We scoured maps and race results to find the seven highest paved road climbs in Europe. Let us know your most epic climb in the comments!
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Whether you’re riding up your local hill or one of the Cols of the Tour de France, you really get a sense of achievement when you climb by bike. But, what about the climbs that are so hard, so long and so high that they’re rarely used in pro cycling? Here are the seven highest roads in Europe – have you climbed any of them?
If you’re attempting any of these climbs, you’ll probably need a compact chainset and a bigger cassette…
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Watch more on GCN…
How to train for long climbs ▶︎ http://gcn.eu/1NatKWJ
The ten toughest climbs in the United States ▶︎ http://gcn.eu/1qJJzth
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Photos: © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/ & ©Tim De Waele / http://www.tdwsport.com
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Kaunertal Photos (via Flickr creative commons)
© Kurt Rietzler [https://flic.kr/p/9pfBGF]
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© Carsten – check out his album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsiDm24D2
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Stelvio
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© FORPRESIDENT MELONI [https://flic.kr/p/aPatP2]
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© Andrew and Annemarie [https://flic.kr/p/d63M4Q]
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Col de L’Iseran
Col de la Bonette
© Rafal Zelazko [https://flic.kr/p/h4ASzZ]
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© BMR & MAM [https://flic.kr/p/oYXNPc]
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By Ulflulfl – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11564919
Ötztal Glacier Road
By Themenmixer [https://flic.kr/p/6VrKgT]
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Pico de Veleta
Por los caminos de Málaga – album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk26nJci
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26 Comments
Did L'Iseran from Bonneval, and oh dam the opening 2 kms were hard, still it was fun
Passo Stelvio has the last remaining summer ski resort in all of Europe. By that I mean you could only go there from spring to autumn, it's closed during the winter. No wonder it's cold up there.
Already did some of them. Great roads!
Trollstigen, Norway
cool videos guy's keep the good work
Montvernier?
Climbed Pico de Valeta this July, brutal.
Doi inthanon
Veleta taken in 37 degree from sealevel. https://www.strava.com/activities/627864784/overview
YES, YES. YES . VELETA SIERRA NEVADA 3.400Mt good documental, GCN up!
quoting Top Gears @Clarkson for Transfagarasan road in Romania. "This is the best road in the world". Have a look on it 🙂
Further interesting fact about Stelvio Pass can be that it's mostly on the Top 10 list of the most dangerous public roads in the world.
Estrada da Graciosa in Brazil. Around 1000 elevation gain on cobbles.
Guys, you should try the Transfagarasan road in Romania; Top Gear has an episode presenting the road.
Guys, forget it… In Peru you can cycle from Casma to abra Punta Callan (in the direction of Huaraz along the archeological sites). It’s a 115km climb from 200m to 4228m altitude. Nowadays it’s even entirely paved to make it easier for you guys. Back in 2005 only the first 36km were paved.
Sometimes it drops for a few tens of meters, only to climb up and up and up again. So the gradient going up is steeper than the distance would suggest.
Don’t forget to bring warm clothes, even in summer. It can be quite cold up there, even though you’ll start in the desert.
About the Pico de Veleta: there’s two options for the more adventurous people on the backside of the mountain. One from Capileira and one from Trevelez, both unpaved dirt roads which join together at a certain point. From that point on some hikers will walk up to a mountain hut and back, but you could go there and stay overnight. (No service, bring all your overnight gear with you. And when it’s full, be prepared to camp out.)
The last part to the paved asphalt road was in terrible condition back in 2006. After that it becomes easy peasy for the last maybe 200m of altitude. Don’t forget to smile to the racy amateurs who get up there after you and stare with lazy eyes at your bicycle with camping gear. 😉
Without zoncolan you FAILED
Subida de la muerte in Ecuador
Alto de Letras in Colombia
Never forget the andes my dear gringos
Roque de los Muchachos 41 km from the harbour of Santa Cruz de la Palma up to 2426 m – epic and sooo beautiful :-))
From Bolzano to the Passo di Pennes. It's a climb over ca. 2000 meters on ca. 45 km, if you start outside Bolzano. Take care of the tunnels!
Another epic climb is located in central Italy,its name is Blokhaus. Actually there are 3 sides but these features down below are about the longest.
length 27km
avg slope 7%
valley at 100/150 metres-peak at 2100 metres.
I climbed it last year.
https://www.strava.com/segments/16040359?filter=overall here there is Strava segment if you wanna check it out
Grossglockner in Austria. 41 km climb to around 2500 meters. The last bit on cobbles. Views are stunning.
does number 1 count as a paved road?
Hey Guys I started to make videos about epic steep climbs in Austria and Germany. I missed the Monsters of Carinthia in your list.
https://youtu.be/kNddt4r4Uuo
Grand St Bernard..40 km climb…last 6km most brutal before dropping into Italy in Àosta.I loved it
Officially the Col d'Agnel is 21km length, but in reality it's begin to climb 22km deepest : you must have to climb 20-25km at 3%, 10-12km at 6% and the 9 last km are at 9,3% !! It's really one of the 20 more difficults european cols! (but very far of the difficulty of Angliru, Kitzbuhel Horn or Zoncolan 😇) (sorry for my frenchy english 🙈)