Routes, climbs, pictures and cycling stories from the Dolomites tarmac
Note: The Passo delle Erbe description was originally written in collaboration with the inrng.com blog. The Dolomites are part of the Italian Alps and offer plenty of great cycling routes that are rich in race history. This month the site is sponsored by travel company Holimites and speaking to them about the best places […]
What would you say if I told you that from the Dolomites to Lake Garda you can stay on a continuous cycling path for approximately 180 km? Believe it or not, it’s actually possible! Now try to image the scene …. 180 km without cars, meeting and greeting only fellow cyclists on the way. Oh, […]
Update 2018 #YOLOmites5000 3.0 edition: We will be back again on the #YOLOmites5000 roads on September 8-9th 2018. If you want to get in make sure you book a place to stay early enough. If you are traveling from abroad check the Holimites Rent-Ride-Relax offer with free road-bike rental. If you don’t find any rooms […]
Monster Giau, Mighty Giau, Killer Giau, etc., etc. Whichever adjective you want to use, one thing is sure: you need to ride it at least once if you’re in the Dolomites. The numbers say it all: 9.8 km climbing with an average grade of 9.4%. But let’s start with a bit of interesting history. The […]
Maratona dles Dolomites has already made a name for itself as an important international sportive. Much has been written about this amazing cycling event that is held every year in Alta Badia (Dolomites), usually on the first Sunday of July. Here are a few statistics that best describe the Maratona: Over 34,000 applications for a limited 9,000 starting riders Over 70 nationalities […]
The Sellaronda Bikeday is always held in the month of June. In 2015, the date is June 21. You can’t call it an event per se but it should be considered one of the greatest cycling hangouts in the Dolomites. On this day, all the climbs that surround the Sellaronda (Gardena, Sella, Pordoi, Campolongo) are closed […]
Description: The Sellaronda loop counterclockwise. Once you’ve gone around clockwise you should try this direction, too, in order to see the views that you missed on the descents in the other direction. You’ll be thinking that you’re riding a totally different route. This is also the direction that is ridden during the Sellaronda Bikeday that is held every […]
Description: The classic Sellaronda loop should be ridden by every cyclist at least once. This is the direction we prefer because having Passo Campolongo at the beginning is a nice warm-up for the next 3 climbs. 0 km Starting in Badia head south (uphill) on the SP244 towards Corvara. 4.5 km There’s a fantastic cold water […]
If you are riding the Sella from Canazei, then read the first part of the description about the Passo Pordoi from Canazei first (read here). Passo Sella actually begins 5.5 km after Canazei on the Pordoi climb. The description of Passo Sella in this article is based on riding the Sellaronda clockwise. So, the first tip I […]
We already wrote about the “Great Dolomites Road” in the section about the Pordoi climb from Canazei (read here). On the Arabba side, the engineer just did the same great job – a climb with an average grade that never goes above 7%. If you look at the elevation profile in the chart above, it’s just a straight […]
Campolongo, Campagnolo, Campolongo, Campagnolo, Campagnolongo …. confused enough? Of course, these 2 names have nothing in common. The name of the pass is simply Campolongo. The Campolongo is perhaps considered by most cyclists as an Ugly Duckling compared to all the other climbs around. It’s one of the lowest climbs in the Dolomites with an altitude […]
This is one of those climbs that you should do when you don’t have any other rides left to do, or if you just really want to weep and fight against gravity before putting your feet on the ground on the steepest parts of the climb. Yes, this climb is going to be brutal and even though I wrote that you should ride […]
Description: “Jun a fa i 4 jûs?” This is the Ladin phrase we always use when we want to ride the loop now known as Sellaronda with friends. In fact, the term “Sellaronda” was only adopted in the late ’90s after the famous Sellaronda loops that you can ski during winter in the Dolomites. First used […]
The Falzarego is the perfect climb for people like me who are considered ‘passistas‘. So, what is a ‘passista‘? Actually, one of the best italian passistas was Francesco Moser, a quality time trialist and a great spring classics specialist. Then, how can a climb be good for this kind of cyclist? Well, Passo Falzarego has a beautiful, easy […]
If you plan to ride Passo Sella from Val Gardena, then the first part up to Plan de Gralba is mentioned in the Passo Gardena description. As you climb Passo Sella, ‘His Majesty’ the Sassolungo / Langkofel will be watching your efforts all the way to the top. You’ll see it transforming. At the beginning, it simply looks like one […]
Description: For starters, let me make a special mention about the fabulous sightseeing you may NOT see if you are too focused on following the GPS track on this loop. During this ride you pass through the Funes Valley which you may recognize in the picture above. You may be thinking now that you’ve seen this […]
Looking at the numbers, Passo Gardena from the side of Selva di Val Gardena seems pretty easy. Well, it isn’t hard for sure, but if you’re approaching the Passo Gardena after a long loop – maybe after already climbing the whole Val Gardena or coming from the Passo delle Erbe loop – it may feel […]
The Passo delle Erbe is without any doubt the kind of road that once you ride it you will either LOVE it or HATE it! In my opinion, the Erbe is definitely one of the Dolomites’ Top 3 Passes . It’s like a cycling carousel because you can ride it to the top from all its sides (4 in […]
Fodom loop Description: 0 km Starting in Badia head south on the SP244 towards La Villa. 3 km In the town of La Villa, turn left at the first intersection in the direction of San Cassiano. Ahead of you is a short downhill. Then the road starts to climb towards San Cassiano and Passo Valparola. 5.8 […]
Finally! A short climb in the Dolomites, right? Well, don’t declare victory so soon because this portion of Passo Campolongo should be climbed when you already have some km in your legs, and – trust me – you’ll be feeling the 7% average gradient! Another characteristic of Passo Campolongo is the wind. It’s rare to ride it without […]