Departure: Ponte di Legno
Length: 17.3km
Altitude: 2,621m
Height Gain: 1,363m
Average Gradient: 7.9%
Maximum Gradient: 16.0%
To label Passo di Gavia as Stelvio’s
little brother would be a gross understatement. Not quite as high, nor renowned
for its hairpins, it’s nevertheless every bit as tough as its close neighbour
up the road. Prone to the extremes of bad weather and still permanently covered
in snow in early June, it has been centre stage to some of the most dramatic
events in the Giro d’ Italia’s history.

First introduced in 1960, the pass has made seven appearances in the Giro d’ Italia, the last in 2014, when Movistar rider Nairo Quintana won the stage 16 race over the twin passes, Gavia and Stelvio, amid freezing temperatures and falling snow. As horrendous as the conditions were, the route was at least able to have been used; unlike 1984, 1989 and then again, in 2013, when it had to be re-routed due to bad weather. Remarkably, 160 of the 167 riders, who started out from Ponte di Legno, managed to complete the 136 kilometre stage to Val Martello within the time limit.


But up on Gavia, it’s more than likely the
gathering grey clouds will soon mean rain. Reluctant to leave, it’s
nonetheless, time to lose some altitude.
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The Refugio Bonetta at the top of the pass. |
Books by Mark
Krieger:
‘High Spain Drifter’ is available on Amazon , Barnes and Noble, Booktopia and other online bookstores.
‘Lycra, Lattes and the Long Way Round’ is available on Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books
Both books are also available at local bookshops on the Mornington Peninsula: @ Rosebud Bookbarn and @ La Brocante
“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.”
Ernest Hemingway
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