CyclistClassic climb: Passo Campolongo, a little slice of Dolomite heavenThe Passo Campolongo has a charmingly musical name that sounds like it could be the title of an Italian piano sonata. But cyclists who come to this climb in the Dolomites soon learn that it is a true symphony of nature, with high-tempo ascents past twisted pinnacles of rock, rhythmic stretches through soft mountain meadows and a glorious crescendo of high-altitude vistas.Located in Alta Badia in the Dolomites of northern Italy, the Passo Campolongo has featured in 14 editions of the Giro dItalia, with legendary riders such as Felice Gimondi, Laurent Fignon, Miguel Indurin, Vincenzo Nibali and Primo Rogli all enjoying battles over its 13 swirling switchbacks.The climb starts with a series of bends that are too gentle and flowing to be called hairpins.Patrik LundinIt most recently appeared on Stage 19 of the 2023 Giro the queen stage which saw Santiago Buitrago claim a breakaway victory and Rogli steal three seconds from race leader Geraint Thomas.The Campolongo is well known among amateur road cyclists too it is the opening climb of the fabled 138km Maratona dles Dolomites sportive, whose riders cross it for a second time after 55km en route to the Passo Giau, Passo Falzarego and Passo Valparola. Patrik LundinThe Campolongo is also one of the four passes of the famous Sella Ronda bike loop, along with the Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi and Passo Gardena. There are now two traffic-free Sella Ronda Bike Day sportives held each year, when 20,000 riders complete 1,637m of ascent in just 53km.Pretty but painfulThe Dolomites range is a Unesco World Heritage Site and its treasures have been drawing cyclists to the region ever since the Giros first journey to the area in 1937. The road weaves beneath the cable car that services the Sella Ronda ski area.Patrik LundinAt 1,875m in altitude, the Campolongo is the smallest of the four Sella Ronda passes, and for that reason it is often overlooked, but it boasts one of the most wonderfully open aspects of any ascent in the area, enabling you to drink in spellbinding views of the Dolomite peaks. The climb is set against a tapestry of jagged grey rock turrets, sun-drenched meadows and darkly atmospheric forests.The 2,665m Sassongher mountain looms over riders for most of the climb.Patrik LundinThe Campolongo also serves up different challenges depending on the direction you tackle it from. Starting in the village of Arabba in the south, which sits beneath the ominous mass of the 3,343m Marmolada, the ascent is steep, sharp and gritty. Riders pass tall pine trees and exposed scars of rock on the 4km ascent, which rises 295m in altitude and has a biting average gradient of 7.4%. Like a vicious pyramid workout, the climb gets progressively steeper, nudging up from 5% to 7% and then up to 12.5% after 2.6km, before a long, straight drag at 6-8%.Patrik Lundin Related Posts Classic climb: Passo Pordoi, the fabled Dolomite peak that Fausto Coppi made his own Classic climb: Passo Gardena, a breathtaking climb in the Italian Dolomites Classic climb: Passo Sella, a fabled rock of the Giro d'Italia From Corvara in the north, which is the main hub for tourists, the climb has a gentler average gradient of 5%, stretched over a longer 6km climb with 352m of ascent. But dont be fooled. While the roads may be less steep, much of the vertical ascent here is packed into those 13 steep switchbacks too gently rounded to be called hairpins many of which are above 10%. Along with the high altitude (Corvara sits at around 1,500m), those steep curves make the Campolongo trickier than its stats on paper might suggest.Around 4km into the ascent, the road rises straight and steady at a 7% gradient.Patrik LundinThirteen unlucky for someMost cyclists prefer to climb the Campolongo from Corvara because it offers the more photogenic ascent, and this is also the direction riders take in the Maratona. Corvaras coat of arms features green fields, red mountains and white sky symbols that represent the three geographical markers you will strive towards on the Campolongo ascent. First come the lush green mountain meadows of the lower slopes. Then you encounter rocky grey pinnacles that turn a glorious rose-pink at sunset. Finally you will edge towards the white sky that hugs the high-altitude summit.Passing the lake around halfway into the climb, the road looks fairly flat. It isnt.Patrik LundinStarting at a roundabout in Corvara, the climb weaves past hotels and cafes with flower-filled window boxes, before joining the spaghetti tangle of tarmac that leads to the Passo Campolongo. The first gravel path was built here in the 17th century, but todays road from Corvara to Arabba was built around 1900 and is obviously resurfaced on a regular basis to keep the tarmac smooth and inviting for the parade of cyclists making their way up it on any given day of the week.Patrik LundinOn the lower slopes you swirl through an open bowl of mountain pastures and pine forests, but you wont have to wait long for those switchbacks, which arrive thick and fast within a kilometre of the start. For the next 1.8km youll weave and puff past ski lifts, avalanche barriers, huge piles of logs, huts and grey scree slopes. With 2km to go the gradient relents slightly, dropping to 3-5% for the remainder.Patrik LundinA moment of respite comes at the 2.6km mark, when the road straightens and flattens to around 2% as you glide past the local golf course (look out for the water fountain on the left as you pass the golf club car park).The relief is only momentary. Soon enough the road ramps up to 5-6% again as you jink through another flurry of switchbacks, passing a pea-green lake, and then settle into a long straight section from the 4km mark that sits punishingly at 7% for the next kilometre and a half.Passing the cable car station at La Tambra means youre less than a kilometre from the summit.Patrik LundinThis combination of straight bits punctuated by fast-flowing corners also makes the Campolongo fun to descend, giving you the dizzying feeling of swirling down a plughole, but thats something to savour for the return journey. On the way up you can simply revel in the sight of Corvara disappearing into the valley below and the serrated grey peaks of the Dolomites getting ever closer above.Ignore the temptations of the Hotel Bos terraced bar youre nearly there.Patrik LundinTo the north looms the mighty 2,665m Sassongher, while the towering 3,152m pyramid of Piz Bo the highest of the Sella Group dominates the southern and western viewpoints. And if the sight of all that vertical rock isnt enough, you can further blow your mind with the thought that 250 million years ago it was all part of a coral reef in the primordial ocean of Tethys, before tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions combined to transform it into the mountain playground it is today.Patrik LundinThe arrival of some Alpine-style hotels indicates that you are into the final kilometre, which remains mostly straight with only a few gentle curves to obscure the view of the summit. The gradient drops to around 4% again, but the added exposure of the top section means there are often fierce headwinds trying to push you back downhill. As such, the summit takes its time to arrive, but that simply provides more opportunity to appreciate the crocodile teeth rock formations that line the horizon.Campolongos summit at 1,875m is not the most spectacular in the Dolomites, but it is one of the most hospitable.Patrik LundinWhen you do eventually reach the summit of the Campolongo, you will find a small cluster of restaurants and a slightly battered sign proclaiming that you are now at 1,875m. This low-key finale feels perfectly in tune with this graceful climb, which is content to leave the rock n roll drama to more boisterous climbs nearby such as the Giau and the Fedaia, and serve up an elegant classical composition instead.The post Classic climb: Passo Campolongo, a little slice of Dolomite heaven appeared first on Cyclist.

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