Stelvio from Bormio: 40 hairpins, 21 km, and the hardest part last

The Stelvio is the same 2,758 m mountain whichever way you climb it, but the Bormio side is a different ride from the famous one out of Prato. It is a little shorter and a little steadier, with 40 numbered hairpins instead of 48, the long Braulio valley in the middle instead of a forest, and its hardest kilometres saved for the thin air at the very top. The Bormio tourist board measures it at 20.96 km with 1,538 m of climbing. Here is how it is built, how to pace it, and what to know before you go.

The climb, from Bormio to the snow

The Lombardy Region's tourism site puts the climb at 21.5 km from Bormio at 1,225 m to the pass at 2,758 m, an average of 7.1% with a maximum of 11%. Our track, which starts in the town at 1,216 m, comes out at 21.2 km and 1,538 m, which agrees with the tourist board's figures.

• Bormio to the first hairpins. The opening 2 km out of town are the gentlest of the day, around 5–6% on our track. Then the road starts climbing in earnest above the valley, with two kilometres at a little over 8%. Settle in; there is nothing to gain here.
• The Braulio valley. After a slightly easier stretch the road climbs steadily, kilometre after kilometre at 7–9%, into the Braulio valley. The regional tourism site picks out the moment just after the second Casa Cantoniera, the old road-keeper's house, where the road turns onto the mountainside and the wall of hairpins above you comes into view.
• The breather. Around 15 km in, the road levels off for a kilometre, at under 4% on our track. It is the only real rest on this side.
• The last five kilometres. The gradient builds again, and the final three kilometres are the steepest sustained part of the climb, between 8.6 and 9% on our track, all above 2,450 m. Just below the top the road meets the Umbrail, the road over from Switzerland, and from there the pass buildings are in sight.

How to pace it

The tourist board estimates 2 hours 50 minutes for the ride up. Because the gradient hardly changes, this side rewards a rider who can hold one effort for a long time, and punishes anyone who rides the first hairpins too hard.

• Ride it as a long tempo effort. Somewhere around 75–85% of FTP is right for most people. Our guide to pacing a climb with power explains why the even effort wins.
• Keep something for the top. The steepest kilometres come last and highest. Above 2,000 m the same effort gives you fewer watts, so do not chase your number up there; ride by breathing. Altitude for amateurs explains what thin air does to your power.
• Gear for 21 km, not for one ramp. Nothing here is brutal, but 7–9% for two hours is tiring. A compact with a 32 or 34 at the back keeps your cadence up when you are tired; see gearing for climbing.
• Eat before the valley. Start eating in the first half-hour, 60–90 g of carbohydrate an hour, and use the breather at 15 km for a gel.

The road and its races

The road was built between 1820 and 1826 under the Austrian Empire, with the engineer Carlo Donegani in charge, to link Lombardy, then part of the empire, with its other lands as quickly as possible. A century later, between 1915 and 1917, the Italian front ran over the pass, and the remains of fortifications can still be seen.

Bormio is where the Stelvio entered cycling history. On the Giro d'Italia's first crossing, in 1953, the stage ran from Bolzano to Bormio. Fausto Coppi reached the top alone and won the stage at the bottom of this side, while Hugo Koblet crashed twice on the descent, and Coppi went on to win the Giro. In 1975 a stage finished at the top of the pass. Francisco Galdós was first up, and Fausto Bertoglio kept the lead to win the Giro. In 2017 the stage into Bormio went to Vincenzo Nibali, the first Italian stage win of that Giro after 17 stages without one.

When to go, and what to watch for

• Season. According to the regional tourism site, the pass is usually open from late May to October, and there can still be snow at the top in the warmer months. Take a gilet and full gloves for the descent, however warm Bormio is.
• Traffic. In summer the road is shared with cars, motorbikes and campers. Go early and you will have most of the climb to yourself.
• Stelvio Bike Day. Once a year, at the end of August, the Stelvio National Park closes the pass to motor traffic from 8:00 to 16:00 on all three sides, including the road from Bormio to the top. It is not a race, and helmets are compulsory. Check the park's events page for the date.
• The descent. Coming back to Bormio, the hairpins at the top are tight, and the long, fast run down the valley invites more speed than the bends allow. Brake before the corner; descending faster and safer has the technique.
• The other side. Descend to Prato and climb back for a day of more than 3,000 m. Our Stelvio from Prato guide covers the 48 hairpins of the northern side.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Bormio to the pass, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient as you ride, and the world around you is built from map data of the real place. What the Bormio side teaches you indoors is patience: two hours of 7–9% with no change of rhythm, then the hardest three kilometres when you are most tired. Riding that once on the trainer is the best way to find the effort you can actually hold for the whole climb.

Your ride is saved with its power data, so you can compare a ride early in your build with one a few weeks before your trip. Prefer another app? Download the GPX above.

The short version

About 21 km and 1,540 m from Bormio to 2,758 m, with 40 numbered hairpins and hardly a kilometre outside 6–9%. Hold one steady effort up the valley, use the flat at 15 km to eat, and save something for the steepest kilometres at the top. Go early, pack for the cold, and check the park's calendar for the car-free day.