.

There was to be no warm up, as the climbing commenced from Bormio and would only end in another 21.5 km’s! Luckily the hire bike was running a compact crankset and pie dish on the rear, so I happily kept the legs spinning over and was able to take in the stunning scenery.

Low on the Bormio ascent

Enjoying the cool of the morning, I made the long section of galleries that lead to the main section of hairpin’s in good time.

It’s here just after the galleries where the steepest section of the climb is and just so you know the 14% is clearly painted on the road! It is only a very short section so I made it passed this unscathed and onto the upper valley.

Upper valley

Even with the last couple of kilometres to the summit at 10.7% and 12.1% respectively, they were over quickly enough. So ascent one done and dusted!

Nearly there

Given it is late in the season; the summit wasn’t swarming with motorbikes and cars or cyclists.

After the obligatory summit shots I pointed the bike back the way I came and roll down to the turnoff on the right, over into Switzerland via the Passo dell’Umbrail. This is a beautiful and very quiet descent which is probably due to a couple of the middle kilometres still being unsealed. I took this section slowly just to be safe and it caused no concern.

Swiss side of the Umbrail pass

The road continued descending through Müstair till Glorenza, where a smaller road on the right continued to the village of Prato Allo Stelvio. This pretty village marks the start of the other more famous side of the Passo dello Stelvio and ascent number two.

Müstair

The climb from this side is a little longer at 24.3km long, with a 7.4% average gradient and an extra 8 hairpins more than from Bormio with a tally of 48!

Low on the Prato side

There are very few hairpins in the lower reaches, so you know they will be squeezed in at the top. All along the way there are glimpses of the surrounding snow covered peaks which are a nice distraction from the fact there are still many kilometres to climb…

Unlike France there are no km or average gradient markers to help guide the way. And all I could remember from a recent trip report I’d read was that the Refugio visible from the summit means there are still 7 kilometres of climbing to go. As the crow flies the summit is so near, the reality is that there are quite a few kilometres of toil till it’s over.

Refugio with the pass and hairpins ahead

Still 5km to go!

This is what makes this road famous - tornanti

Finally - view from the summit

The last kilometres are not particularly steep, but due to the accumulated distance I’ve climbed through the day I am struggling a bit and just now counting down the corners. Finally I made the crest and rolled to a stop at one of the many shops where an apple strudel and coke and were quickly devoured; amazing how useful food can be as a bribe to keep pedalling!

The return to Bormio was now a formality with just a few more stops for photos along the way. Happy with how I’m feeling after such a big day, concerned about tomorrows ride as the forecast looks bleak!

Umbrail pass viewed on the descent