How steep thee are
Three ways to the top. And a curveball
There are three ways up Monte Zoncolan. The ‘classic’ ascent averages 11.5% over 10.5km from Ovaro to the west, and is usually how the climb appears in the Giro d’italia. However this year’s peloton will approach from Sutrio to the east, a longer 13.5km climb but less steep at 8.9%. Both still feature lengthy stretches in the high teens though.
Our Big Ride ascent is the shortest of all – 8.9km from Priola – but it averages 12.8% with multiple spikes up to 22% from the off (the other two routes steepen as they go). But whichever way you approach the Zoncolan, know that it is tough with a capital T.
And yet there is an even tougher climb just down the road. A few clicks west of Ovaro lies the Passo della Forcella, a 9.2km long climb with a 14.4% average, a kilometre at 20.9% and another 2km at 17.7%. Worse still it’s often strewn with leaves and much of the surface is slab concrete. Why not give it a go?