Control Point (CP)2: Passo di Gavia, Italian Alps
Parcours length: 45 km
Highest point: 2620 m
Distance from CP1: 750 km
The occasional Cima Coppi of the Giro d’Italia, the Passo di Gavia has gained notoriety for unpredictable and challenging weather conditions over the years. Historically the pass was used mainly by Venetian merchants travelling to Bormio and further north to trade. During the First World War the Gavia’s strategic position, like many of the great passes, made it the focal point of intense fighting and the area retains the gravel tracks and fortifications built and used during the conflict.
At the summit lies Lago Bianco and beyond and below that, Lago Nero. Local folklore tells a romantic and dramatic story of two lovers separated by fortune who fled into the mountains to be together and who turned into the two contrasting lakes when their flight was pursued and ultimately thwarted.
The route from the first control point will guide riders some 750 kilometres taking on some challenging and dramatic cycling as they navigate into the heart of the Alps. CP2 will be open for roughly 4 days.