Gran Fondo Stelvio re-routed as Pass Closed Due to Snow
The Granfondo Stelvio Santini tackled the Cancano climb as Stelvio Pass will remain closed due to the high risk of avalanches
The last stretch of the route was changed as a result and competitors tackled the Cancano climb instead. The Cancano Lakes will provided a spectacular backdrop to the finish-line of the Granfondo for which over 3,000 cyclists – two thirds of whom were non-Italian – lined up on today Sunday, June 2.
At the were former pro cyclist's Alessandro Vanotti, Fabio Felline of the Trek-Segafredo team and Abi Van Twisk of the Women’s Trek-Segafredo Team.
The Stelvio Pass will remain closed according to ANAS, Italy’s National Roads Authority, following an inspection to check the safety of the pass which is at an altitude of over 2,700 metres. The organisers of the Granfondo Stelvio Santini changed the final part of the race route with the result that participants will now cross the finish-line not at the top of the legendary pass but at the Cancano Lakes, having tackled the eponymous climb.
“This choice was made to guarantee the safety of the riders and staff involved in the Granfondo Stelvio Santini,” commented Mario Zangrando who organises the Valtellina event with US Bormiese. “We are sure that anyone disappointed about the Stelvio being ruled out will appreciate this part of the Valtellina which is a magnate for cyclists in summer thanks to the beauty of the surrounding countryside and the Cancano Lakes”.
Work finished on the building of the Cancano dam in 1956, creating two small artificial lakes to generate electricity. Now managed by AEM, the two lakes create a unique backdrop at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres with wonderful hiking, trekking and mountain-biking in the forests of the Valtellina mountains.
The three scheduled routes were modified: with the Gran Fondo taking in the Teglio, Mortirolo and Cancano climbs with the finish at the lakes after a total of 144.9 kilometres and an elevation change of 3,240 metres. The 800 or so cyclists that chose the Medio Fondo, which didn't include the Mortirolo climb, crossed that same finish-line and the Piccolo only tackled the Cancano climb.
Jusrt short of 2,000 foreign cyclists lined up at the start, an increase of 4.3% on last year’s edition and an indication of the growing international interest in the Valtellina event. In all, 48 foreign nations will be represented with the Granfondo Stelvio Santini proving most attractive in Germany with 340 entrants, followed by Denmark on 311 and the United Kingdom on 211.
“We had competitors from all over the world,” commented Santini Cycling Wear marketing manager Paola Santini. “They are coming from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and China, something that makes us very happy with the communications work we have done in recent years”.
The start data also indicated the growing number of women cyclists are taking part: 249 in all tackling the roads of Alta Valtellina, making up 8% of the total field. Also at the start-line alongside the rest of the competitors were guests of honour Alessandro Vanotti, former pro cyclist and Santini ambassador Fabio Felline of the Trek-Segafredo Team, and Abi Van Twisk of the Women’s Trek-Segafredo Team.
2019 Granfondo Stelvio Santini Kings And Queens Of Mountain Crowned
Six Kings and Queens of the Mountain have dominated the 3,000-plus field in the eighth edition of the Granfondo Stelvio Santini. Enrico Zen and Chiara Doni delivered the best times on the Teglio climb, Enrico Zen again and Paulina Wörz emerged as the fastest grimpeurs on the Mortirolo. Enrico Zen was also king on the Cancano climb and Chiara Doni as Queen. The latter replaced the now-traditional Stelvio finish-line as the pass was snowbound and at avalanches risk also. The result was that the lovely Cancano Lakes provided the stunning backdrop for the event finish.
The 2019 Granfondo Stelvio Santini saw more than 3,000 cyclists gathering today in Bormio for an intensely-competitive race that also packs a massive emotional impact too. Almost 2,000 riders flocked to Italy from all over the world for the event with an impressive 49 foreign nations represented at the start-line.
The changes made to the final section of the route will now see participants crossing the finish-line at the lovely Cancano Lakes. This last-minute change is the organisers’ Plan B and was implemented after the Stelvio Pass was announced impassable due to a high risk of avalanches onto the roads.
The Granfondo Stelvio Santini start-line featured pro riders such as Fabio Felline of the Trek-Segafredo Team and Abi Van Twisk from the Women’s Trek-Segafredo Team.
The 2019 edition once again followed the classification format introduced in 2017 which sees the best grimpeurs or King and Queen of the Mountain Granfondo Stelvio Santini crowned.
Enrico Zen of Terenzi Trek Gist took the Retelit King of the Mountain jersey after delivering the best time on the first Teglio climb, finishing the almost-five-kilometre dash in 15:46.46. Chiara Doni of Privee - Powered By Retelit team did likewise to take the Queen of the Mountain jersey when she stopped the clock in 18:53.50.
The jersey for the top Mortirolo climber, sponsored by Trek, was donned by Enrico Zen after an elevation change of 1,200 metres in 48:03.60, with Paulina Wörz of RSC Kempten team taking the women’s jersey in a time of 58:35.00.
The final Cancano climb saw the King of the Mountain jersey claimed by Enrico Zen with a time of 26:15.10. The Cancano Queen of the Mountain jersey was taken by Chiara Doni who finished in 30:50.30. Both also received a special Santini kit.
The cyclists - men and women – by category that delivered the best performance based on the sum of their times on the three routes were also honoured also with 39 winners taking home the special polka dot jersey, traditionally presented to top climbers.
The prize-giving ceremony was a long one with 39 polka dot jerseys presented to the winners of the various categories in the classification calculated on the basis of the sum of the times on the three climbs.
The three teams with the highest number of entrants also received a special prize: in first place was the US Bormiese with 73 entries followed in second by the Ruby Rejser team with 53 and then, in third position, the Team De Rosa Santini with 20.
The general classification showing start-to-finish times of the finishers in alphabetical order with a total of 2.450 crossing the line in all.
The general and category classifications are available online at: winningtime.it
