Annual Stelvio Meet-Up · Saturday 29 August 2026
As promised: this was made by an AI and you shouldn't take it too seriously. Don't take it too seriously, but also not too lightly. The gradients and the forecast are the real ones, and the forecast is good - which means it can't be Martin's excuse (or anyones, really).
Forecast for Saturday 29 August at both ends of the climb.
Ten hours of sun and 12 degrees at the top.
Prad is at 25°C in the afternoon, the pass at around 12°C, and after 09:00 the rain risk drops to five percent. It doesn't get much better than this.
Two things to keep in mind. There are showers overnight and into the early morning, so the road will be damp before the sun dries it. You still have to descend 25 km at 12 degrees with a crosswind, so bring a jacket.
| Time | Temp | Feels | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 13° | 13° | 50% | 7-26 |
| 09:00 | 17° | 17° | 35% | 6-17 |
| 12:00 | 22° | 23° | 10% | 6-18 |
| 15:00 | 25° | 26° | 10% | 7-16 |
| 18:00 | 23° | 23° | 15% | 4-11 |
| Time | Temp | Feels | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 6° | 3° | 45% | 7-35 |
| 09:00 | 7° | 4° | 30% | 5-34 |
| 12:00 | 10° | 7° | 5% | 8-37 |
| 15:00 | 12° | 9° | 5% | 10-33 |
| 18:00 | 10° | 7° | 15% | 9-29 |
Wind is the km/h range for that hour, average to gust. Temperatures in °C.
Tap or hover a segment below to highlight it on the profile. The gradients are averages between the landmarks, so the steep parts inside them are steeper than the number says.
← swipe the chart sideways →
A river, a cycle path, some trees, and a gradient so easy that you start thinking the internet exaggerated. Somebody in this group is going to attack here.
That somebody will be off the back by kilometer fourteen, and will spend the rest of the weekend explaining that they were only testing the legs.
Actually useful Ride this slower than feels right. It's not too slow, it's correct. You still have 18 km and 1,490 meters in front of you.
The road stops being nice at Gomagoi and the hairpin numbers show up, counting down from 48. Within four minutes somebody will start reading them out loud.
They will read all forty-eight of them. Nobody has ever thanked that person.
Actually useful Last good moment to eat something solid before your heart rate makes it unpleasant. There's water in Trafoi, and fountains at roughly 10 km and 4 km from the top.
Seven kilometers, 645 meters up, no flat parts and no recovery. The group ride is over here, from now on everybody rides their own pace.
Anyone who put on an 11-28 because the Stelvio is supposedly steady is going to find out what steady means here. Nobody talks from this point on, and that's normal.
Actually useful This is the hardest sustained part of the climb, not the top. If you're already at your limit in Trafoi, you paced it wrong and there are still 13 km to go.
From Franzenshöhe you can see the rest of the hairpins stacked above you like a badly organized filing cabinet. All of them, at the same time. It's motivating and frustrating at the same time.
You're above 2,200 meters now with clearly less oxygen than at home, so your power numbers are going to look bad. Turn the screen to something else, nobody is checking.
Actually useful This is where the wind shows up, forecast into the thirties in gusts. Two hands on the bars through the open hairpins, and expect to get pushed sideways on the exposed ramps.
Out and back from the hotel, 8.3 km through the valley before the climb even starts. Load it onto your head unit before Saturday, not in the car park at 8.25.
Stelvio 29.8.2026
"Only the brave." The Strava link needs a login, the GPX doesn't - so take the file if you're not on Strava, or if your head unit is happier that way.
Everybody here is one of these two. Be honest about which one.
Never ridden it · read all six
Done it before · this one is for you
13 degrees difference between the bottom and the top, and much more than that once you stop pedaling and point the bike downhill. It's warm in Prad, so the temptation is to pack nothing. Don't.
At 25 degrees in Prad you'll want to leave this in the car. Don't. Sleeves and a windproof front, for 25 km down at 12 degrees in a crosswind.
Ten hours of sun and 1,850 meters of altitude. UV goes up around 10% per 1,000 meters, and this is the burn people actually come home with.
Warm valley, two hour climb. There are fountains in Trafoi and at roughly 10 km and 4 km from the top (not guaranteed), but don't plan your day around finding them.
Wind into the thirties on an open descent, plus grit off a road that was wet overnight. You want to see where you're going.
They pack compact and they turn a cold descent into a comfortable one. Knee warmers too if you get cold easily.
In a plastic bag in your pocket, changed at the top. Less critical at 12 degrees than it would be at zero, still worth carrying.
Downgraded now that the top is 12 degrees and not zero. Take them if your hands go numb easily.
Hot drink, sausage, wurst of your choice. Morale is a performance factor and I'm responsible for performance.
For the drive down, the valley kilometers, and whatever gets you through The Hard Part.
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