Norway · Scandinavia
Lysebotn Road
The road from the Lysefjord with 27 hairpins, some inside tunnels blasted through the rock. A unique and dramatic engineering feat.
- Length
- 7.1 km
- Avg gradient
- 9.8%
- Max gradient
- 15%
- Elevation gain
- 697 m
- Summit
- 940 m
- Hairpins
- 27
Versants
- From Lysebotn (fjord) — 7.1 km at 9.8% (max 15%)
History
The Lysebotn Road is a feat of 1970s engineering that solved a practical problem with theatrical flair. The village of Lysebotn lies on the Lysefjord, cut off from road access until this mountain road was blasted through and around the terrain to provide the connection. Twenty-seven hairpins — some cut directly through tunnels in the rock — bring the road from fjord level at almost sea level to 940 m.
Several of the hairpins are inside hand-cut tunnels rather than open switchbacks, a unique feature in Alpine cycling. The road is narrow, and descending is slightly more dramatic than climbing, which is why many riders use it as part of a loop rather than a single climb. The scenery is raw Norwegian granite and vertical cliff faces.
The road opened to traffic in 1969 and has remained one of Norway's most distinctive mountain routes. Cyclists have adopted it as a destination in recent years, and the combination of the hairpins, tunnels, and fjord views make it iconic despite its relatively modest elevation gain.