015 Passo Stelvio

Course: Naturno - Silandro (738 m) - Prato allo Stelvio (913 m) - Passo Stelvio (2757 m) - Passo Umbrail - S. Maria (1375 m) - Tubre in Val Monastero (1232 m) - Glorenza (907 m) - Silandro (738 m) - Naturno (554 m)

We start in the center of Naturno and ride along via Stazione to the cycle path, `where` we turn right towards Val Venosta. We then continue along the cycle path to Castelbello and Laces (signposted). In Laces, we follow the road that leads through the town, and proceed to Coldrano. There we return to the cycle path that leads to Silandro. From there, we continue along the state road (watch out for traffic!) and cycle uphill to Corces and Lasa (we recommend to ride this section along the state road, because the cycle path is not paved!). We pass by the pilgrimage church, and turn right towards Lasa. We pass through the town and follow the signs to the cycle path. We continue along the cycle path in the direction of Val Venosta, past Oris, until we reach Prato allo Stelvio. Just outside the village of Prato, we begin the climb that leads to the infamous Stelvio Pass. From there, 25 km, 48 hairpin bends and an elevation gain of 1800 m seperate us `from` the highest point of our excursion, the Stelvio Pass (2757 m). From the Stelvio Pass, we cycle towards Bormio until we come to a crossroads. Here we turn right towards the Passo di Umbrail. We continue uphill for a short stretch until we reach the pass. From the Umbrail Pass, we descend to S. Maria in Val Monastero. We keep to the right and cross the border to Tubre (don't forget to bring an ID). We continue downhill through the Val Monastero to Glorenza and then return to the cycle path. We continue along the cycle path to the Spondigna railway station. There we take the state road for a short distance before turning right towards Prato, `where` we get back to the cycle path. We follow the cycle path to the center of Lasa. From there, we return to the state road, since the stretch between Lasa and Silandro is not paved. Once we reach the roundabout in Silandro, we turn right to return to the cycle path that takes us back to Naturno.