At 86 km and with more than 3,000 metres of climbing, the Alta Valtellina Bike Marathon on July 26th sounds like a quality MTB adventure. Starting in Valdidentro, weaving through the Stelvio National Park around Bormio’s picturesque region with historical sites and azure blue lakes, the race is full of epic scenery. A shorter but still intense 52 km route is also available as well as a kids race to encourage little bikers to get on their bikes for the Marathon Kids.
Anyone looking to embark on the Alta Valtellina Bike Marathon will conquer 8 lakes, 4 passes, 12 valleys and 5 peaks! The majority of the route, which takes riders up to an altitude of 2,350 meters, is not paved but well maintained and compact. The start is in Valdidentro in Veltlin and from there it winds past the Fraele Towers to the Cancano lakes and leads on to the Alpisella pass sitting at 2,350 metres above sea level – this pass should be familiar territory for anyone who has raced the National Park Bike Marathon, or editions of Transalp in 2008/2010/2012 when it crossed into Livigno on this route. After a gruelling climb the reward is a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys – and the descent. It’s quite open in places, but is essentially narrow double track lower down, save for the bridge where anyone with bars over 620mm wide may struggle. Racers will take on the Trela pass ascent from the lake, arriving at 2,300 metres.
Laghi di Cancano.Gianluigi Sosio
Flow riders will enjoy letting loose on the singletrails, winding up and down from Val Viola to Val Verva. A technical track will take racers up to Alpe Boron and then on to the stunning panoramic views of the Colombano pass. From here, it’s time to let the brakes loose and charge down to the finish at Isolaccia through Veltlin.
The classic 52 km track takes racers through the great Veltlin landscape. The highest point of the round trip is the Alpisella pass. Amazing scenery like the Cancano lakes and Trela pass are part of the track. Passing so many natural wonders will help racers eat up the kilometres! Not to forget the young hopes of mountain biking that take the challenge of the Marathon Kids, a children’s Granfondo for kids between four and twelve on Saturday, July 25th.
On Friday and Saturday before the main event there are two shorter round trips. On Friday, the heart of the Ortler massif is the main attraction of the 36 km circuit called the trail of the “Great War”. On the following day, bikers can discover the area between Valdidentro and Valdisotto.
The Alta Valtellina Bike Marathon is a great occasion to spend three days discovering the Veltlin region.
You will find further information about Bormio on their website or send an email to: info@bormio.eu