View source for Mortirolo Pass

{{Short description|High mountain pass in the Alps in Italy}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Mortirolo Pass
| photo = Passo del Mortirolo.JPG
| photo_caption = 
| elevation_m = 1852
| elevation_ref = 
| traversed =
| map = Alps
| map_caption = Location of Mortirolo Pass
| map_size = 
| label = Mortirolo Pass
| coords = {{coord|46.24802|N|10.299143|E|type:pass_region:IT|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Sondrio]]/[[Brescia]] ([[Lombardy]]), [[Italy]]
| range = [[Italian Alps]]
| topo = 
}}

The '''Mortirolo Pass''' ({{langx|it|Passo del Mortirolo}}) (el.&nbsp;1852&nbsp;m.) is a high [[mountain pass]] in the [[Alps]] in [[Italy]]. Also known as '''Passo della Foppa''', it connects [[Mazzo di Valtellina]] ([[province of Sondrio]]) and [[Val Camonica]] ([[province of Brescia]]).  The road from Mazzo di Valtellina is one of the most demanding climbs in professional [[road bicycle racing]], having been used in the [[Giro d'Italia]] stage race many times.

In May 2004, while training in [[Italian Alps]], [[Lance Armstrong]] said that it was the hardest climb he had ever ridden.<ref>[http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/may04/may31news Lance, meet the Mortirolo]</ref>

==Details of the climb==
The mountain pass can be climbed from four different starting points, although the road departing from [[Mazzo di Valtellina]] is the most famous and only twice the [[Giro d'Italia]] climbed the mountain from alternative sides.

*From [[Mazzo di Valtellina]]: the actual climb to the summit starts at [[Mazzo di Valtellina]] and is 12.4 kilometres long at an average of 10.5% (height gain: 1300 m), the maximum gradient being 18%.<ref>[http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Mortirolo&qryMountainID=12 Mortirolo]</ref>
*From [[Grosio]]: the actual climb to the summit starts at [[Grosio]] and is 14.8 kilometres long at an average of 8.3% (height gain: 1222 m).<ref>[http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Mortirolo&qryMountainID=11 Mortirolo]</ref>
*From [[Edolo]]: the actual climb to the summit starts at [[Edolo]] and is 17.2 kilometres long at an average of 6.7% (height gain: 1153 m).<ref>[http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Mortirolo&qryMountainID=13 Mortirolo]</ref>
*From [[Tovo di Sant'Agata]]: the actual climb to the summit starts at [[Tovo di Sant'Agata|Tovo]] and is 11.4 kilometres long at an average of 10.5% (height gain: 1194 m).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=20&lang=it|title = 20ª tappa: Mappa e info percorso - Giro d'Italia 2011 - Gazzetta dello Sport"}}</ref>

==Giro d'Italia==
[[Image:Marco shrine.jpg|thumb|225px|Monument to [[Marco Pantani]].]]
The Mortirolo Pass featured several times in the [[Giro d'Italia]], usually as the last or penultimate climb before the finish of the stage. The first time was in Stage 15 of the [[1990 Giro d'Italia]], between [[Morbegno]] and [[Aprica]], starting from [[Edolo]]. Due to the steepness of the descent and the crashes that were occurring, the organisers decided to climb this mountain starting from Mazzo in subsequent years.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

Since the death of [[Marco Pantani]] in 2004, stages of the Giro that go over the Mortirolo feature a special prize to the first man at the top of the pass, called Cima Pantani ("Pantani Top"). A monument to [[Marco Pantani]] was erected in 2006 by the ''Italian Professional Riders Association'' at the eighth kilometre of the road from [[Mazzo di Valtellina]].
<ref>[http://www.bianchi.it/en/news/introDetail.aspx?idmaster=32365&area=archive Bianchi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929001318/http://www.bianchi.it/en/news/introDetail.aspx?idmaster=32365&area=archive |date=2007-09-29 }}</ref>

==First rider passing Mortirolo in Giro d'Italia==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Name
!Country
!Stage
!Side
|-
| [[1990 Giro d'Italia|1990]] || [[Leonardo Sierra]] || {{VEN}} || 17 || [[Edolo]]
|-
| [[1991 Giro d'Italia|1991]] || [[Franco Chioccioli]] || {{ITA}} || 15 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[1994 Giro d'Italia|1994]] || [[Marco Pantani]] || {{ITA}} || 15 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[1996 Giro d'Italia|1996]] || [[Ivan Gotti]] || {{ITA}} || 21 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[1997 Giro d'Italia|1997]] || [[Wladimir Belli]] || {{ITA}} || 21 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[1999 Giro d'Italia|1999]] || [[Ivan Gotti]] || {{ITA}} || 21 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2004 Giro d'Italia|2004]] || [[Raffaele Illiano]] || {{ITA}} || 19 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]] || [[Ivan Basso]] || {{ITA}} || 20 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2008 Giro d'Italia|2008]] || [[Toni Colom]] || {{ESP}} || 20 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2010 Giro d'Italia|2010]] || [[Ivan Basso]] || {{ITA}} || 19 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2012 Giro d'Italia|2012]] || [[Oliver Zaugg]] || {{CHE}} || 20 || [[Tovo di Sant'Agata]]
|-
| [[2015 Giro d'Italia|2015]] || [[Steven Kruijswijk]] || {{NED}} || 16 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2017 Giro d'Italia|2017]] || [[Luis León Sánchez]] || {{ESP}} || 16 || Edolo
|-
| [[2019 Giro d'Italia|2019]] || [[Giulio Ciccone]] || {{ITA}} || 16 || Mazzo di Valtellina
|-
| [[2022 Giro d'Italia|2022]] || [[Koen Bouwman]] || {{NED}} || 16 || Edolo
|-
| [[2024 Giro d'Italia|2024]] || [[Christian Scaroni]] || {{ITA}} || 15 || Edolo
|-
| [[2025 Giro d'Italia|2025]] || [[Afonso Eulálio]] || {{POR}} || 17 || Monno
|}

==See also==
* [[List of highest paved roads in Europe]]
* [[List of mountain passes#Europe|List of mountain passes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.climbbybike.com/climbs_selection.asp?MountainID=12&Mountainname=Mortirolo Mortirolo pass details by climbbybike.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortirolo}}
[[Category:Mountain passes of Italy]]
[[Category:Climbs in cycle racing in Italy]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of the Alps]]