Don't underestimate

Rode this on 26/05/2014 the day before the Giro went over. Luckily, due to heavy snow, the pass was closed to cars at the time. I am a club B-grade rider (70kgs) and managed to ride it okay even though I'd ridden the Mortirolo that morning. However, I'm extremely glad I had a 34x32 gearing because near the top the climb seems to go on forever, the road gets very bumpy and you are very exposed to the altitude and wind - so I really needed to dig deep at times even in the lowest gear.

It is a very beautiful climb - you start off going along a narrow wooded road and eventually break out above the tree line into an amazing panorama. Overall, although it is tough, it is one of my favourite climbs - it has it all - scenery, altitude (if you're an altitude junkie), a steep but not ridiculous gradient and all the history of an iconic climb.