A preview took place which saw the participation of media, companies and opinion leaders. Registration is now open for the event open to the public in September 2024.
Source: press release
Not just mountain biking and conquering the great Alpine passes on a road bike; Valtellina is also gravel, with Gravellina, the new cycling event that travels along the centuries-old rural roads in the heart of the Province of Sondrio.
For now just a tasting. The preview of Gravellina took place last weekend with the presence of media, opinion leaders and companies in the sector invited to try the itineraries that cross the central part of Valtellina. From the capital Sondrio – eastwards – almost to Tirano, or westwards towards Lake Como. The result was a ride in company with many positive and enthusiastic comments for routes that were certainly not banal, at times challenging, but above all landscapes that enter the heart by crossing a surface that alternates dirt, paved, asphalt and a few tastes of singletrack.
The Gravellina routes follow the rural roads where Valtellina grows and produces its best-known products, such as wines and apples, and more traditional ones, such as rye and buckwheat. The streets which - today as a century ago - are the manifesto of the relationship between man and nature, here in relationship and in balance.
The beauty is uninterrupted but some highlights leave you speechless: the climbs that climb among the vines, such as the Fracia or that of the Vecchio Torchio along the Via dei Terrazzamenti; the medieval historic center of Ponte in Valtellina, the apple orchards of Chiuro, the mills and palaces of Teglio; then again: Castel Grumello which dominates the valley, the monumental sanctuary of the Santa Casa in Tresivio; the walkway over the Cassandre gorge, the Sentiero Valtellina along the Adda river, the rock formations of the Pyramids of Postalesio, the historic district of Scarpatetti in Sondrio. Gravel riding in Valtellina is not just cycling, but a journey that exudes history and tradition with every pedal stroke and natural beauty at every glance.
Gravellina will be an event open to the public in 2024 and will take place on the weekend of 21/22 September.
The event will offer different routes, tough for those who want to challenge the climbs among the terraces of heroic viticulture, or more relaxed and with less difference in altitude for those who prefer to remain more anchored to the valley floor. Both seasoned with the famous Valtellina food and wine.
Info and registration on the site www.gravellina.com
