The European Chronicles 2024.13 - Stelvio and Umbrail Passi
Where Italy And Switzerland Meet On A Mountaintop
Stelvio. Every rider knows the name...if there ever was a "legendary" pass, this is it. Passo dello Stelvio is the highest pass in Italy, and the second highest in the Alps at 2757 meters (9045 feet), falling just seven meters short of France's Col de l'Iseran, the highest in the Alps. But that doesn't begin to tell Stelvio's story.
I did Iseran last year, and in 2022. Beautiful, a challenge rewarded by stunning views and sheer cliffs. It certainly gets your attention. And I'd say the views up and down Iserian are better than Stelvio...more majestic.
But it is not Stelvio...not by a long shot. Stelvio has two sides, literally and figuratively. It connects Bormeo in the south to Prato allo Stelvio in the north. The north side is steeper, tighter, narrower, significantly more difficult, especially going up.
That's my route. 😂
The road wraps and twists on the edge of the mountain, the right hand uphill hairpins steep enough that you can't see what is coming down at you...bus, truck, cars, motorcycles, bicycles...most often F, "all of the above." You need to keep your lines tight or it will end in tears. Or worse.
Because it is so (in?)famous, there are lots of tourists, many of whom, it seems, have never experienced a road like this; how could they? Mistakes are made; behavior can be, to be kind, unpredictable. There are very few pull outs on the northern side so, people being people, they make their own, often at the most inappropriate (read: dangerous) places. It is not unusual to have a car, Moto or bicycle parked at the outer edge of a hairpin with someone standing in the road to get a photo. The bicycle guys in particular, like to hoist their bikes overhead while a colleague snaps a photo.
That's Stelvio.
Here we go! Looks innocuous enough...not...
Made it!
Perhaps more than any other pass, there's always a party going on at the top of Stelvio. 😎. Folks celebrating still being alive...me too...
Rather than go down the south side of Stelvio, just past the summit I instead turn right for Umbrail Pass...immediately crossing into Switzerland, although there's no formal border crossing.
There is, however, a monument to WWI, marking what is known as the "three languages peak" because this is where the Italian, German and Romansh (spoken predominately in the Swiss canton of Grisons) language speaking areas meet, and the site of many battles.
Umbrail is fun...tight and steep in spots, open in others, MUCH less traffic, very few tourists it seems. That alone makes it more fun. Some serious bicyclists coming down...easily hitting 50 mph in sections.
Several of the Alps passes have "pass photographers" stationed at some of the turns, feeding the ever-present petrolhead...car and Moto. Today, there was one on both Stelvio and Umbrail.
Stelvio:
Umbrail:
They always have a banner nearby with their website; you have to remember it AND the time you rode by...at the end of the day, you go to the website, search for your photos by time...purchase and download is quick and easy, usually 10 euro each. Worth it!!
Back to Umbrail...
And, we're down, turn right at the monastery...
Roll through the border crossing (Switzerland is not part of the EU) and...
See all those speed limit signs? Purely suggestive... Forza Italia! 😎
Back to Val Senales...you may notice on the Relive video that I went in and out of the valley...they were repaving the turnoff to Karthaus/Certosa and would not let me in! Rode back out in search of food...what I should have done was ride to the end of the road where there's a ski area. Duh.
I assume this is some type of safety campaign, there are lots of these billboards in the area.
My eventual reward.
An awesome, challenging, ride!
xxxxxxxxx
