Italy · Alps
Passo del Mortirolo
Arguably the hardest climb in professional cycling. The Mortirolo's relentless double-digit gradients through dense forest have broken riders in the Giro d'Italia since 1990.
- Length
- 12.4 km
- Avg gradient
- 10.5%
- Max gradient
- 18%
- Elevation gain
- 1,300 m
- Summit
- 1,852 m
- Hairpins
- 15
Versants
- From Mazzo di Valtellina — 12.4 km at 10.5% (max 18%)
- From Monno — 9.5 km at 8.3% (max 14%)
History
Marco Pantani made his name here. In the 1994 Giro d'Italia, a 24-year-old Pantani attacked on the Mortirolo and dropped both Miguel Indurain and Evgeni Berzin — the two dominant riders of the era — to take the stage, riding the climb in what was then the fastest time recorded on it. It was his breakthrough as a grand tour climber, and the mountain has been tied to him ever since: the summit is now officially named Cima Pantani, and whenever the Giro climbs it, a special prize is awarded to the first rider over the top in his honour.
The climb that made that ride so remarkable is the one from Mazzo, on the Valtellina side — 11.46 km at an average of 11.7%, widely rated among the hardest sustained gradients used in professional racing anywhere in Europe.
It's a narrow, unglamorous road through forest rather than open alpine scenery, which somehow suits its reputation: the Mortirolo isn't a climb people ride for the view. They ride it to see if the number on the sign is actually true.