Engadin Cycle Marathon - La Cuorta

A challenge against a dream backdrop: Two passes beyond the 2000-metre mark and 97 exciting kilometers await the participants of "la Cuorta". Things get down to business just a few meters after the start with the climb towards the Ofen Pass. The route is initially traffic-calmed and the climb is really steep. A few minutes after the start, the route crosses the border of the Swiss National Park, which the cyclists have all to themselves in the early morning together with chamois, ibex and marmots.

After a good seven kilometers of climbing, the first descent follows, before a short counter-climb leads to the portal of the road tunnel towards Livigno.
Passing Swiss customs, the route crosses the well-lit and fully closed tunnel into Italy. Back in daylight, the route leads over the imposing dam wall of Lago di Livigno and through several galleries along the lake to the first refreshment stop in Livigno.

After almost 27 kilometers of racing, the challenges come in a double pack: Between Forcola di Livigno after just under 42 kilometers and the Bernina Pass after a good 49 kilometers - now back on Swiss territory - there is only a short, speedy descent as a breather. The second refreshment station awaits shortly after the top of the pass at 2328 meters.

On the fast but easy descent towards Pontresina, the glaciers of Piz Bernina and Piz Palü keep flashing up on the left - a dream panorama for mountaineers and cyclists alike. Despite the well-maintained road down from the Bernina Pass, it's important to concentrate as a railroad crosses the road in Bernina Suot and at the Montebello bend. The Bernina Express, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has right of way!

Passing the mountaineering village of Pontresina and heading towards the Punt Muragl traffic circle, it's time to find a group. At Samedan airport and through the Inn Valley, the route to S-chanf is almost flat. Perfect for speed bikers, the route continues at top speed via Bever, La Punt-Chamues-ch, Madulain and Zuoz, past Europe's highest coffee roastery Badilatti towards the Lower Engadine. The border is crossed shortly before Brail - followed by another speedy descent, which leads the short-distance riders directly to the finish, but should be used by the long-distance riders to gather their strength.


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.