Italy · Dolomites
Passo Pordoi
The highest point of the Sella Ronda with 33 switchbacks and the Coppi memorial at the summit. The Giro's Cima Coppi has often been here.
- Length
- 12.5 km
- Avg gradient
- 6.8%
- Max gradient
- 10%
- Elevation gain
- 853 m
- Summit
- 2,239 m
- Hairpins
- 33
Versants
- From Arabba — 9.4 km at 6.8% (max 10%)
- From Canazei — 12.5 km at 6.4% (max 10%)
History
Passo Pordoi is the highest point on the Sella Ronda circuit and features a monument to Fausto Coppi at the summit. The mountain is most famous not as a stage finish but as a proving ground for Alpine distance riding and as a fixture of the Sella Ronda gran fondo.
The climb from Arabba is only 9.4 km at 6.8% average — one of the shortest significant climbs in the Alps — but the gradient is relentless and there's nowhere to hide. From Canazei the route is 12.5 km at 6.4%, slightly gentler but still demanding.
The pass sits at 2,239 m, the highest point of the Sella Ronda, and the Giro d'Italia has carried the Cima Coppi prize to Pordoi multiple times. The combination of the Coppi memorial and the high-altitude setting make it a pilgrimage point for climbing enthusiasts.