Climbing the Mortirolo in Italy is no laughing matter. It is one of the toughest climbs in Europe and if you can add it to your curriculum, you can be proud of it. None other than the controversial rider Lance Armstrong called the Mortirolo the hardest climb he had ever ridden and the Colombian climbing goat Luis Herrera spoke about the queen climb of Europe.
Since 1990, the Mortirolo has often been part of the Giro d'Italia program and has already caused quite a bit of spectacle in recent years. Just think of Marco Pantani in 1994 and Alberto Contador in 2015, but also of Thomas De Gendt who attacked just before the top and ended his heroic journey with a win on the Stelvio in 2012
Profile climb of the Mortirolo
The Passo del Mortirolo, also known as the historic Passo della Foppa, is located in the Italian Dolomites and connects the mountain valleys of Valtellina and Val Camonica. The top is at 1852 meters and can be climbed from 3 sides:
- The Nord: from Mazzo di Valtellina or from Sondrio. The climb from Mazzo is 12.5 km with an average gradient of 10.45% and the one from Sondrio is 14.8 km with an average gradient of 8.3%
- The South: from Edolo (Monno). The climb is 17.2 km long with an average gradient of 6.7%
- The West: from Trivigno. The climb is 17 km long with an average gradient of 7.4%
If the climb of the Mortirolo is on the program of the Giro d'Italia, it is usually via Mazzo di Valtellina. As if this monster wasn't enough, the riders usually have to conquer 1 or 2 other climbs that day, usually the Passo dello Stelvio and/or Passo della Gavia
Profile Mortirolo from Mazzo di Valtellina
Legendary battles in the Giro d'Italia
The Mortirolo was climbed for the first time in the Giro d'Italia in 1990, not so long ago. Before that, the street wasn't even completely paved. It was the Venezuelan Leonardo Sierra who emerged first.
The fastest ascent is in the name of Ivan Gotti who needed a time of just 42′ 40” in the Giro d'Italia 1996, 20 seconds faster than the race climber Marco Pantani in 1994. This amounts to an average of 14.77 km /h and that is really impressive when you know that it has peaks of 18%. Those who have climbed the Mortirolo themselves and see 10 km / h on their speedometer can be very proud of themselves.
Marco Pantani in 1994
In 1994, the then young Pantani stepped up a number by attacking at the foot of the Mortirolo and overtaking all escaped riders one by one until he emerged alone with a lead over the clappers Ivan Gotti, Miguel Indurain and rose jersey wearer Eugenij respectively Berzin.
After 8 km of climbing, near Piaz dell'acqua, you can admire a statue of Marco Pantani. This was placed there in 2006 and is by Alberto Pasqual. Since then, the “Trofeo Marco Pantani” prize has been awarded to the 1st top finisher.
You can watch Marco Pantani's impressive performance in the following video (in Italian)
Ivan Basso in 2010
In 2010 there was the duel between Ivan Basso and the Spaniard David Arroyo who had to let go during the climb of the Mortirolo and who tried everything in the descent to keep his pink leader's jersey but without result. Ivan Basso was allowed to put on the pink jersey at the end of the stage. At the top, Ivan Basso was the first to reach the top, followed by teammate Vincenzo Nibali and Michele Scarponi.
Alberto Contador in 2015
In 2015, the pink jersey Alberto Contador put on a spectacle when he started the climb of the Mortirolo 50 seconds behind due to a puncture. Contador immediately started his overtake at the foot of the mountain and overtook the leading group of his main competitor Fabio Aru and released him almost immediately.
A trio formed with Steven Kruiswijk, Alberto Contador and Mikel Landa that took almost 2 minutes ahead of Fabio Aru on top of the Mortirolo, where Kruiswijk was the first to reach the top. Still the only Dutchman.
Below you can see Alberto Contador's catch-up (in Italian)
List of riders who crossed the top of the Mortirolo first in the Giro d'Italia
- 1990: Leonardo Sierra
- 1991: Franco Chiocciolo
- 1994: Marco Pantani
- 1996: Ivan Gotti
- 1997: Wladimir Belli
- 1999: Ivan Gotti
- 2004: Raffaele Illiano
- 2006: Ivan Basso
- 2008: Antonio Colom
- 2010: Ivan Basso
- 2012: Oliver Zaugg
- 2015: Steven Kruiswijk
- 2017: Luis Leon Sanchez
- 2019: Giulio Cioccone
- 2022: Jan Hirt
