La Stelvio Santini 2026 cycling weekend opened today with the inaugural edition of La Stelvio Santini Gravel, covering the gravel roads and forest tracks of Alta Valtellina.
The Gravel event adopted the format of the Road edition, with rankings determined exclusively by timed segments located on the climbs. It’s unorthadox, but somewhat cool – and means descents can be taken safely.
Two routes were available. The Short Route covered 44 km with 1,400 metres of elevation gain and featured one timed segment, while the Long Route stretched over 70 km with 2,000 metres of elevation gain and tested participants across two timed climbs.
On the Long Route, the decisive challenge came on the beautiful yet demanding Boscopiano climb, a 4 km ascent gaining 542 vertical metres (an average gradient of 12.8%). Leading up to the Cancano Lakes, this gravel climb proved a test of power and endurance and played a decisive role in determining the final standings.
In the long course, victory went to Swiss rider Maria Ossowska of Team RV Einsiedeln and Austrian rider Gerald Grundner of Radl-Eck Racing Team. Fromthe very first kilometers, participants had to tackle the demanding gradients of the Burat Wall, one of the course’s signature climbs. This section immediately put the riders’ legs and endurance to the test, helping to set the pace for the day and offering an early taste of the challenges that characterized the route.
Men’s 70 km
- Gerald Grundner (Austria) – Rad-Eck Racing Team
- Thomas Bormolini
- Markus Glettler (Austria) – Rad-Eck Racing Team
Women’s 70 km
- Maria Ossowska (Switzerland) – RV Einsiedeln
- Matilde Bolzan (Italy)
- Claudia Avanzi (Italy) – ASD Pedale Bagnolese
In the short course, Belgium’s Marijn Kemper of Barbob Cycling Team and Spain’s Ana Martinez Romero of Team Sulawesi Adventures claimed the top honors. This route also featured several technical and spectacular sections that were particularly appreciated by the participants. Among them, the single track through the forest in the Madonna dei Monti area once again proved to be one of the most popular parts of the course: a nature-immersed section that required both focus and bike-handling skills while providing a highly engaging experience for all those who chose the shorter distance.
Men’s 44 km
- Marjin Kempen (Belgium) – Barbob Cycling Team
- Nicolas Tufarolo (Switzerland) – Velo Club der Armee
- Nicolas Tufarolo (Spain) – Sulawesi Adventures
Women’s 44 km
- Ana Martinez Romero (Spain) – Sulawesi Adventures
- Elena Martinello (Italy) – ACSI Roma
- Elien Goris (Belgium) – BarBob Cycling Team
“Over the past year, we have worked intensively to introduce a gravel version of our event because we see the discipline as a natural extension of road cycling. This first edition has already given us plenty of ideas and feedback to work on for the future. For now, we’re very pleased with the debut.”
Paola Santini, Marketing Manager at Santini Cycling
The inaugural Gravel event provided the perfect start to LaStelvio Santini weekend. The focus now shifts to tomorrow’s traditional Road event.
La Stelvio Santini photo credit: uby_cyclist
