Cycling the Mighty Mortirolo
Lance Armstrong said of the Mortirolo, “It’s a terrible climb…it’s perfect for a mountain bike. On the hardest parts, I was riding a 39×27 and I was hurting, really hurting. (Mortirolo) is the hardest climb I’ve ever ridden.”
The Mortirolo climb starts at Mazzo di Valtellina and is 12.4 kilometers long at an average of 10.5% (height gain: 1300 m), the maximum gradient being 18%. While there are several ways up this mountain, the Mazzo route is the hardest.
Let’s ride it! The trusty Ritchey Breakaway and I start in Mazzo di Valtellina, which is about 25k south of Bormio. Mazzo di Valtellina is tiny and there are signs to the climb. You cannot get lost.
From Mazzo you go right to the Mortirolo
The sign at the bottom of the Mortirolo
Soon you meed the signs that indicate how many turns to go to the top. The following pictures tell the story. There isn’t much to say other than it’s steep both up and down. The ascent is very hard and the descent is very sketchy due to the tough incline, the rough and narrow road, and the slick pavement when it’s wet like it was on the day I rode it.
The Mortirolo turns are numbered. Starting from the bottom, this is turn 32 of 33. Behind the Ritchey are some apple trees.
A typical hairpin on the Mortirolo. Steep on each side and in between.
Some sheep on the grazing on the Mortirolo. I spooked them and they initially ran away but settled.
Need water? Look how the water is diverted from the stream into the trough.
Most of the Mortirolo is in the trees. This is a rare view back at Mazzo and the mountains.
Contador and Spanish colors painted on the Mortirol.
Lambic trail sign on Mortirolo. One of many interesting hand made signs for hiking trails.
The Marco Pantani Memorial on at turn 11 on Passo Mortirolo. He died of a cocaine overdose. He crushed this climb while on EPO. He lived fast and short.
Some car-tourists on Mortirolo. The road is so narrow that I pulled over.
The Zuffnuff and the RItchey at the top of Passo Mortirolo
