{"id":4251,"date":"2026-03-04T07:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T06:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finka.news\/stelvio-pass-road-history-giro-ditalia-cycling-from-mals\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T09:05:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:05:34","slug":"stelvio-pass-road-history-giro-ditalia-cycling-from-mals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finka.news\/en\/stelvio-pass-road-history-giro-ditalia-cycling-from-mals\/","title":{"rendered":"Stelvio Pass Road \u2013 History, Giro d\u2019Italia & Cycling from Mals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Long before the first cyclist climbs the pass in spring, the road usually still lies hidden beneath metres of snow. Hairpin after hairpin it rises from Gomagoi, climbs past Trafoi towards the Franzensh\u00f6he and then winds its way through the high-alpine landscape up to the pass. It was not originally built for travellers, but for a very different purpose.

The Stelvio Pass road was built in the early 19th century as a military route through a remote border region of the Habsburg Empire. Today it has become something entirely different. Cyclists from all across Europe come here to ride the famous 48 hairpin bends themselves. Professionals in the Giro d\u2019Italia, ambitious amateurs \u2013 and sometimes simply curious travellers who want to experience what it feels like to ride a road that has remained almost unchanged in the landscape for more than two centuries.

Those who ride it quickly realise that the Stelvio is not an attraction in the usual sense. It is a road \u2013 and at the same time a piece of history you can climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Imperial Military Route to Cycling Legend<\/h2>\n\n\n

In 1825 the Stelvio Pass road was opened<\/strong>. It had been planned under Emperor Francis I of Austria<\/strong> as a strategic connection between Tyrol<\/strong> and the then Austrian province of Lombardy\u2013Venetia<\/strong>. The project was not a romantic Alpine venture but a piece of military infrastructure. Troops, administration and stagecoaches were meant to move more quickly between the provinces.<\/p>\n

Within just five years, a high-mountain road was built under extreme conditions, and its route has remained almost unchanged to this day. When the road was inaugurated, it was considered a technical sensation. Hardly anywhere else at that time did a continuous carriage road reach such altitude. In its first decades, the Stelvio Pass<\/strong> was mainly used by stagecoaches and military transports. Crossing the pass took many hours and depended heavily on the weather. Even in summer, snowfall could block the route.<\/p>\n

For this reason, several road keepers\u2019 houses<\/strong> were built along the road. Their task was simple: keep the road open \u2013 remove rocks, clear avalanches and shovel snow. Sometimes this was impossible. Then travellers \u2013 officials, merchants or soldiers \u2013 were forced to wait in the inns of Trafoi<\/strong> or on the Franzensh\u00f6he<\/strong>, until the pass became passable again.<\/p>\n

In 2025 the 200th anniversary<\/strong> of the road was celebrated, among other places in Prad am Stilfserjoch<\/strong>. Historical parades recalled the era of stagecoaches, the military use of the road, and the period in the 20th century when summer skiing<\/strong> developed on the Stelvio Pass. This unusual tradition is still possible today on the glaciers above the pass and is mainly used by international ski teams for training.<\/p>\n

What was once built as an instrument of power has today become part of a completely different movement: people now ride this road voluntarily \u2013 and under their own power.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Historic
Stagecoach timetable of the \u201cStelvio Post\u201d crossing the Stelvio Pass from the 1891 season. At that time stagecoaches regularly connected places such as Bormio, Trafoi and the Stelvio Pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

History and Landscape of the Stelvio Pass<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At 2,757 metres<\/strong>, the Stelvio Pass is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the Alps.<\/p>\n

The actual beginning of the Stelvio Pass road lies in Gomagoi \u2013 a small village at the entrance to the Trafoi<\/strong> Valley, often referred to as the \u201cgateway to the Stelvio\u201d. Shortly afterwards, the first of the 48 numbered hairpin<\/strong> bends already appears, climbing from here all the way up to the pass.<\/p>\n

The road first leads to Trafoi. Today the village has become quiet, but around 1900 Trafoi was a fashionable alpine spa and tourist resort. Travellers from Vienna, Munich or Milan came here to experience the view of the Ortler \u2013 often still arriving by stagecoach along the pass road. The most famous son of the village is Gustav Th\u00f6ni, one of the most successful alpine ski racers of the 1970s, Olympic champion and multiple overall World Cup winner.<\/p>\n

Beyond Trafoi the real high-alpine ascent begins. The road continues upward towards the Franzensh\u00f6he<\/strong>. Here the tree line gradually disappears and the landscape begins to change its character. Forests give way to rocky slopes and alpine meadows. Above everything rises the Ortler (3,905 m<\/strong>) with its glacier landscape in the Stelvio National Park<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Franzensh\u00f6he
Franzensh\u00f6he on the Stelvio Pass road. Here the tree line ends and the view opens towards the Ortler and the high-alpine landscape of Stelvio National Park. Photo: Sascha Plangger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the Franzensh\u00f6he onward, the road runs fully through high-alpine terrain. The view opens wider, the air becomes cooler \u2013 and the road suddenly seems small between rock and sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stelvio Pass & the Giro d\u2019Italia \u2013 A Test of Alpine Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the Giro d\u2019Italia<\/strong>, the Stelvio Pass has been part of international cycling history. In 1953, Fausto Coppi<\/strong> launched his decisive attack here. Since then, the highest point of each Giro edition has been known as the \u201cCima Coppi\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in cycling the Stelvio Pass is not known only for legendary victories.<\/p>\n\n\n

A famous photograph from 1965<\/strong> shows Aldo Moser<\/strong> carrying his bicycle through metre-high walls of snow. June. A Giro stage. And yet winter conditions. The image has become a symbol of this pass. Because on the Stelvio it is not only the riders\u2019 legs that climb \u2013 the weather always rides along as well.<\/p>\n

Several times the Giro had to change planned crossings at short notice or cancel them altogether, for example in 1988<\/strong> or 2014<\/strong>. The Stelvio Pass may appear on the race route, but whether it can actually be ridden is often decided only by the snow. That is precisely why it remains a reference.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Aldo

Aldo Moser at the Giro d\u2019Italia in 1965 on the Stelvio Pass \u2013 one of the most famous scenes in cycling history.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 3.0.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stelvio Pass Cycling \u2013 A Challenge for Amateur Riders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pass is no longer reserved only for professional riders.<\/p>\n\n\n

Once a year the road is completely closed to motor traffic. During the Stelvio Bike Day<\/strong> it belongs exclusively to cyclists. No engine noise, no traffic \u2013 just bicycles, breathing, and the steady rhythm of the hairpin bends.<\/p>\n\n\n

But even outside this day, the pass attracts riders from all across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n

The 1,800 metres of elevation gain from Gomagoi<\/strong> require patience and careful pacing.<\/p>\n\n\n

Whoever reaches the top has earned the climb \u2013 no matter how long it took.<\/p>\n\n\n

That is exactly why the Stelvio Pass is now considered one of the most famous road cycling climbs in the Alps.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

Road Cycling Tour from Mals \u2013 The FinKa as a Starting Point<\/h2>\n\n\n

From Mals in Upper Val Venosta<\/strong>, one of the most beautiful road cycling loops in the region begins almost effortlessly.<\/p>\n

The first kilometres roll gently across the valley floor. The route passes through Glurns<\/strong>, alongside its fully preserved 16th-century town walls. Beyond Prad<\/strong> the climb begins \u2013 although the actual Stelvio Pass road starts only a few kilometres later in Gomagoi<\/strong>. From there the road winds hairpin after hairpin past Trafoi and the Franzensh\u00f6he all the way up to the pass.<\/p>\n

The tour does not necessarily end at the top. Many riders continue over the Umbrail Pass<\/strong> into the Val M\u00fcstair<\/strong> and return via Taufers im M\u00fcnstertal.<\/strong> Around 90 kilometres<\/strong> and more than 2,000 metres of elevation<\/strong> gain connect two countries: Italy and Switzerland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And at some point in the evening you find yourself back at the door of the FinKa. Then the same routine usually follows: room key, a shower, perhaps a beer in the Salone. Knowing that you will return here somehow makes the climb up the Stelvio a little more relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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FinKa Tip: Cycling the Stelvio Pass<\/h3>\r\n\r\n

\r\n If you want to ride the Stelvio Pass starting from the FinKa, it is best to start early in the morning. At that time Val Venosta is usually still quiet, traffic is light and temperatures are more pleasant.\r\n The classic route begins in Mals, continues through Glurns and Prad to Gomagoi, where the actual Stelvio Pass road begins.\r\n From there the famous 48 hairpin bends lead all the way up to the pass at 2,757 metres.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Start early<\/strong>\r\n The climb is long and during summer temperatures can rise even at high altitude.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Pace yourself<\/strong>\r\n The first hairpins may seem moderate, but the pass is long. Riding at a steady rhythm helps save energy for the final kilometres.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Watch the weather<\/strong>\r\n Even in summer conditions on the Stelvio can change quickly. A light wind jacket is almost always useful.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Stop at Franzensh\u00f6he<\/strong>\r\n From here the view opens towards the Ortler \u2013 for many riders this is the moment they realise how high they have already climbed.\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Plan your return<\/strong>\r\n A particularly beautiful loop continues over the Umbrail Pass into Val M\u00fcstair and returns via Taufers im M\u00fcnstertal to Mals.\r\n After around 90 kilometres and more than 2,000 metres of climbing the ride usually ends again at the door of the FinKa \u2013 where a long ascent eventually turns into a good story.\r\n <\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Stelvio Pass \u2013 Key Facts<\/h3>\r\n\r\n