Punta Veleno: the toughest climb for road bikes and mountain bikes by Lake Garda

Test yourself on the Mortirolo from Lago di Garda

It is called Punta Veleno, is very tough and is located in Brenzone sul Garda

Punta Veleno is the hardest climb for racing bikes and mountain bikes by Lake Garda.
It starts in Brenzone del Garda and was christened by the organiser of the Giro d’Italia – Vincenzo Torriani – in the seventies. Find out what awaits you.

Punta Veleno (Poison Peak). The name speaks volumes. Twenty hairpin bends, a thousand metres of elevation gain over ten kilometres. From kilometre 2 to kilometre 8, the climb has an average gradient of 14.6% with peaks of 20%. And there is no pause for breath.

The route was christened by the organiser of the Giro d’Italia, Vincenzo Torriani, in the seventies. It was Domenico Pozzovivo who dominated the third stage of the Giro del Trentino in 2012. Basso, Cunego, Bertolini, Di Luca, Scarponi, Rujano, Rolland and Pozzovivo defined it as “very hard”, “poisonous” and “the hardest climb of all time”.

“Punta Veleno is spectacular: a steep asphalt snake, a legendary climb, very hard, deadly. Tougher than Zoncolan and certainly more difficult than Angrilu, Punta Veleno is on a par with Mortirolo. In 2012, I climbed it during the Tour of Trentino, and in January, I accompanied the Colombia Coldeportes Team during their training at Lake Garda as a guest of Silvio at the AktivHotel SantaLucia.”
Alessandro Bertolini

Description of the route
From Torbole, cycle 18 km south on the Via Gardesana along Lake Garda to Assenza di Brenzone sul Garda, which is located five kilometres south of Malcesine.
At the roundabout in Assenza, the only one in the town, turn left onto the asphalt road and cycle south until you reach the village of Castello. At the beginning of the village, take the first road to the left, which leads uphill to Zignago and to the first hairpin bend, number 20 of Punta Veleno. Ten kilometres await you, all uphill to the 1,156m elevation of Prada Alta, where the “poisonous” climb ends.

After the well-deserved ritual of taking a photo in front of the sign with the altitude measurement and logo of Punta Veleno, continue straight on to Prada, where the descent begins, which takes you past Castellago di Brenzone to San Zeno di Montagna.
During the descent, you’ll pass through the typical villages of Brenzone sul Garda and you definitely can’t miss the breathtaking views and the beautiful nature around Lake Garda, which connects the lake and the mountains.

Castelletto is located five kilometres south of Assenza. Head north on the Via Gardesana to return to Torbole via Assenza and Malcesine.

Punta Veleno can also be climbed by mountain bike or even with an electric mountain bike if you want help with the ascent or are part of a group with different levels of training.

“Punta Veleno is tough – as I’m sure you already know – but it’s beautiful and very picturesque. Look up as you climb and see how beautiful the landscape is: this will help you bear the fatigue better.
It’s a climb that should be tackled at a leisurely pace, with a ratio of 32 or 34, and with wide bends to catch your breath.”
Alessandro Bertolini

Technical information

Length: 72.5 km (from Torbole to Torbole)
Difference in altitude: 1,220 m

For your safety

The descent from Punta Veleno is prohibited for cars with automatic transmission and for motorbikes without manual transmission. For your safety, do not take this route downhill, but follow our suggested return route.
There are tunnels along the Via Gardesana from Torbole to Malcesine. Bring a rear light and reflective shoulder straps.
In summer, Punta Veleno is exposed to the sun all day long. Remember that an intense effort at low speed awaits you, and the heat is palpable. It is better to tackle the ride early in the morning to avoid the hottest hours.

Punta Veleno Extreme Race
“Be a pro, climb Punta Veleno” is the slogan of the Punta Veleno Extreme Race – an amateur race to Punta Veleno for road bikes, mountain bikes and, from 2017, electric mountain bikes.
Since 2010, this race has taken place every year in September at 10:30 a.m., starting from Piazza Mantovani in Castelletto di Brenzone. The route is followed at a controlled speed until the start of the Punta Veleno climb, where the planned route begins.
To date, the record is held by the Austrian Johannes Berndl from the Corratec Team, who finished the race in 00:35:51 maintaining an average of 13.38 km/h.
The Punta Veleno course has also been ridden by Simone Temperaturo, the champion from Bassano, who always only rides on the rear wheel of his bike.
Gino Modena – a non-professional cyclist from Malcesine – also took part in the 2015 event, climbing Punta Veleno by pulling his disabled daughter’s 45 kg wheelchair with him to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it enough.

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