Livigno - Passo Cassana - Pontresina - Val dal Faen - Livigno

A fine loop ride, dedicated to well-trained bikers with a minimum of riding technique. The hardest part is by far the climb from Val Federia to Cassana Pass: a good 2.5 km to deal with an elevation gain of about 500 meters! The bottom of the dirt road is compact with rare gravel spots, but the climb in the last section becomes "atrocious" with a couple of tears that exceed 30% and force in the vast majority to push the bike! Not to be outdone is the descent to the Engadine, where the cart track is reduced to a steep, winding path and demands minimal tencic.

You ride down easy cart tracks and a nice bike path to the outskirts of St. Moritz. You start climbing again with ease, skirting the Rhaetian railway, after a short detour to Lai de Staz, above St. Moritz.

Just before reaching the Passo de Bernina (near the Diavolezza cable car) turn left and start climbing again with a somewhat steeper gradient, although the cart track is still rideable. Past an alpine pasture, a path climbs up the Val del Fain to the "Stretta," to descend into Italy. A steep and exposed path overhanging the road that climbs to Passo Forcola invites caution, and in the highest section it is prudent to ride it pushing the bike, all the more so because of the presence of stepped sections. Once you reach the road, you ride along fast bike paths until you return to the center of Livigno.

The very characteristic alpine landscapes repay the effort!

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