Passo dello Stelvio
Prato allo Stelvio, Italy
The Passo dello Stelvio is a col with a length of 24.5 kilometer. This is a highest category (HC) col. It is located in Prato allo Stelvio, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. The average grade of this col is 7.5% with a maximum of 9.5%. The Passo dello Stelvio ascents from 934 meter at the start, to 2.758 meter at the top, with a total of 1.824 ascending meters.
Profile
Facts
| Distance | 24.5 km |
| Elevation gain | 1824 m |
| Average grade | 7.5 % |
| Maximum grade | 9.5 % |
| Climb category | HC |
| Minimum elevation | 934 m |
| Maximum elevation | 2758 m |
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Description
For many riders, the highest Italian pass is probably the most beautiful and the most famous. The 48 turns from Prato allo Stelvio make this pass a top priority on every to-do list. The Giro d'Italia is a big fan of this col with a lot of visits. Fausto Coppi made a great impression in 1953 on the flanks. Coppi was the first to cross the top in a Grand Tour. Fausto Coppi thought he ‘was going to die’ while climbing the Passo dello Stelvio during the 1953 Giro d’Italia, the man the Italians dubbed ‘campionissimo’ could have perished in worse places. In a battle between Coppi and Koblet for the victory of the Giro 1953, Coppi attacked on the Stelvio. Partway up to the Stelvio, Coppi saw his lover Giulia Locatelli, who would come to be known as “the woman in white”, because of the coat she was photographed wearing. Eventually, Coppi won his fifth Giro. After Binda, he was the second cyclist ever to win the Giro five times. To date, only one more cyclist managed to achieve this: Eddy Merckx.
Ivan Basso (2 times winner of the Giro d'Italia): Every cyclist should do the Stelvio at least once. “No matter how long it takes you, and how much you may struggle, once you’ve done it you’ll feel immensely proud and satisfied. It’s the best feeling of all and you’ll remember it forever.”
- Giro d'Italia 2020 - Stage 18