Italy · Dolomites
Passo Giau
A stunning Dolomite pass with breathtaking views of Civetta, Marmolada, and Pelmo. The perfectly paved switchbacks wind through alpine meadows.
- Length
- 10.0 km
- Avg gradient
- 9.3%
- Max gradient
- 14%
- Elevation gain
- 930 m
- Summit
- 2,236 m
- Hairpins
- 18
Versants
- From Selva di Cadore — 10.0 km at 9.3% (max 14%)
- From Cortina d'Ampezzo — 12.0 km at 8.4% (max 12%)
History
Passo Giau's first serious Giro d'Italia appearance came in 1973, when the final kilometres to the 2,305 m summit were still unpaved. It's been a recurring fixture of the modern Giro since — used in six of the nine editions between 2007 and 2016 alone — and one of the races most associated with dramatic, race-deciding moves in the closing kilometres, including Egan Bernal's decisive stage 16 ride in the 2021 Giro.
The climb from Selva di Cadore is short by Dolomite standards but unrelenting: 9.9 km at 9.3% average, with 29 hairpins stacking up through open alpine meadow rather than forest, which means the whole climb — and the Nuvolau massif above it — stays in view the entire way up.
It sits in one of the most photographed corners of the Dolomites, a hub for several of the region's other legendary passes, which has made it as much a pilgrimage climb for amateur riders as a Giro battleground.