Spend the night on passes: Stage tour in the Alps - Hut tour: Twelve Alpine passes in five days
Dres Balmer
· 14.09.2018
The five-day series of mountain passes over Austrian, Swiss, Italian and Austrian territory begins and ends in Landeck, Tyrol. From there it goes to Graubünden, over the Flüela, Albula and Bernina passes. In Lombardy, the Passo del Mortirolo, Passo di Gavia, Passo di Foscagno and Passo d'Eira await, then, back in Graubünden, the Ofen Pass and Umbrail Pass, before heading into South Tyrol to the Stilfser Joch, Reschen Pass and Norbertshöhe. The northernmost pass is Flüela, the southernmost Mortirolo, the westernmost Albula, the easternmost Reschen. The tour also leads through a European water castle: the Inn (day 1) flows into the Danube and the Black Sea, the Landwasser (day 2) with the Rhine into the North Sea, the Adda (days 3 and 4) flows into the Po, which flows into the Adriatic, as does the Adige (day 5), a little further north.
There are a dozen Alpine passes to enjoy on this trip, from easy ones like the Norbertshöhe to medium ones like the Bernina Pass and tough ones like the Mortirolo and Stelvio Pass. The up to 18 per cent steep ramps on the Passo del Mortirolo are a particularly tough test with luggage. Small mountain passages make things easier. The approximately 100 kilometre-long stages cover 2,000 to just over 3,000 metres in altitude. The cyclists do not spend the night in the valleys, but at the mountain pass hostels. So the day starts with clammy fingers on the descent and ends with a lot of sweat on the final ascent. In summer, arm warmers, knee warmers and rain jackets keep you warm on the morning descent. In autumn, long gloves, helmet cap, vest and waistcoat are added. Front and rear lights are recommended for tunnels (especially the tunnel before Wiesen, day 2) and galleries.
The route
Day 1: Landeck - Flüelapas (93 kilometres, 2,000 vertical metres, max. 13% gradient)
As the road in the Inn Valley is busy, we prefer to take the winding, slightly longer Inn cycle path - only two sections of which, just a few hundred metres long, are unpaved. Our route leaves the cycle path towards the Engadin and follows the Inn on the main road 187 (A) and main road 27 (CH). In the village of Susch, as we leave the Inn, the road rumbles briefly over cobblestones, immediately followed by the only pass of the day: the Flüela, whose first ramps and hairpin bends with double-digit gradients challenge the climber.
Day 2: Füela Pass - Bernina Pass (104 kilometres, 2,100 vertical metres, max. 13% gradient)
The descent to Davos and into the Landwasser Valley is like a rush, in the tunnel down to Wiesen increased caution and bike lights are required. After Alvaneu Bad, on the road to the Albula Pass, which crosses the Glacier Express railway line several times in the wild landscape, the ride becomes a sporting and aesthetic pleasure. In the Engadin, we briefly follow the Inn and turn southwards onto the wide, gently curving road to the Bernina Pass. A famous railway accompanies us there too: the Bernina Express.
Day 3: Bernina Pass - Passo die Gavia (100 kilometres, 3,200 vertical metres, max. 18% gradient)
The metres of altitude gained in the mountains are lost on the descent to Tirano. In the heat, the steep ramps of the Passo del Mortirolo demand the last but one of your strength. 1.5 kilometres below the top of the pass, a monument to the late Marco Pantani smiles out at the cyclists. Another mighty mountain awaits in the next valley, the Passo di Gavia. It too is a masterpiece of road construction, but a merciless one that takes the last of the juice out of the road. The old tunnel bypass in the upper quarter is due to be repaired in autumn 2018.
Day 4: Passo dei Gavia - Stelvio Pass (113 kilometres, 3,100 vertical metres, max. 14% gradient)
This is probably the most ambitious stage of the journey. The rough road sections on the descent to Bormio require concentrated steering skills. Then pass after pass follows, each over 2,000 metres high: first the double of Foscagno and Eira. After Livigno, the route is flat through open, windy galleries, back to Switzerland by bus through the Munt-La-Schera tunnel, which is forbidden to cyclists, and then by bike on the road to the Ofen Pass. The route then climbs over the Umbrail Pass to Italy and the Stelvio Pass.
Day 5: Stelvio Pass - Landeck (111 kilometres, 1,160 vertical metres, max. 14% gradient)
The descent into the Vinschgau Valley is magnificent, seems endless and the quality of the road varies. The hope that the ascent from Prad to the Reschen Pass would be gentle is soon dashed, the ramps on the small road up via Ulten are steep and almost traffic-free. The descent to Nauders is a relief, the mild Norbertshöhe a marvellous dessert. At the bottom, in the Inn Valley, we follow the route of the first day back to Landeck.
