Saturday 17 June 2023
Monesi di Triora - Bajardo
The last stage will certainly not be a final catwalk, but a real, fantastic, technically and physically demanding stage in the heart of the Ligurian Alps: it will be the worthy finale of one of the most beautiful Alta Via Stage Race ever held.
You start immediately with a long climb, first paved, then cemented, finally dirt, which in the initial part retraces the famous Alta Via del Sale Monesi - Limone. You pedal on the northern slope of Monte Saccarello, the highest peak in Liguria, and you reach Passo Tanarello, which is located in French territory at an altitude of 2,042 m. Here you turn sharply to the left to continue along the border ridge between Italy and France, slightly downhill, until you meet the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri just before Passo di Collardente. You continue on the Alta Via for a long stretch, pedaling on a beautiful uphill dirt road, between larch woods and panoramic clearings, and you reach Col Bertrand. The view from above of Lake Tenarda, nestled among the woods that cover the rocky ramparts of Val Nervia, is priceless.
Leaving the Alta Via, you go around Monte Grai and continue south along a fast downhill military road which, after an initial stony and open stretch, enters a thick fir forest. You soon reach Colla Melosa and the Allavena Refuge, at an altitude of 1,545 m, and then continue slightly downhill to Colle Langan. An endless path begins here, at times challenging and technical, which includes a long series of ups and downs and an alternation of trail and portage, up to the well-deserved and sweaty arrival of Bajardo, the finish line of the Alta Via Stage Race 2023.
Development Monesi di Triora - Passo del Tanarello - Passo di Collardente - Bassa di Sanson - Col Bertrand - Rifugio Grai - Colle Melosa - Colle Langan - Chiesetta San Giovanni dei Prati - Fascia Runda - Fontana delle Beulle - Colla Serro - Baiardo


