Colnago Lake Garda Cycling Festival: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The mass start rolls out at half past seven from the Lungolago Cesare Battisti. The opening kilometres cross the morainic hills behind Desenzano, where two short ramps around kilometre six and eight can already break your rhythm. From there the route runs flat along the western shore through Salò and Gardone Riviera to Gargnano, some thirty kilometres that add almost no elevation at all.

At kilometre 40 the course turns inland at Gargnano and climbs seven kilometres to Navazzo, a good 390 metres at just under six percent. After a short mix of descent and false flat, the Salita Capovalle starts at kilometre 56: around seven kilometres, more than 400 metres of gain, ramps up to fourteen percent and the high point of the day just before kilometre 69 at roughly 900 metres. A long descent drops into the Valle Sabbia, picks up the short rise at Preseglie around kilometre 90, and then delivers the fourth climb out of Odolo, the Salita delle Coste to Coste S. Eusebio, a little over five kilometres topping out at 578 metres. What remains is a rolling, net downhill run back through the hinterland to the lake.

In April the race crosses four provinces and three regions, and the gap between shore and pass is real: it can feel like spring at the water while Capovalle still sits in winter air. The nineteenth edition starts together with the Mediofondo, more than 4,000 riders from twenty nations took part most recently, and the choice between the long and the medium loop is only made at the split out on the road.

Pacing Strategy

The first forty kilometres are the real discipline test. On the flat shore you sit in the bunch, the draft is cheap, and that is exactly why almost every start group goes too hard here. Keep your power below what feels easy in the group and eat and drink early, because between kilometre 40 and 69 the two long climbs arrive back to back with almost no recovery between them.

The race is decided on Capovalle. Navazzo is the steadier ascent and can still be ridden seated, while Capovalle has far more variation with its steep ramps and punishes any pace that starts too high. Ride the opening kilometres of both climbs deliberately too easy and only lift in the final third.

The classic trap comes afterwards, on the long descent into the Valle Sabbia. Nearly half an hour of descending cools you down hard, you barely eat while doing it, and yet Preseglie and the Coste still wait. Take a wind vest and solid food from the feed at the top, or you will hit those last climbs cold and empty.

Training plan for Colnago Lake Garda Cycling Festival: 12-week build

Expect five to seven hours in the saddle depending on your group and the weather. The demand splits in two: a long, steady aerobic stretch in the bunch, then roughly two hours of climbing where you mostly ride at your own limit alone. That combination is what your training should mirror.

The decisive section sits between kilometre 40 and 70. Preparing for the long loop means rides with the climbing loaded at the back: four to five hours steady, then a twenty to forty minute climb at threshold. Two such climbs back to back with a short descent between them come close to the Navazzo and Capovalle pairing.

Add low-cadence strength endurance for the steepest ramps on Capovalle and, just as important, descending skill on twisting mountain roads. The drop into the Valle Sabbia and the run down from the Coste are long, fast and often wet in April, and you ride them with tired legs and cold hands.

Prepare for April on Lake Garda. The early start by the water is cool, the pass can be ten degrees colder than the shore, and the swing between sweat and windchill is the most common cause of a collapse in the final third. Practise adding and shedding layers while riding, test your nutrition in the cold, and plan kit for both worlds.