Spigno Monferrato→Altare

Description of the route

The fifth half-stage is the real entrance into the mountain. From Spigno Monferrato to Altare you travel 40.9 kilometers with 706 meters of positive altitude difference, climbing from the valley floor to a maximum altitude of around 715 metres. The official classification is easy on a technical level and almost entirely road-based, but the profile requires good effort management: it is the day in which the continuity of the climbs counts more than the distance.

Leaving Spigno, the route heads towards Pareto and progressively gains altitude. The Bormida landscape closes in, the woods become denser and the villages are separated by quieter stretches. Pareto marks one of the main passages before entering the Apennine area; from here the road continues towards Mioglia, offering a sequence of climbs and short recoveries that reward a prudent and constant cadence.

Between Mioglia and Piana Crixia the journey crosses a border territory, where the Piedmontese identity gradually gives way to the Ligurian hinterland. The panoramic openings alternate with sectors in the woods and the altitude makes the weather more variable than in the previous stages. Even if the short off-road sections are marginal, it is useful to have tires in good condition, suitable clothing for the descent and a sufficient reserve of water between one center and another.

Altare concludes the semi-stage as a geographical and historical threshold. The town is close to the pass that connects the Po Valley side with the Ligurian side and prepares the last day towards Colle del Melogno and Finale. Arriving here in six days, rather than immediately crossing the entire Apennines, allows you to recover after the difference in altitude and to tackle the final section with clarity, the most varied in terms of terrain and the most spectacular for the transition from altitude to sea level.