PASSO DI
GAVIA
Twelve hairpins. 2,621 metres. The pass a blizzard made immortal.
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PASSO DI GAVIA.
It was no longer a race. It was a battle against ice, cold, and a road that should never have been ridden.
The Passo di Gavia separates Lombardy from the province of Sondrio in the Valtellina. At 2,621 metres it is one of the highest paved passes in Italy – and one of the least known outside the cycling world. That changed in June 1988.
Stage 14 of the Giro d'Italia crossed the Gavia. What followed is among the most extreme events in modern professional racing: a blizzard, temperatures well below freezing, road conditions beyond any reasonable assessment. The American Andy Hampsten set off on the climb, rode over the summit first, and ultimately won the Giro. His face – frozen, exhausted, unbowed – has become one of the most iconic images in cycling.
The ascent from Ponte di Legno covers 17.3 kilometres and 1,404 metres of altitude. The first kilometres pass through conifer forest before the vegetation disappears and the road enters a stark high-alpine landscape. The final six kilometres run above the treeline, with open views over the Ortler and Adamello groups.
The Gavia is not a pass for speed rides. The road is narrow, the surface not always ideal, and weather changes can be dramatically fast even in high summer. It is a pass for those who know what they are getting into.
Tour history & Records.
The Gavia has been included in the Giro d'Italia five times. The 1988 stage is the most famous – and one of the hardest in the history of cycling. Andy Hampsten's victory in that blizzard made him the first American to win a Grand Tour outside the Tour de France.
In 2012 the Gavia stage was neutralised due to weather. In 2021 the pass featured in the Giro again, this time tackled in reverse from Santa Caterina Valfurva.
The descent from the summit towards Bormio is technically demanding and dangerous in wet conditions. For many cyclists, the Gavia–Stelvio combination in a single day is the ultimate Alpine experience.
- Height
- 2.621 M
- Opened
- ASPHALTIERT 1969
- Country
- Italia
What else you need you should know.
The poster shows the ascent from Ponte di Legno: 17.3 km, 1,404 metres of altitude, average gradient 8.0%, maximum 16%. The elevation profile is rendered from official GPS data.
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As a printed poster in DIN A1, A2, A3 and A4 on 170 g/m² semi-gloss premium paper. Alternatively as a digital PDF download.
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The Gavia is a special gift for cycling fans who know and love the history of the Giro d'Italia. We also offer gift vouchers.
