I start my ride after some light rain in the night. The Morteratsch glacier stays in view for a bit as I head up to the Bernina pass. From where I’m starting it’s only 500 m elevation over 11 km. I reach the top quickly and head down to the turnoff towards Livigno. The road towards the pass, the Forcola di Livigno is very steep, but thankfully short and I pass into Italy.
In Livigno, possibly the longest stretched out town, I take a brief stop to shop for groceries and gas, then head up the next mountain to the double passes of Eira and Foscagno. Interestingly, the Livigno Valley is a duty-free zone, so liqueur and cigarette stores abound. I catch a few drops of rain between the two passes, but nothing serious. At the Passo del Foscagno I take a short lunch break.
On the way down to Val di dentro, I realise that I’d planned for much longer and I arrive on the outskirts of Bormio just before 3 p.m. I could call it a day, but I’m still feeling good enough to head up the next pass.
The Passo di Stelvio (Stilfser Joch) is, at 2758 m height, the second highest road pass in the alps. That may not sound much more than the four 2200-2300 m high passes I’ve already done today, but the ascent starts much lower, just below 1300 m. So I’m going up roughly 1500 meters in elevation in only 19 km (this is the easy side, by the way).
The first part winds in a long curvy road along the mountain before coming to the first steep series of switchbacks. Someone has conveniently numbered all the curves on the road marking the elevation on each sign. Interesting, but also a bit depressing on the switchbacks… another 12 m elevation.
It rains on and off on the way up, but nothing serious yet. After the switchbacks the road follows the mountainside again, until the turnoff north into Switzerland. I continue eastwards, up the last 300 meters to the pass in another series of switchbacks. At the top, it soon starts raining and I head down the nearly 2000 m descent into the Vinschgau region.
