Tornantissima
Description
The superlative "Tornantissima" lives up to its name on this tour. Starting from Grosio, you ride until shortly after the highway underpass, where you turn right onto the asphalt road. The ascent to the Passo del Mortirolo winds almost endlessly through the western flank of Monte Varadega. Beautiful views down to Grosio and Grosotto make up for the exertions. Once you reach the top of the pass, follow the tarmac road to the left into the Valle di Varadega. At the bottom of the valley, turn left onto the rough gravel road and ride up to the ridge, where the first singletrail awaits. This leads up to 2500 meters above sea level. Now it's time to go down, but really down! And it soon becomes clear why the name of this tour ends with a superlative. Initially very technical and difficult to ride, the trail leads into the forest. Endless serpentines and steeply sloping terrain make disc brakes and forearms glow. Everything is demanded of the rider and his bike, and more than a few will have to take a short breather. After all, you don't ride down from 2500 to 800 meters above sea level every day.
Note: Follow the suggested route exactly in the lower part. The signposted version leads over a bumpy Roman road at the end, although you could turn into an old single trail a little above it.
Map & GPX-Track
The map is only available to Ride subscribers.
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Details of the tour
18 km
685 m
1900 m
654 above sea level
2492 above sea level
1 day
Grosio
Grosio
1249
well suited
More information
More tours nearby
User comments (6)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
I rode Tornantissima in July 2024 (with shuttle from Tirano). Had high expectations, and the upper part was beautiful. However, further down the route is overgrown and very difficult (impossible?) to find... if you are in the area I recommend doing the superb Val Belvisio above Aprica instead.
Thanks to Giordano's shuttle service (http://www.tiranotaxi.it), we were able to start the tour to Passo Mortirolo without any problems. Giordano, you are the best proof of first-class, punctual, humorous shuttle service in Italy!
It's still 600 m to the trailhead. Loose stones on steep ramps. Not exactly my thing. The view of the Valtellina is outstanding. The descent, on the other hand, is right up my street. The first few hundred meters of altitude over loose gravel, blocked sections, steep, exposed, technical, hairpin bends - the full program! You have to work really hard here and keep your head on a swivel and your eyes on the trail. Even though nature and the view are there to distract you.
After the first third, it's biker heaven. Narrow trails, forest floor, roots, stones, hairpin bends - the different sections alternate in a matter of seconds and tempt you to "juuuchzer". But be careful! The trail tempts you not to take it seriously. You'll end up lying on the ground or slope because you've caught your handlebars on a tree. Ouch!
After endless switchbacks, your hands and arms are burning and the last quarter lies ahead of you. Where is the trail? Dear Ride Team. This gpx file is definitely not correct! At elevation 1364 there is simply a straight line down. Over a ravine, 10m high walls. And right here in the description you find "Follow the suggested route exactly in the lower part". That must be a joke, right? If you follow this, you could end up in hospital or with a speed flyer on your back.
Dear Ride Team. I know you don't like to change gpx data and have your good reasons for doing so. But here it is simply negligent to do nothing and in no way comprehensible if no improvements are made.
We rode the tour yesterday. It's worth riding the shuttle to the pass (very reliable and professional http://www.tiranotaxi.it) - and as early as possible: the heat is extremely oppressive even at this altitude. You really have to fight your way up the remaining 600m: most people pushed for more than half of the route, I was just able to push all the way up, but it was very strenuous and exhausting.
But the view is magnificent! It's worth it!
The first part of the descent is on loose gravel and loose scree (which is not everyone's cup of tea) with lots of bends and no really difficult sections (which applies to the whole trail).
The middle section through the woods is the absolute highlight of the tour: always flowing and with lots of hairpin bends!
The GPX data on Ride has a dropout in the lower part and is not complete (straight line). We looked for and found a way down, but it is not recommended. It's probably better to follow the mountain bike signposts to the left instead of taking the direct route down!
Helicopter :) MTB Italy offers a trip once a year. Decadent, I know, but still awesome...
Is there a shuttle/train/bus otherwise the difference in altitude up and down must be the same?
How do you get the passport?