Great "unknown" climbs

[Anonymous]

Races in the caucasus mountains would be awsome, but chances of that happening are slim lol

 

[SirLes]

How about is one in northern Tuscany.

Takes you to the passo di radici, which is on the border of tuscany, from Castelnuovo

You can go the longer way which is a bit more scenic and not as steep and a good way to descend.

This one has two sections at 18% just before San Pellegrino. After the second the gradient doesn't drop below 12% until you a basically through the village.(see red bit of profile!)

Gradient is constantly changing which makes it tough. Climb doesn't really start until you turn off the road to Castelione at 4km. I made the climb 13.9km. Just before that there is the via Gino Bartali!

Road surface isn't great but you do get some good views, however there is also plenty of shade if you're doing it over lunch!

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=San-Pellegrino-in-Alpe&MountainID=3521

 

[hmsgenoa]

maybe unknown by some folks here-but this climb is being ridden every year in the Vuelta a Colombia--Ladies & Gentlemen
Alto de la Linea

Loving your Colombian connection, I've ridden Alto De Las Minas from Medellin, Las Palmas and another on the way to Sante Fe d'Antioquia, great climbs - but i couldn't find details of them - where did you manage to find that chart for la Linea?

I'll never forget the descent from Minas to La Pintada, took ages going down and I wasn't hanging around. Had a 'film' type moment when rounding a hairpin coming down and was faced with two artics side by side!

There are some horribly steep climbs up the bowl of mountains that surround Medellin, almost vertical! I remember seeing a new Honda Prelude ,with the driver flooring it just trying to get up one of them, we were in an old Landcruiser behind. Out of Medellin (North) on the way to Monteria you end up going down to sea level and the descent lasts for ages. No wonder Herrera, Parra, Botero, Soler and Henao were/are such great climbers!

Can't wait to see what Henao does in The Tour for Sky next year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

If Sky have half a brain, Henao won't be doing the Tour. If they do take him, then Remmert Wielinga taught us nothing.

Peter Sagan was an instant success story as a pro - and he's about to do his first Grand Tour now.

 

[The Hitch]

If Sky have half a brain, Henao won't be doing the Tour. If they do take him, then Remmert Wielinga taught us nothing.

Peter Sagan was an instant success story as a pro - and he's about to do his first Grand Tour now.

Sagan was 20, Henao is going to be 24 by July next year.

Porte was only a year older and did his first gt 3 minutes after being discovered. It will probably go down as his career best performance.

So whats wrong with Henao doing the Tour. It wont be his first one week stage race

 

[gustavoduncan]

Loving your Colombian connection, I've ridden Alto De Las Minas from Medellin, Las Palmas and another on the way to Sante Fe d'Antioquia, great climbs - but i couldn't find details of them - where did you manage to find that chart for la Linea?

I'll never forget the descent from Minas to La Pintada, took ages going down and I wasn't hanging around. Had a 'film' type moment when rounding a hairpin coming down and was faced with two artics side by side!

There are some horribly steep climbs up the bowl of mountains that surround Medellin, almost vertical! I remember seeing a new Honda Prelude ,with the driver flooring it just trying to get up one of them, we were in an old Landcruiser behind. Out of Medellin (North) on the way to Monteria you end up going down to sea level and the descent lasts for ages. No wonder Herrera, Parra, Botero, Soler and Henao were/are such great climbers!

Can't wait to see what Henao does in The Tour for Sky next year.

hello, asier bilbao and me (gustavo duncan) made this profile. here is our blog: http://altimetriascolombia.blogspot.com/

you can find more information in this forum:
http://apmforo.mforos.com/401631/3147597-altimetrias-de-colombia/

the only climb we have made near medellin is "el escobero", a really hard one with 9,6 kms to almost 10%.

i'm living in chicago now, but next year i'll live in medellin. so if we are lucky enough we are going to measure all the mountain ports you mention, and many others

 

[gustavoduncan]

here is el escobero in medellin:

 

[LandEscape]

Here's the Piedmont's Zoncolan!
It's not that far from Sestriere, so I dream a big stage in Piedmont ( where I live) with a finish up the "Barbara".

http://www.salite.ch/barbaral.asp

 

[iwasonbwh]

Here's the Piedmont's Zoncolan!
It's not that far from Sestriere, so I dream a big stage in Piedmont ( where I live) with a finish up the "Barbara".

http://www.salite.ch/barbaral.asp

That looks brutal

 

[LandEscape]

You can tell that!
I once tried it, with 39x25 i had to stop at km 3. Maybe with a MTB...

 

[iwasonbwh]

I'd well believe it

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Here's the Piedmont's Zoncolan!
It's not that far from Sestriere, so I dream a big stage in Piedmont ( where I live) with a finish up the "Barbara".

http://www.salite.ch/barbaral.asp

Got any images of the roads, the views?

What would be the best way to lead in, going over the Rorà? Any connecting climbs?

 

[hfer07]

hello, asier bilbao and me (gustavo duncan) made this profile. here is our blog: http://altimetriascolombia.blogspot.com/

you can find more information in this forum:
http://apmforo.mforos.com/401631/3147597-altimetrias-de-colombia/

the only climb we have made near medellin is "el escobero", a really hard one with 9,6 kms to almost 10%.

i'm living in chicago now, but next year i'll live in medellin. so if we are lucky enough we are going to measure all the mountain ports you mention, and many others

Gustavo- I just wanted to congratulate you & your partner for you amazing blog-I did take the pictures off of it to post them here-but apart from the helpful graphics- I really enjoyed all the photos & descriptions in detail of the mountain passes. Please continue with your wonderful work

 

[hmsgenoa]

hello, asier bilbao and me (gustavo duncan) made this profile. here is our blog: http://altimetriascolombia.blogspot.com/

you can find more information in this forum:
http://apmforo.mforos.com/401631/3147597-altimetrias-de-colombia/

the only climb we have made near medellin is "el escobero", a really hard one with 9,6 kms to almost 10%.

i'm living in chicago now, but next year i'll live in medellin. so if we are lucky enough we are going to measure all the mountain ports you mention, and many others

Hello Gustavo Duncan (& Asier Bilbao), many thanks for the links, bet you cannot wait to get home! The links are great, I'm not familiar with the climb out of Envigado - although I'm thinking may have been up it in a the car - is that another route to Rio Negro?

I love Medellin, I was there in 94 and 95, but without my bike the first time. At the velodromo I sat in the afternoon sun and watched for an hour or so riders training. Afterwards a guy came up to me, though I spoke no Spanish I could understand him because we were both cyclists. He offered me his bike to ride - it was Efrain Dominguez (World Record holder for the flying Kilometre) . I'm sure of one thing, it happened in Colombia but wouldn't have in my country. Colombia is a beautiful country with beautiful People.

I forgot to say that on Alto de las Minas I felt the effects of altitude for the first time, breathing but feeling as though no air was going in. Really weird had to stop rested for 10 seconds set off feeling fine and then rapidly feeling out of breath again.

When you get home enjoy the climbs, I look forward to seeing the pictures on your site. Maybe oneday I'll get back to Medellin and join you for a ride.

 

[LandEscape]

Got any images of the roads, the views?

What would be the best way to lead in, going over the Rorà? Any connecting climbs?

The final wall

The photo was shoot by RobyCop a user of an italian cycling forum.

From an amatorial climbing time trial

Rorà is maybe the easiest connection, i've done it and is quite easy but with 1-2 10% km and a descent maybe harder than the climb.

Or Pramartino "reversed", with the hardest side to climb. But would be much far from the start of the final climb...

 

[washoezephyr1]

If the Tour of California gets August dates ever, I'd love to see a stage from Strawberry over Sonora Pass (summit 9,600 ft with grades to 26%), down to Lee Vining, and a MTF on Tioga Pass, (9900 Ft with steady grades of 8% for 7 miles). Not a fan friendly location, but the hardest 110 miles I can think of in my neck of the woods.

 

[SirLes]

How about is one in northern Tuscany.

Takes you to the passo di radici, which is on the border of tuscany, from Castelnuovo

You can go the longer way which is a bit more scenic and not as steep and a good way to descend.

This one has two sections at 18% just before San Pellegrino. After the second the gradient doesn't drop below 12% until you a basically through the village.(see red bit of profile!)

Gradient is constantly changing which makes it tough. Climb doesn't really start until you turn off the road to Castelione at 4km. I made the climb 13.9km. Just before that there is the via Gino Bartali!

Road surface isn't great but you do get some good views, however there is also plenty of shade if you're doing it over lunch!

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=San-Pellegrino-in-Alpe&MountainID=3521

Perhaps not so unknown as Nabali was using it prep for the Vuelta according to the Nibali article in the news section.

Similar length to Zoncolan, not as hard but steep enough at the end to make it valuable practice I suppose.

Here's the relevant bit from the article.

"Nibali has followed a similar path into the Vuelta as he did last year. After finishing third in the Giro d’Italia, he took a few days rest, then spent July at an high-altitude training camp on the San Pellegrino pass in Italy. “When I returned to racing I felt good, much as I did last year."

San Pellegrino itself is only a 1500m. Is that high enough for altitude training?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Perhaps not so unknown as Nabali was using it prep for the Vuelta according to the Nibali article in the news section.

Similar length to Zoncolan, not as hard but steep enough at the end to make it valuable practice I suppose.

Here's the relevant bit from the article.

"Nibali has followed a similar path into the Vuelta as he did last year. After finishing third in the Giro d’Italia, he took a few days rest, then spent July at an high-altitude training camp on the San Pellegrino pass in Italy. “When I returned to racing I felt good, much as I did last year."

San Pellegrino itself is only a 1500m. Is that high enough for altitude training?

Considering the training rides can go over Pordoi, Giau, Fedaia, Valparola, and the like around there, and the Cima Coppi equivalent of this year's Vuelta is the Pradollano station of Sierra Nevada at only around 2100m, I'd say yes.

 

[hmsgenoa]

Kalahatty in Southern India is a good and viable climb, 10.66km at 12% average. It's also a tourist attraction, yet the only real professional race here is a pancake flat race for sprinters.

This deserves a comment from someone - certainly looks and sound like a tough climb. If F1 can go to India (And the Tour/Giro to Nederland - & discuss starts over the pond) why not the Tour to India?! Unlikely maybe but it'd be good to see a race up that - 12% Average means there's some real tough kilometers on that climb.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Mount Akhun just outside Sochi, Russia (10,5km, 6,0%):
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/47864836/

There are some high mountains and some high passes in the Caucasus mountains; A regular problem is them being unpaved, unpassable by bike or simply not having room at the top. This does not apply to Гора Ахун, overlooking the popular tourist destination and erstwhile host of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Here you can see the mountain itself, with the tower to which we are climbing clearly visible:

At 650m it is not especially high, but you are climbing pretty much straight from the side of the Black Sea. At 10,5km you'd be forgiven for thinking that 6% is not exactly the most taxing, and certainly most elite riders would comfortably take that, resulting in a probable uphill sprint. However, that is not taking into account that the road really ramps up in the closing stages, being almost entirely over 10% from 2.5 to go to 1 to go, and with a steepest stretch of 15% within that.

To counteract that, the road is in excellent condition, likely as the tower is popular for tourists:

Like your climbs with spectacular views? Luckily, Akhun has those too, with the foothills of the Caucasus, the city of Sochi and the pristine waters of the Black Sea to look forward to:

I am kind of cheating a little bit, since this climb has been used in the Tour of Sochi before, but that seems to have died the death after its inaugural edition in 2008, while the far less mountainous April GP of Sochi has survived, but doesn't use this climb. Therefore it merits bringing back.

 

[rantanplan]

Puerto de Ancares, in 13th stage of this Vuelta is a good one:

http://www.altimetrias.net/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=297

Quite similar to Télégraphe + Galibier

 

[Lupetto]

And why Ancares in this thread?

 

[Anonymous]

Manali to khardungla

 

[khardung la]

Manali to khardungla

I have to quote this one The asphalt is good enough but just passable from June to September. Gradients are not impressive (max about 8-9%, and most often around 5%), but of course height is the biggest issue, specially between the Nakeela Pass and the Taglang La. I got pretty sick there. It took me 7 days, including 1,5 days to acclimatise/recover.

The route could continue from Leh to Kargil and Padum, or even in a loop towards Srinagar and back to Manali. that will add some 3-4 climbs over 4000 m to the already three over 5000 m.

Obviously this is not for professional cyclists

 

[Anonymous]

I have to quote this one The asphalt is good enough but just passable from June to September. Gradients are not impressive (max about 8-9%, and most often around 5%), but of course height is the biggest issue, specially between the Nakeela Pass and the Taglang La. I got pretty sick there. It took me 7 days, including 1,5 days to acclimatise/recover.

The route could continue from Leh to Kargil and Padum, or even in a loop towards Srinagar and back to Manali. that will add some 3-4 climbs over 4000 m to the already three over 5000 m.

Obviously this is not for professional cyclists

I might try it next month.