Val Gerola | Run 22 km | Lakes, marmots, views, and boulders

Exactly as the title says, this is a beautiful high altitude route that’s a little technical in parts and definitely can only be done in the summer. They say Val Gerola is one of the sunniest spots in the valley – but it’s also one of the most snow-secure, so runs like this are only possible from late June onwards really.

Park in the very understated ski resort of Pescegallo, where the road ends. If you want to make an Alpine Bike of this, then you could do the 15 km climb up from Morbegno and leave your bike quite safely behind a tree (there are enough of them.)

There are rifugios on route if you need a sit down. About halfway around this route you’ll see the Rifugio Trona Soliva, that’s pretty popular as it has quite an easy route up to it (not the one you’re taking though). The food is great here.

Val Gerola is a treat for exploring, so don’t feel obliged to stick to this route.

Morbegno | Gravel 56 km | Mixed terrain at its finest

The Only Way Is Morbegno – Gravel. Not the easiest route in the world, but worth every pedal stroke, apart from that 1km you have to ride on the main road.. It starts from the flat plains of Morbegno and begins with the early part of Passo San Marco. It’s a bit of a slog for 3/4 km before you jet off down a little lane when you reach the pass’ first major hairpin. This next stretch is a dreamy bit of gravel on an ancient lane with great views. A quick descent to Talamona before nipping around the Colmen to join the Sentiero for a bit. From here, you’ll head towards Buglio. The route looks complicated as it goes ‘off-grid’ here and takes a very tiny, very steep, very authentic cement climb that’s pure Panda territory. This rejoins the road after 10 minutes of climbing, so you could decide to stay on the main road (which is incredibly quiet). Once you’ve rejoined the road up to Buglio, the route again goes off-grid although it’s a very well used path that is signposted on your right on a big hair pin. You can’t miss it basically; there’s nothing else around. It’s a cool path, bit tricky in the wet, but worth it for the satisfaction of having ridden up it. Then you’ll turn a right when you hit the road at top of the zigzags, heading into the woods for a little bit of fun on a single track then a gravel road before rejoining the road that you skipped earlier.

From here, up to Buglio before a little more of a climb that cuts into the mountainside and escorts you towards Gaggio. Gaggio is a super cool village with great views and an even greater descent for gravel bikes with little cobbled alleys that cut across all the hair pins of the road. We like them a lot. Can be tricky though so don’t let go of the brakes too much.

Once at the bottom, head back towards the Colmen (the hill in the middle of the valley that sticks out). There’s a seriously cool trail that cuts off the main road. It’s lovely!

There’s one more little climb up to San Bello that awaits but it’s just a few minutes and has some of the valley’s coolest hairpins. You’ll then cruise through little villages and tiny lanes before a flat, mellow route back to Morbegno.

Mixed terrain at its finest.

Basso Valtellina | MTB/Gravel 64km | Crank up the bass in the basso valley

So many variations are possible with this route, and it's always an option to shorten the climbs. There's an extra one above Talamona, just 'cos. No pressure to ride it and you have to come down the same road anyway – it just gives you another perspective on the valley. 

Once you've crossed the valley floor and started climbing up towards Cino and Civo, there are countless cement, cobbled and gravel diversions that bypass the road. Take as many or as few of these are you feel like – they tend to be significantly steeper than the road. The real jewel in the crown of this route is the high altitude gravel track that traverses the south-facing mountain slopes. Depending on your bike handling skills, you could get away with a sturdy gravel bike here. Best ridden in late spring, summer and early autumn.

Morbegno | Run 17km | Racing shoes on in Rasura

Starting up the valley into Val Gerola, this is a fine example of fast running, Valtellina style. A  mixed offering of terrain, this is a run that twists and turns on the mountainside with a host of treasures that reveal the centuries of life that has gone on in this valley. 

Spring, summer, autumn.