Sella Ronda - Italy
The Sella Ronda is a truly legendary route, it offers breathtaking views wherever you look and an unrivalled variety of climbing and descending. A must do for every cycling enthusiast.
Sella Ronda - Cycling Country
We set out on an overcast morning to explore what many cyclists call one of the true wonders of the sport: the Sella Ronda. It doesn’t feel like a series of separate passes at all—more like one continuous, unfolding experience. Each turn brought something new: winding roads shifting in gradient, dramatic changes in scenery, and mountain villages and inns that seemed to appear just when I needed a breather. The whole loop felt alive, the environment changing as quickly as my perspective.
The Sella Ronda isn’t just a playground for road cyclists. High above, cable cars stitched together a web of mountain-bike trails, offering MTB riders their own spectacular circumnavigation of the massif.
As I climbed, there are reminders everywhere about the legends of the Giro d’Italia who rode these same roads. Every pass on the loop has its place in the race’s history. In 2024 Passo Sella took on a special significance as the Cima Coppi of the 2024 Giro after poor weather forced the peloton to bypass both the Stelvio and the Umbrail. Riding those same slopes today, with the peaks towering above me, was a great feeling.
By the time we completed the circuit, it wasn’t just a ride—it was a journey through the very heart of alpine cycling culture.
Giant Rock Cake
The Sella is a mountain that looks like a giant, round Lego block dropped in the middle of the Dolomites. Its sheer cliffs rise more than a thousand meters above the valleys, giving the whole massif an imposing, cake-like appearance. The valleys themselves climb to impressive passes around 2,200 meters with each of the four pass roads of the Sella feeling completely different.
The Pordoi Pass is a long, winding climb through what feels like an immense alpine meadow. In contrast, the ascent toward the Sella Pass from Canazei clings tightly to the mountainside, offering dramatic views with every switchback. The Campolongo from Alta Badia was almost a gentle uphill with a steady rhythm. And then there was the road descending from the Gardena Pass to Gralba, sweeping right along the base of the Sella’s towering cliffs. This loop truly has something for everyone.
We chose the anti-clockwise route, beginning and ending in Arabba. The full circuit is about 51 kilometres, with 1,660 meters of elevation spread across the four climbs. Starting early you can finish before lunch or stretch the ride into a full-day adventure, depending on the weather. Either way, circling the Sella felt like tracing the edge of a natural fortress—challenging, beautiful, and unforgettable.
This is one of the great wonders of cycling
51km long - 1660m elevation gain - 4 passes
Passo Campolongo - 1875m
First up is the Passo Campolongo. At 1875m this is the lowest of the passes on this route and the ascent from Arabba is a great warm up. It is followed by a fast descent on an almost straight road over a mountain meadow till you hit some switchbacks above Corvara. All the while the Sella is towering over you to the left. Corvara is a busy little town at the interchange of the Alta Badia and Val Gardena valleys and we saw a noticeable increase in cyclist. It is unlikely you will do this route alone unless in the off season or in bad weather. It gave us though a sense of a cycling of likeminded people, all enjoying this incredible experience.
Passo Gardena - 2136m
I really enjoyed this climb. At 8.8km it is not too long, with an elevation gain of 594m it is not too exhausting and with an average gradient of 6.7% not too steep so you can enjoy the incredible views while paddling uphill. The stark contrast between the gentle meadows you ride up and the cliff faces of the mountains is unrivalled and at times just jaw dropping. Arriving on top, view opens up into the Val Gardena and the imposing presence of the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto mountains in the distance.
You can also see the descent with the road clinging to the side of the mountain, passing just under the cliff face. As we admired the view, the number of cyclist increased and we descended down to Plan De Gralba in a group more akin to a small peloton which was a unique experience. The road quality though left something to be desired.
Passo Sella - 2244m
Plan De Gralba is more of a road intersection than anything else and up we went to the Passo Sella. This is short but sweet ascent with 5.3 km, ascending 377metres with an average gradient of 7.1%. At first the road takes you closer to the cliff faces of the Sella as if you were riding into the mountain and after a number of bends it takes you above the tree line with a full view on the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto mountains. There are no bad vistas here and the knowledge that the Giro passed over the same pass just a couple of month earlier filled me with a fuzzy feeling of taking part in cycling’s heritage.
The top of the Sella Pass at 2244 meters opens new stunning views on the Marmolada and the Rosengarten mountains. This ride has also a really nice social element as you might be chatting to people you rode up the previous passes with and might pose for selfies as the same faces accompany you along the way and share your agony of burning legs and the sense of wonderment at the scenery.
The descent down the Sella Pass is not to be missed. It is twisty and fast on good tarmac but don’t forget to stop and take pictures! The turnoff to the Passo Pordoi is about half down the way to Canazei, a small memorial to Fausto Coppi commemorates the greatest Italian cyclist who is omnipresent in this part of the world.
Passo Pordoi - 2240m
And onto the last climb through a dense forest, about 6km long with 400 metres of climbing at max 10% gradient to the Pordoi pass at 2240 meters. At the time of riding, the road had been resurfaced and the newly laid tarmac was still warm, making small stones stick to my tire and providing a bumpy ride despite a pristine new road surface. At this point, my legs started to burn. We had made only short stops as the weather was cold that day despite being mid-July. Keeping moving was the order of the day. So up we went coming past Hotel Pordoi two thirds up making me believe I had arrived only to find out that further eight switchbacks await to the top. And once there, the sense of accomplishment of having conquered all the passes of the Sella Ronda was the best feeling. But there was one more delight to come. The descent into Arabba is just brilliant. A sweeping road with fast ramps and wide corners was just the perfect reward for all the climbing.
Sella Ronda
Length: 51km
Altitude gain: 1660m
Max altitude: 2244 m
Climbs: Campolungo, Gardena, Sella, Pordoi
Route Tip: Alternative circular route of 101km riding and 2590m elevation gain. This takes in the Sella, Costalunga and Niger passes and the Panider Sattel.
It circles the Alpe di Suisi, the Schlern, Rosengarten and Flach- and Langofel mountains.
In terms of scenery, this ride is hard to beat.
