Ballabio - Culmine - Val Ferrera

Typical winter ride, with a nice asphalt climb with really little traffic, with initial southern exposure and then continuing with southeastern exposure that on sunny days even in winter doesn't make you feel the cold. Among other things, the climb has a steady gradient and is great for winter repeats. The off-road part is decidedly easy on wide forestry with compact and smooth bottoms, the uphill gradients are never too eccentuate even if there are some short rips that touch 20%

Unfortunately after "maintenance" works the beautiful descent, which was anyway easy but not trivial, has been turned into a kind of highway, although some maintenance was necessary due to landslides, the work done is absolutely useless and expensive. The route is passable even with some snow, the bottom is compact and always quite dry, and the north-facing parts are protected by the forest and thus sheltered from wind and intense cold.

From Ballabio you take the road to Morterone, which climbs with a series of hairpin bends with a nice view of the city of Lecco, past the first col you continue halfway up the hillside and then face another series of hairpin bends. Then continue with a less demanding section up to the Forcella d'Olino, past which you do a few hundred meters downhill and then leave the main road and continue the ascent on dirt road following the DOL (dorsale orobica-lecchese).

The first stretches of ascent are the most challenging, then continue with less important gradients until reaching the locality Ca'Masciada where the climb ends. The descent is initially undemanding, then some bends on a somewhat slippery surface require some attention until you reach the vicinity of Culmine S.Pietro where you turn sharply left on a wide path that initially crosses a meadow and then enters the woods. The path continues downhill with a series of hairpin bends, the bottom is slightly bumpy but does not pose particular problems, passed Ussola locality you continue with a few relaunches to overcome some counter-slope sections until you reach Maggio where you return to the asphalt. Back on the provincial road downhill you return to Colle di Balisio and from here to the start.