Forcola, Bernina, Eira and, for the most intrepid, also Fuorn, Umbrailpass and Foscagno: these were the climbs that hosted the 2026 edition of the Granfondo Livigno Alè, an event that yesterday, despite its renewed format (winners were determined based on the sum of times recorded on the day's climbs), once again managed to deliver plenty of emotions, exalting lovers of great mountain passes.

Over 850 participants came to animate the routes of the Mediofondo and the Granfondo which, covering distances of 106 and 166 kilometers respectively, set ablaze the great passes of the Western Rhaetic Alps between Livigno and Engadin before converging on the treacherous slopes of the Mottolino (the scene of one of Tadej Pogacar's finest victories at the 2024 Giro d'Italia) to end their effort while embracing with their gaze an enviable panorama of the peaks in the area.

From the very start, after the beginning in front of the Acquagranda headquarters, a splendid sun (a prelude a few hours later to decidedly elevated temperatures for these altitudes) warmed the hearts and legs of participants, pushing them toward the first altitude challenges of the day which, once reached, revealed all their beauty.

The smooth and perfectly maintained roads then favored excellent paces, allowing, with the help of a light favorable breeze, to "fly" through the first long descents and the false flat sections that preceded the fork between the two routes placed at the hourly checkpoint at the Tunnel Munt La Schera. From there, the Granfondo and its protagonists took two different paths until the final grueling 1800 meters when relentless ramps up to 20% gradient tested legs and calves before allowing everyone to break free from fatigue with cheers and liberating smiles.

Among these were also those of the first classified in the main race (Canadian and already winner of the 2025 edition Jack Burke and Belgian Ils Van der Moeren) and in the shorter one (Italians Manuela Pedrana and Mattia Longa) whose joy, however, was not the most intense because, ultimately, what made the event truly unique in the challenging context of the 1816 Bike Zone Livigno was the even greater collective happiness with which the field of participants crossed the finish line giving everything from the first to the last meter.

Dedication, competitive spirit, breathtaking panoramas, legendary climbs and shared experience: the recipe of the Granfondo Livigno Alè has therefore, once again, borne fruit, producing a well-attended and appreciated edition that confirmed it has in the legendary climbs of the area and in harsh effort its DNA and which, as a reward, offers incalculable doses of satisfaction, objective results and positive memories, useful next year to return to the Upper Valtellina even more ready and performant.

Photo Credit: Livigno Next