The way points of this bicycle route:
turn full Right to follow sign for Monte Zoncolan. At first the road is flat for a ways, then it turns and the serious climbing starts.
the serious climbing starts about here -- elevation around 675 meters. So the gain in elevation to the top is around 1155 vertical meters, and the distance is around 8 km, for an average steepness over 14% grade.
the high point of the road is around here, elevation about 1750 meters (what the sign said) or maybe only 1730 or 1735 (what's written on some websites).
the road down the east side is asphalt all the way and goes through a ski resort. It starts narrow but gets wider lower down. (If the road you're on turns to dirt, or comes to an end, you made a wrong turn somewhere)
I just stayed on the main road through the ski resort here.
turn Left for Sutrio here -- though I'm not sure exactly which streets I took thru the village
I didn't find any food places open when I rode through.
I made a little side trip East out to the main road between Tolmezzo and Paluzza and found several food options -- after refueling I came back to here and continued north toward Ravascletto
high point of the second climb from east to west is around here -- next mostly downhill to and through Comeglians (though a few little rises)
I guess some of this section on the main road from Comeglians to Ovaro could have been avoided by using side roads -- but I don't know anything about those -- and on the mid-week afternoon I was riding there wasn't much vehicle traffic, so I kind of enjoyed riding on the main road here
completed the loop counter-clockwise
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Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Monte Zoncolan up its west side from Liariis is the steepest climb on an all-asphalt public road bigger than 1000 vertical meters which goes over a pass in Europe or North America. It's in northeast Italy, and was (at last) included in the Giro d'Italia race in 2007. The climb starts in Ovaro, but the real steep part comes only after going through Liariis. The average steepness from Liariis to the top is around 14%, though much is a bit steeper than that. Not many views until higher up. The road generally faces sort of southwest and there's not too much shade in the lower section -- so unless it's a cool day, try to do it in the morning not the afternoon. Reasons for showing it as a loop: (a) unlike some steep roads that just go up to an end, this one continues over down the other side, so I like to celebrate that; (b) I don't like the idea of riding back down something so sustained steep; (c) the 2nd climb and descent over Ravascletto is kind of pleasant with some sections fun; (d) that's how I actually rode it that day.
This route not checked by me since 2008.
Tagged with: Recreational, Onroad, Steep, Difficult, Touring
