Saturday, June 27th will see the fourth edition of the Livigno Alè Granfondo take place, an amateur race among the most iconic on the calendar.

Its uniqueness stems from an enchanting high mountain landscape and two different yet equally demanding and technically valuable routes. The Granfondo route is epic, it's an anthology, it's cycling history. Forcola and Bernina to begin opening your heart to what you see and what you feel through an increasingly relentless pace. The Forno Pass, the Foscagno from Bormio, Eira and the return to Livigno.

Among these severe ascents lies the myth of the Umbrail Pass, the Swiss climb that brings riders back to Valtellina. More than 13 kilometers of alpine climbing, more than 1100 meters of elevation gain. A sustained and intense effort, a serpentine stretch of vertical asphalt that crests in a lunar landscape at 2500 meters altitude and just below lies the military sanctuary of the Stelvio. The Umbrail is the distinctive feature of the Granfondo: 167 kilometers and 4300 meters of elevation gain.

The Mediofondo is anything but straightforward, even if less demanding. The elevation gain remains significant, exceeding 2000 meters with 107 kilometers. After the first climb of the Forcola di Livigno and the suggestive Bernina with perpetual snow always in sight, you continue through Engadin between false flats and descents. At Zernez you climb again until the junction of the Munt La Schera tunnel. The passage through the tunnel is a unique experience, that group procession through a rock tunnel open to bikes only for the Livigno amateur race. There's one point in common between the two routes: it's the last breathtaking ramp of the Mottolino from the Eira Pass. It's 1700 meters at 11% average gradient with peaks at 20%, that finale that consecrated Tadej Pogacar's triumph at the Giro d'Italia in one of the most spectacular finishes ever. A finale like a slash across the quadriceps and calves that burn after such significant elevation gains, a push toward the finish line with lungs wide open and a heart full of enthusiasm for having accomplished a feat.

Sonny Colbrelli, winner of the 2021 Paris-Roubaix and already European road champion, is a testimonial for Livigno 1816 Bike Zone. He states: "A unique granfondo, the long route is truly mythical, it's an anthology of cycling. I know it very well, since during training camps we always did that ride when we had long distances planned. Tough, demanding, 'the brutal ride' poor Scarpa used to call it, may he rest in peace (Michele Scarponi ed. note). It's the ultimate for those who want to do endurance and pedaling it in such a stunning setting as Livigno and the surrounding territories makes it even more of a feat. The fact that so many professionals train in Livigno says a lot about how it's one of the reference points for cycling in summer. Livigno is a special place because at almost two thousand meters it offers the possibility of doing climbs of various kinds but also flat terrain. I know every meter of Livigno and all the routes you can take, since both as a professional and nowadays for pleasure I always love riding here. I have Livigno in my heart, not by chance the bike from my Paris-Roubaix triumph is displayed in Aquagranda".

Comments Luca Moretti, president of Livigno Next: "Probably the most fascinating setting for cyclists. Truly unique, with two routes, one of which is very selective, but with a common denominator: the majesty of our mountains. Livigno believes more and more each year in cycling in all its facets. Road cycling but also mountain biking in its specific disciplines. The Livigno Alè Granfondo is and will increasingly be one of the most representative moments of 1816 Bike Zone Livigno, that is, everything that unites Livigno and cycling in an ever more versatile and varied offering".