Percorso Stambecco

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• Steep 30% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• High point at 2774m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 1250m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 10.9km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–10.9km · Climb of 1299m, high point 2774m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 10.9km–20.8km · Descent of 1250m averaging 13%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 1400m+. With 65m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 18% flat. The longest climb runs 10.9km at an average 12.0% grade (1299m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.0km at an average 12.6% grade (1250m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.0% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 31.5% over 0.5km. Surface: 73% trail, 19% technical, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 36.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 4.3km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 19 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 10.9km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 10.9–20.8 km · 1250 m D−, -12.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 2°C to 9°C, with around 3°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 36%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.