The climb to Pian del Re was included in the Giro d’Italia route twice in a row: this was in 1991 and 1992 and those who triumphed at the finish, at 2,020 metres of altitude, were Massimiliano Lelli, in thick fog, and Marco Giovannetti.

Every year, there are a great many cycling enthusiasts who follow in the footsteps of the professionals, all the way up to the slopes of Monviso, the King of Stone, along a captivating route that, from the village of Crissolo and alongside the districts of Serre, Borgo and Serre Uberto, climbs between broadleaved trees and pastures. The environment is harsh and imposing and it reaches the maximum gradient before Pian della Regina. The last stretch leads to the wide valley and the peat bog of Pian del Re and to the sources of the Po, the longest river in Italy.