Region: Italian Alps
Climbing effort: 675 cep
Elevation meters: 839
Steepest kilometer: 11.1%

Steepest 250 m: 14%
Foot: 981 m    Top: 1800 m
Mean slope: 5.4%
Length: 15.2 km

From: la Maina
Road conditions (2017): average
Other race bikers: 1-5 per hour
Motor vehicles: 10-30 per hour
Scenery and road: (3/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: no

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Other climbs Italian Alps

Actually, this climb is incomplete. The beginning from Ampezzo up to the location, where the road reaches the Lago de Sàuris, is missing. I did not have enough light on my bike for the, according to what I heard, dangerous tunnels found in this section. Hence, the ascent shown here starts at the dam of the Lago de Sàuris. The first two kilometers run along the reservoir and are essentially horizontal. Over the next nearly ten kilometers, the slope is variable. There are two pretty steep sections (7-9% for the 500 meter intervals) before reaching the villages of Sàuris di Sotto and Sàuris di Sopra. Three 250 meter strips have a gradient of 10-11%, the last one lying just after Sàuris di Sotto. In and after Sàuris di Sopra, the slope gradually decreases to end in a small descent. This descent came at the right moment for me, since I was still tired from cycling the Zoncolàn whereas in addition the tropical temperatures that prevailed when when I drove here did not provide me with extra energy. The descent yields a good opportunity to enjoy the mountains, the green surroundings and the tranquility. Immediately after the descent follows the hardest part of the trip, a three kilometer section with eight hairpin bends. First, the slope measures 8-9% but at the end of this ramp, around bend number one, the road is very steep (13%). After this ramp, biking gets really easy (3%) up to the sign at the pass (1800 m). A little over five kilometers further on lies the Sella Ciampigotto at almost the same elevation as the Sella di Rioda.