Passo Gavia - Italy
The Enfant Terrible and feared pass on the Giro for its weather and unpredictability, is a wonderfully wild road and a true cycling crown jewel - Passo Gavia is a wonderful ride.
Cycling the Passo Gavia is a tough, atmospheric climb defined by narrow roads and a strong sense of remoteness, particularly from the Bormio side. The ascent is steady and wearing rather than brutally steep, with the landscape shifting from forest and waterfalls to bare rock and high-alpine terrain. Changing weather, thinning air, and frequent exposure add to the challenge, before the road opens near the top beside Lago Bianco and reaches the quiet summit at 2,621 meters.
St Catarina - Valfurfa
From Bormio this is a long road with nearly 25 km and 1400m of altitude gain. But this is not a single assault on the mountain but the road has quite distinct climbing sections. It starts in Bormio on the SS300 along the Valfurfa valley and the Torrente Frodolfo for 13km and 520m altitude gain to Santa Catarina. The road is busy and not to be underestimated. There are cobbled and some quite steep sections to help you warm up your legs.
Heart of the climb
After Santa Caterina, the climb really starts with a section of 10 hairpins covering 400m elevation in 5.5km. You then continue to climb out of the trees and into the valley for the next 5 km and 360m of elevation gain. The road leads around an enormous rock face which is the northern tip of the Cima di Gavia that seems to block the valley. Navigating around the rock and the next 1-2km into the valley is as tough as gets on this road.
Flatter towards the top
After navigating around the rock face and about 2km further into the valley, the valley floor almost meets the road and the road flattens out for the remaining 3.5km. There are modest gains of 125m. The road meanders along the valley with snow capped mountains in the background. You pass by a war memorial, views of glaciers, and the Lago Bianco before finally reaching the pass itself. This is the section of the climb to really enjoy!
Passo Gavia 2621m - Northern ascend from Bormio and Valfurfa
The climb from Santa Caterina has a wonderful calmness and serenity that makes this climb so special.
Ascent for the south - stunning Valle delle Messi and Lago Nero
For those full of energy, descending the other side and climbing back up is one of the most rewarding activities as the climb from Ponte di Legno is more scenic (but also much harder!). A full climb from Ponte Di Legno is 18.9km and covering 1400m altitude gain. To shorten this, drop to Sant Apollonia - we have made a route suggestion here - which is an 11.7km climb covering just over 1000m altitude gain. This includes the very steep 10 hairpins through the woods. If you want to stay above the tree line and only cover the most scenic part of the climb, descent 5.8km till you reach the hairpins and climb 520m back up. In any case, you should drop down to the mad unlit tunnel to take in Lago Nero and the mountains high above the stunning Valle delle Messi.
Passo Gavia from Ponte di Legno is out of this world
The ride is mix of tough gradients, dramatic scenery and total emersion in the environment
The Gavia is often compared with the Stelvio. They are nothing like each other though. While the Stelvio is one of the most impressive and famous roads in the alps that attracts all sorts of travellers, the Gavia on the SS300 is minding its own business in a wild and remote setting. While the Stelvio is brash, the Gavia is reserved.
Passo Gavia from Bormio
Length: 24.9km
Altitude gain: 1396m
Max altitude: 2621 m
Average gradient: 5.6%
Max gradient: 12%
Route Tip: Climbing the Passo Gavia form Bormio in the north and descending 2/3 down the way south to Sant' Apollonia for lunch. There is the lovely Osteria Pietra Rossa which might just hit the spot, especially as the climb back up is another 1000m.
