43.5
PDI
14.8 mi
DISTANCE
5,972 ft
GAINED
7.6 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Benjamin Wohlwend, Switzerland; Ard Oostra, Montreux, Switzerland.
INTRO
Passo Stelvio is a legendary bike climb.
What makes Stelvio one of the greatest climbs by bike in the world? (1) Its legendary 48 hairpins (tornanti), (2) its difficulty - ranked #44 in the world, (3) when included in the Giro d'Italia, as it often is, it is always the Cima Coppi (highest point in the Giro), and (4) its fame - it is one of the four most famous bike climbs in the world: World's Most Famous.
This is also a top world road bike climbing area - PJAMM Bormio Climb Area & PJAMM Adventure App - Bormio: Stelvio, Gavia & Mortirolo.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Average grade is 7.2% with 78% of the climb in the 5-10% range. The steepest 500 kilometers is 9.7% and steepest 2 kilometers 9.2%. .
See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button.
Roadway: Pristine.
Traffic: Substantial - this is one of the most famous and popular roads in the world. Traffic does drive at low speed - for nothing else because there is so much traffic as well as 48 hairpins.
Parking: When we rode from Prato Allo Stelvio, we spent a fair amount of time locating a parking spot in town. Here is a Google Map - Parking for Prato Allo Stelvio to assist you. On one occasion we stayed in Bormio and did the climb from there, then rode down to Prato Allo Stelvio and cycled back up. Our other trip up the mountain was with SAG support.
We finish this climb at high elevation, nearly 2,000 meters above where we started. The conditions can be cold at the pass so consult the PJAMM "Full Forecast" feature for the time you expect to arrive at the finish to assess what clothing to bring on your ride.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
We like to stay in Bormio and ride the climb originating close to there (see PJAMM Bormio Climb Area page). The Bormio area also has lots of vacation rental options. The out-and-back of both the Bormio and Prato Allo Stelvio is 94 kilometers and 3,412 meters of climbing (Map).
ROUTE MAP
MEMBER RATING
CURRENT WEATHER
PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES
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MEMBER REVIEWS & COMMENTS
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golmstead
One of my favorite rides. We had beautiful weather and not a lot of traffic. The ride is long and difficult but the scenery is exceptional. One of the strange features of the ride is that after the halfway point, you can see where your destination is up the hill, and as you make progress you can look back and see where you rode from. So, you look one way and it seems like a lot; you look the other way and it's so encouraging that you made so much progress. The summit is a giant party with riders having come up from all three ascents. Fantastic ride.
alexws66
Did this in late June'23 fully supported with Trek Travel. Amazing ride. Epic and scenic. The bottom portion is fairly straight. The middle is pretty wooded with way more switchbacks. The upper part is what you come here for. You can see the amazing huge switchbacks for what seems to be an eternity. Entire ride has some steep sections. Traffic is very heavy and this was on a weekday. The summit was super crowded with cars and motorcycles. There is a huge temperature difference as you climb. 65 degrees at the bottom and 39 at the top. Bring layers and be prepared for weather changes. Make sure you get a sausage sandwich from Jimmy at the summit. Rode down to Bormio where I stayed. That is a super fantastic ride as well. Way less traffic.
carlinguernsey
The Stelvio from Prato is one of the greatest (and most difficult) rides in the Alps. The first third along the river does not give you any indication of what is coming. Once the hairpins start and you go into the forest, it starts to get difficult. When you finally come around the corner and see the wall in front of you, it is hard to believe that it is possible to ride a bicycle to the top. Unfortunately, this is also a favorite road for many people with motor bikes and sports cars so the road is VERY busy in the middle of the day in Summer. If you are able to ride this road on one of the bicycle only days, it will be a fantastic experience!
Forza
I climbed the Stelvio Pass from the Bormio side in Sept 2019. This was a must-do for me since it's often rated as the overall #1 climb in the world for several reasons. The incredible thing though, is on the day I did it I had the road to myself the entire way up (and down). Why? Couple weeks before I arrived (from CT) there was an avalanche, and the road repairs were not complete, thus the entire road still closed. At the bottom I hopped the gate and went. (I did not fly to Italy to get denied!) About a third of the way up I approached the area of the avalanche and saw the workers. One stopped me and told me to go down. I somehow convinced him to "look the other way" and he let me go. So to add to climbing this legendary mountain, I did it solo and with not a car nor rider all the way to the summit. Unreal! There's also a few short tunnels you ride through making it even that much more cool of a climb. The photo of me at the summit shows the road on the other side.
