Scalate Leggendarie | Legendary Climbs

Legendary Climbs

The project

Legendary Climbs

“Legendary Climbs in the Lands of Monviso” is a cycling tourism event dedicated to cycling enthusiasts who also love legendary challenges. The schedule of climbs by bike up to passes and high altitude finishes made famous by the feats of professional cyclists during the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France offers exciting cycling climbs on roads closed to motor vehicle traffic.

The event takes place in the province of Cuneo and involves the Stura, Grana, Maira, Varaita, Po-Bronda and Infernotto Valleys: between June and September, traditional or electric bicycle enthusiasts can try their hand at cycling up Colle Fauniera, Colle dell’Agnello, Pian del Re and Colle di Sampeyre between the Varaita and Maira Valleys, Montemale in the Grana Valley and the climb to Montoso in Bagnolo, Piedmont in the Infernotto Valley. During the days of the event, the roads will be closed to motor vehicle traffic and will be reserved for cyclists.

The event is based on a week-long formula, with consecutive days during which cycling enthusiasts can tackle all the finishes in sequence, one per day, and three single days each reserved for one of the three main finishes in the circuit. In the one-week event, you can participate for an unlimited number of days, without any obligation to take part in the full programme.

The participation is free and you do not need to pre-register: to participate it is sufficient to present yourself at the meeting points of each day. It is possible to rent electric bikes on the spot upon reservation.
All cyclists who register at the designated meeting places scheduled for each day will receive a commemorative tag to place on their bicycle.

Legendary climbs in the Monviso lands reaches its fourth edition after having seen the participation of about 10,000 cycling enthusiasts during the first three. The event is organized by Terres Monviso with the support of European Union resources under the Interreg Programme ALCOTRA Italy France 2021-2027 – Project no. 21276 Terres Monviso + ATTRA(c)TIVE, from the Montane Unions Valle Stura, Valle Grana, Valle Maira, Valle Varaita, Municipalities of Monviso and Barge-Bagnolo and the Municipality of Saluzzo with the technical collaboration of Velo Caraglio and Vigor Cycling Team. Piedmont Region, Province of Cuneo, Uncem Piedmont and ATL del Cuneese have granted their patronage.

It isn’t a race, but a cycling festival that celebrates the beauty of these valleys and their propensity for cycling tourism: it’s an opportunity for cycling enthusiasts to move at their own pace and without spirit of competition, but just a healthy challenge against themselves, tackling roads full of appeal due to their elevation gain and by virtue of the memory of the feats of professional racers, without having to worry about motor vehicles passing by.

The idea of the event is to develop and systematise the natural propensity of these valleys to welcome sporting and particularly cycling tourism, which has also materialised in recent years in the VéloViso project, thanks to which the most beautiful itineraries on tarmac and dirt track in the area have been put into a network, and that will witness new investments and activities between 2023 and 2024 thanks to the new Interreg Alcotra Velo-PLUF! project which continue in 2025 thanks to the Terres Monviso + ATTRA(c)TIVE project.

It is a recognised tool for the growth and development of tourism, as demonstrated by many other similar experiences in Italy and abroad, and could carry these valleys into a leading role also in terms of incoming tourism.

In parallel, the Tournée des Grand Cols takes place on the French side. It’s an event that shares the same spirit as the Legendary Climbs in the Lands of Monviso and thanks to which the Italian-French cross-border territory on the two sides of Monviso appears to be an ideal setting for great days in the pursuit of cycling tourism. Discover the French event on lequeyras