"Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina" is the name of an initiative in which climbs and mountain roads are closed to motorised traffic on 15 dates. The programme includes car-free passes such as the Stelvio, Gavia, Splügen and Mortirolo.
Car-free mountain passes are every road cyclist's dream. Between June and September, the Valtellina region (province of Sondrio) offers the opportunity to experience selected mountain roads without traffic. Closed are climbs that have made cycling history.
Valtellina is bordered by Lake Como and the metropolis of Milan to the south and Switzerland to the north. Its Alpine passes are the historic links. Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina 2024 is the opportunity to ride the most beautiful mountain roads in the province of Sondrio. Climbs that you have to do at least once in your life, without cars, without traffic, just together with other cyclists. From June to September, 15 dates and 9 climbs are planned.
Stelvio Pass car-free
The calendar contains an excerpt from the history of cycling: the Stelvio Pass, the link between Valtellina and Val Venosta, consists of a series of hairpin bends (40 on the Lombardy side, 48 on the South Tyrol side). The pass summit is 2,758 metres above sea level. The Stelvio Pass is closed twice: once on 12 June from Bormio and once on 31 August both from Bormio and from Trafoi in the province of Bolzano and from Santa Maria in the Münstertal valley in Switzerland. In Valchiavenna, at the opposite end of the province, is the Splügen Pass (2,117 metres above sea level), a border pass that connects Italy and Switzerland. The pass road was built in the 19th century, not far from the ancient Via Rezia, which was built in Roman times. The route features waterfalls, tunnels, green mountain pastures and the Montespluga reservoir. The date is Sunday, 30 June, with a traffic closure from the village of Campodolcino.
Three days are also planned at the Cancano lakes: the climb from Fior d'Alpe in Valdidentro will be closed on 13 June, 12 July and 30 August. The Gavia-The Stelvio Pass between Valtellina and Val Camonica is also located in the Stelvio National Park. Its ascent is a journey up to an altitude of 2,652 metres: fir, larch and Swiss stone pine forests, then high-altitude meadows and finally - with a view upwards - the peaks of the Ortler-Cevedale and Adamello groups with their glaciers. The challenge begins in Santa Caterina Valfurva in Valtellina and in S. Apollonia on the Brescia side (Friday, 14 June and Sunday, 1 September). Cycling fans remember 5 June 1988, when the Chiesa stage in Valmalenco - Bormio wrote one of the most spectacular stories of the Giro d'Italia: snow, sub-zero temperatures, gusts of wind, hand-pushed racing bikes and riders on the verge of exhaustion. Fans of steep climbs will get their money's worth on the Mortirolo: the traffic closure is on Saturday, 13 July and Thursday, 29 August).
The Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina project was launched in 2018 with the Stelvio National Park passes as the protagonists. Today, all the main passes in the province of Sondrio are on the programme and it has gradually developed into a well-known initiative that attracts many cyclists: 23,000 participants took part in last year's edition. No registration is required to take part in the car-free pass days. All information can be found at: https://www.valtellina.it/de/enjoy-stelvio-valtellina
Car-free passes in Valtellina 2024
- Wednesday 12: Passo dello Stelvio (closed from 9 to 13 from loc. Bagni Vecchi, Bormio SO)
- Thursday 13: Salita ai Laghi di Cancano (closed from 9 to 13 from loc. Fior d'Alpe, in Valdidentro SO)
- Friday 14: Passo Gavia (closed from 9 to 13 from Santa Caterina Valfurva SO and from S. Apollonia BS);
- Saturday 15: Passo San Marco (closed from 9 to 13 from Albaredo per S. Marco SO and from Mezzoldo BG)
- Sunday 30: Passo dello Spluga (closed from 8.00 to 12.00 from Campodolcino, in Valchiavenna SO)
July 2024
- Saturday 6: Salita a Campo Moro (closed from 8.30 to 12.30 from Franscia - Lanzada, in Valmalenco SO)
- Friday 12: Salita ai Laghi di Cancano (closed from 9 to 13 from loc. Fior d'Alpe, in Valdidentro SO)
- Saturday 13: Passo del Mortirolo (closed from 9 to 13 from Sernio SO)
- August 2024
- Thursday 29: Passo del Mortirolo (closed from 9 to 13 from Mazzo di Valtellina SO)
- Friday 30: Salita ai Laghi di Cancano (closed from 9 to 13.00 from loc. Fior d'Alpe, in Valdidentro SO)
- Saturday 31: Passo dello Stelvio (closed from 8.00 to 16.00 from loc. Bagni Vecchi, Bormio SO - from Trafoi BZ - from Santa Maria Val Mustair CH)
September 2024
- Sunday 1: Passo Gavia (closed from 9 to 13 from Santa Caterina Valfurva SO and from S. Apollonia BS)
- Sunday 8: Salita a Campo Moro (closed from 9 to 13 from Centro sportivo Pradasc - Lanzada, in Valmalenco SO)
Kristian Bauer
Editor
