Granfondo Le Stelvio Santini: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The Percorso Lungo leaves Bormio as a point-to-point route through the Alta Valtellina and gathers more climbing than any other course at the event: 4,255 metres up across 130 kilometres, plus 2,709 metres down – the road keeps moving in both directions all the way to the finish.

After two short warm-up climbs at kilometres 18 and 33 comes the first real giant at kilometre 48: the Mortirolo, close to twelve kilometres in one block and rated hors catégorie. Clearing it brings no proper recovery, only a rolling middle section with three further climbs (kilometres 61, 84 and 93) that wear the legs down without drama while steadily gaining altitude.

From kilometre 109 a 4.5-kilometre ramp announces the second and final giant: the Passo dello Stelvio, climbed from kilometre 113.5 over 16 kilometres to 2,759 metres – the finish sits up there, not back in Bormio. More than a third of the route runs steeply up or down, with the Alta Valtellina's scenery shifting constantly around it. Linking two icons of Italian cycling in a single ride makes this Percorso Lungo the event's most demanding option.

Pacing Strategy

The Percorso Lungo is not decided on the Mortirolo, hard as it is, but on the Stelvio – 65 kilometres later. The biggest trap sits exactly in between: riding the Mortirolo at kilometre 48 like a summit finish leaves you paying for it on the three ramps that follow up to kilometre 93, and again on the Stelvio itself.

Ride the Mortirolo at the upper edge of sustainable effort, not beyond it – its eleven hors-catégorie kilometres punish any overreach, but they are only the opening act. The rolling section afterwards feels like recovery but is really a second load block: use the descents to recover, hold back deliberately on the three smaller climbs, and keep eating to plan even as appetite fades.

The real bill comes due from kilometre 113: sixteen kilometres in one piece to 2,759 metres, where output drops noticeably above 2,000 metres and the final hairpins before the line hit hardest. Start this climb more conservatively than the legs feel like allowing, and plan a vest for the cold air at the pass.

Training plan for Granfondo Le Stelvio Santini: 12-week build

For the Percorso Lungo, plan on roughly six to nine hours in the saddle depending on level – with more than 4,250 metres of climbing over 130 kilometres, this is one of the most demanding granfondo distances there is.

The effort character shifts throughout: the two big climbs, Mortirolo and Stelvio, demand hours of steady aerobic power, while the shorter, steeper ramps in between (kilometres 18, 33, 61, 84 and 93) repeatedly add short anaerobic spikes. Between them sit technical descents where the legs get a break but concentration does not.

Two phases decide the race: the Mortirolo at kilometre 48, which tests discipline for the rest of the day, and the final Stelvio climb from kilometre 113, ridden on tired legs and in thinner air above 2,000 metres.

Train accordingly with long rides that include two separate climbing blocks rather than just one – deliberately simulate a second hard climb after a rolling section on legs that are already fatigued. Add long, steady climbs of 45 to 90 minutes to practise pacing at constant intensity, and include technical descending work to stay confident on tired arms. Where possible, add sessions at altitude or in heat so the effects above 2,000 metres aren't first experienced on race day.