Stage 5: Aprica – Darfo Boario Terme
The hidden roads of the Bergamo Alps are a jewel for locals and a treasure trove for foreign visitors. The Passo del Vivione is the mystical gateway to this unknown land full of surprises.
As on the previous day, this stage begins with an exploration of the roads around the starting point. To be precise, the field of participants rolls back and down towards Valtellina, but not all the way down to Tirano, only until the road branches off from the main road to the Passo di S. Cristina. This is the first challenge of the day, with 650 metres of ascent. The pass offers the right dose to get the legs up to operating temperature, but also helps to stretch out the field for the following descent to Edolo over in Valcamonica. This descent begins on the route of the previous day via the Pian di Gembro to just before Aprica. But instead of heading into Aprica, this time it's downhill until you leave the main road in Corteno Golgi. After the following short but challenging descent on the side road, you finally reach Edolo on the banks of the River Adda. A few more kilometres on the state road along the river and the signs for Malonno mark the end of the descent and the start of the climb up to Vivione.
The Passo del Vivione is one of the exciting new discoveries of the TOUR Transalp. It was not until 2022 that this extraordinary road was etched into the Transalp legends, proving that even after 20 years of history and thousands of kilometres in the Alps on a road bike, there are still mountain roads of the highest category to be discovered. A narrow, inconspicuous ribbon of tarmac stretches from the Valcamonica to the Bergamo Alps and penetrates into the hinterland, whose inhabitants have banished the word ‘stress’ from the dictionary. If it weren't for the arrows pointing to the Transalp, some people would wonder whether it really continues back there. But yes, it continues upwards and from the pass through lush alpine meadows down to Schilpario in the Valle di Scalve. The descent on the still narrow little road forces you to concentrate, it demands respect, but can also elicit a grin from good downhill riders. The Vivione is the secret star of the 2025 edition - in terms of sport and scenery, it has nothing to hide from the more prominent Alpine passes.
Civilisation begins again in Schilpario, but even on the road over to Azzone, which now sticks flat to the hillside, the hustle and bustle is a long time coming. This is not the only reason why the small diversions off the main road down by the river is worthwhile. It's worth leaving the valley floor now, because the subsequent descent from Azzone down to Dezzo on the quiet and well-maintained ‘Provinciale’ is also a pleasure. Once back at the river, it again fails to attract us. Another side road immediately seeks its way out of the valley along the slope and now manages to escape its course completely on the second attempt. It does so at the Croce di Salven, a gentle crossing in wide alpine meadows that marks the border between the tranquil Valle di Scalve and the lively Valcamonica. With this large valley in view, the villages also become more important and you slowly pick up speed on the road via the municipalities of Borno and Ossimo to take the momentum with you for a few fun, rounded bends on well-maintained roads down to Malegno. Now the change of scenery is one hundred percent complete, here the railway rumbles and the motorway hums, down here there is life.
And it's also worth living in our new stage town of Darfo Boario Terme, a little further south. After all, the spa park and thermal baths are tempting and it's not the worst idea to relax in style after the stage. And to reflect on this wild and romantic day in the Bergamo Alps with a feel-good bath.
