King Stelvio: the climb from Prato

Three reasons make it unique: it is the scene of epic challenges that tell the history of cycling; it is protected by relentless climbs that lead to an altitude where the air is rarefied, often icy; it offers an extraordinary landscape. If you are not an athlete, or a cyclist with good legs, the climb is not within everyone's reach, an additional precious piece to the thrill of arriving at the fateful Passo signpost. In other words? A climb that should not be missing from a cyclist's life.

There are three routes to tackle this famous mountain: the first starts from Prato allo Stelvio, the second from Bormio and the third from Santa Maria Val Monastero, most of which runs through Swiss territory. All three offer exciting challenges, but the preference is for the two roads on the Italian side, which have been chosen many times in the Giro d'Italia (this year there are 14 editions), both from the Lombardy side of Bormio and, more often, from the South Tyrol side of Prato.

We therefore begin our climb from the latter, which is also the most difficult. In fact, it is known for the 48 hairpin bends that have to be tackled, and boasts a height difference of no less than 1,851 metres: you start at an altitude of 907 metres and reach the summit after about 25 km of pedalable sections that do not exceed a gradient of 9% (with an average of 7.5%). The numbers on the Bormio side are slightly favourable in terms of altitude difference and route length, but reaching the pass is still quite a challenge.

Starting from Prato allo Stelvio everything seems easy. In the first five kilometres after the centre, the road is linear, the ascent is gentle and you are accompanied by the soothing murmur of the Solda stream. It is a beautiful day (we imagine), the mind flies to the summit and thinking about the feat that is about to be accomplished gives one the shivers. It is easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm, but it is good to restrain oneself and save energy: a long climb awaits us, without pause until we more than abundantly surpass two thousand metres, a limit beyond which the air and temperature conditions turn dramatically.

At Gomagoi, surrounded by vineyards and rustic church towers with architecture that seems to change from Germanic to Italian from one kilometre to the next, the road already becomes harder, with an average gradient of 8%. After a left turn, the first of 48 hairpin bends appears: the countdown begins, and from here on there will be no stretches to catch your breath, the climb will continue steadily without respite, hairpin bend after hairpin bend.
At Trafoi, the most demanding section is tackled. After the 3 Fontane junction, you find yourself on the mountainside and the road enters a dense pine forest. When you reach this point, you are halfway through the route, but not of the work: there are still well over a thousand metres of altitude to go, and shortly afterwards, at around the fifteenth kilometre, you face the most demanding point of the climb, near the Hotel Weisser Knot (Rocca Bianca).

At this point, one begins to understand the hardness of the climb: when one looks up, the Stelvio appears in all its massive beauty, and one can be terrified by the almost vertical wall marked by the endless series of hairpin bends that one still has to conquer. It is easy for doubt to arise as to whether one will be able to continue, but looking down one can admire a majestic and similar panorama that testifies to the feat just accomplished, and so energy and confidence return.

Around kilometre 17 you have already passed the fateful 2,000 m, the trees thin out and you enter the section without vegetation, where you can often find snow or rain.
The climb continues relentlessly and doesn't let up even in the finale, a continuous succession of hairpin bends where the effort is maximum and requires to be climbed steadily, without the relief of a softer section that can let you take a breath. Even though one breathes an air of victory, the last kilometres seem even harder than the previous ones, both because of fatigue and the lighter air, but also because of the two final ramps with gradients reaching double figures. A considerable suffering, but even more remarkably repaid by the joy experienced once you reach the destination.

The ascent of the Stelvio, even if you put your mind to it, is not for everyone. You need to be a cyclist with good training, otherwise you will not only suffer a great deal, but you will also run the risk of having to give up the enterprise and return sadly to the valley. It is good to have already tackled long climbs, as the ride is rather long and demanding. The time you take will obviously depend on your training, and with good preparation we can speak, indicatively, of about 2 hours, which can be extended to 4, both for athletic reasons and for the stops (which we recommend) to admire the view.

As far as the time of year is concerned, it is best to choose the warmer months (it is generally closed from November to the first half of May) and plan the climb in the early hours of weekdays to avoid the heavy tourist traffic. There is no shortage of dedicated cycling events, during which the road is closed to motorised traffic: the Stelvio Santini granfondo at the beginning of June; the Mapei Day Re Stelvio in mid-July; the Stelvio Day at the beginning of September (for the exact dates, consult the indications found on the web).

In addition to energy, it is also necessary to prepare the right clothing to cope with the considerable temperature change, which cannot always be predicted: even on certain days in late August-early September, the temperature at the summit can be very low, around 0º, and the very long and equally demanding descent must also be taken into account.