La Monsterrando Gravel Race

La Monsterrando: gravel in the heart of Monferrato

The Monsterrando Gravel Race is one of Italy's most prestigious gravel races, held every summer in the Monferrato region, amidst hills recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The start and finish are in Quattordio, a small town in the Province of Alessandria, Piedmont, from where the tracks wind along the characteristic strade bianche (white roads) that cross the rural villages north of the Alessandria-Asti motorway.

A race that made Italian gravel history

La Monsterrando holds a special record: it was the first competitive gravel race organized in Italy, with its inaugural edition in 2022. In just a few years, it has become an official stage of the UCI Gravel World Series, the global circuit that allows participants to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships. Its course is considered by many riders to be one of the most beautiful in the entire series, thanks to the alternation of dirt roads, rolling hills, and glimpses of the Monferrato vineyards.

The routes

The event offers two tracks designed for different levels and categories:

• Long route: approximately 130 km with 1,770 meters of elevation gain, valid as a UCI Gravel World Series stage;
• Short route: approximately 80 km with 610 meters of elevation gain, also dedicated to veteran categories.

The tracks run on undulating rural roads, with gradients that reach challenging levels in some sections, alternating between white roads and short paved sections among the Barbera and Moscato vineyards.

Territory and atmosphere

Racing in La Monsterrando means crossing one of Piedmont's most evocative landscapes. Monferrato, together with the Langhe and Roero, is part of the UNESCO site of Piedmontese vineyard landscapes, a land of great wines and truffles. The event thus combines the competitive spirit of gravel with the discovery of an authentic territory, made of hills, wineries, and small villages. The organization, managed by the Monsterrando team, also offers side activities related to the gravel world and the Gran Monferrato area.

Who is it for?

La Monsterrando is aimed at both competitive cyclists looking for world qualification points and gravel enthusiasts who want to test themselves on a technical and scenic course. For one day, Quattordio and the entire Province of Alessandria become the reference point for Italian and European gravel.