Passo Giau / Falzarego- Italy
King Giau! The king of mountain passes in the Dolomites. This pass is hard to beat on virtually any measurement. Above all you feel like riding on top of the world.
Cycling the Passo Giau is short, brutal, and breathtaking—a climb that feels carved straight out of the Dolomites. The Passo Giau doesn’t wear you down slowly. It hits hard, demands everything, and rewards you immediately—with one of the most spectacular finishes in the Dolomites. Over 9.8km it climbs 923m from the southern side from Selva di Cadore.
Passo Giau - 2238m
The Passo Giau needs a specific mentioning. It is the most wonderful ride and in many ways it encapsulates what riding is about. A challenging road, stunning scenery, a change in environments and a fabulous descent. The Passo Giau has it all. It is truly the king of passes in the Dolomites.
It has a reputation of being tough but I found that it is not the toughness that sets it apart, there are plenty of tough climbs in the Alps, but its rhythm and changing nature.
Riding Passo Giau is a high point of riding in the Dolomites. There are no bad options when choosing a route and a climb in the Dolomites, the scenery is simply out of this world but the Passo Giau stands out. The combination of its rhythmic nature, steep gradients and the way the mountain opens up the higher you climb is totally unique. I loved every minute riding it.
Nervous at the start
The road from Selva di Cadore is the more famous ascent to this pass. Only built in the 1960s and used plenty of times in the Giro, the road has a fierce reputation and is the king ascent in the Maratone Dles Dolomites. It is 9.8km long and has a super steady gradient of 9.5% right from the go. It allows you to find your rhythm and relax into that rhythm as you ride high and higher through 24 beautiful hairpins. It is either a HC or a category 1 climb, depending who you ask.
Finding your rhythm
At first the road follows along Torrente Codalonga through a delightful pine forrest. The water and the smell of the trees is calming and allows you to get into the rhythm of the climb. Birds sing and early in the morning there were only cyclists.
As you climb higher, the views open towards the cliffs above and into the valley below. Your legs start to burn as the road is somewhat relentless but the experience of being here overrides everything. Just wonderful.
Pushing to the top
I did not stop on the climb as the gradient makes it hard to get going again and for me it has just the right length to ride it in one go. Towards the end, sweat and suncream was running into my eyes making me ride almost blind. On top, the views open up towards the other side of the valley and more cliffs plus all the high mountains in the distance. We came across a women's local cycling club who looked liked they do this climb every morning before breakfast! Very jealous.
Lush green meadows with great cliffs planted on top
Cliffs as far as the eye can see.
Passo Falzarego - 2105m
Passo Falzarego from Cortina d'Ampezzo is a climb often climbed in combination with Passo Giau. It is a category 2 climb and on the route we took, we joined from Pocol after the descent from the Giau which shortened this ride. Where the Giau is dramatic, the Falzarego is understated. Long straights bring you back towards Alta Badia and the fact that the gradients are more modest allows for recovery of the legs after the leg breaking work on the Giau. It is a lovely climb with great view as you ride through the valley up the SR48 road. The road surface was in great condition which makes this a really sweet road to ride. The switchbacks at the top are a bit tough but then you have nearly arrived. From Cortina d'Ampezzo, the road is 16km long, climbing 900m, gradients are pleasant throughout.
Passo Giau from Selva di Cadore
Length: 9.8 km
Altitude gain: 923 m
Max altitude: 2238 m
Average gradient: 9.5%
Max gradient: 14.7%
Passo Falzarego from Cortina
Length: 15.9km
Altitude gain: 908m
Max altitude: 2105m
Average gradient: 5.7%
Max gradient: 8.4%
Route Tip: Passo Giau can be ridden as a loop ride from Arabba (or other starting point en route) which contains four passes: Giau, Falzarego, Valparola and Campolongo. This is a phenomenal and unforgettable day on the bike with 83km riding and 2565 m climbing.
