Cycling in the Dolomites part 4: Monte Zoncolan (1750m)

Aha, The Monte Zoncolan a.k.a 'Kaiser del Giro'.....one of the most brutal climbs in the procycling circuit / UCI World Calender: 10,5km with an average grade of 11,5% !!. This year this extreme steep climb will be in the Giro d'Italia once again, a day I'm looking forward to as I will go to that particular stage to watch the riders struggle on their bikes.

Back to 2010, june 28th to be exactly, the day I 'did' the Zoncolan myself. A day I'll never forget and yes....this endeavour was not easy for sure. First of all the Zoncolan was located about a 2,5hr car drive from my holiday appartment. Not ideal for preparation. Secondly, it was a hot day, temperatures to 30 degrees so another bummer. But hey it's the mighty Zoncolan you know ! I started on my bike from a parking lot in Comeglians so that I could at least get my muscles going for about 4kms before the roads went up.

The climb effectively starts in the village of Ovaro and the first 2kms are already demanding with grades up to 10-11%. In the village of Lliaris surprisingly the road really flattens out. It was there that I spotted this banner below as the Giro d'Italia 2010 just passed here some weeks before (for the 3rd time, and the 2nd time from the west-side with Ivan Basso as stage winner on top).

But just about one km further, after leaving the village, it is really time to enter HELL. The forest begins but more importantly the grades become relentlessly high: for about 6km the slope is 15% ON AVERAGE !!

I must confess, after about 1,5km I got off my bike, I couldn't go any further. It was also the heat that caught me. But after assuring myself that I could manage it to the top, even with some short breaks, I went on. I stopped a couple of times, regaining my breath but I finally managed to overcome this 6km passage.

On this '3rd' section the slopes now drop to 8% and I remember that I really believed I was riding on flat roads ! Not for long though as the climb regains it's double digit percentages.

After the tunnels, with still 1,5km to go I was totally broken but I was also convinced that I could manage it. And yes, I finally did make it to the top of this insane climb !

I also made a video back then when I arrived at the top. My comments are in dutch but I'm sure you'll get the point I'm talking about. It's on Youtube:

If you enjoyed this article, remember I post(ed) more about cycling in the Dolomites, Italy. Check them out !

https://steemit.com/cycling/@arpiwi/cycling-in-the-dolomites-part-3-refugio-pederu-1548m

https://steemit.com/cycling/@arpiwi/cycling-in-the-dolomites-part-2-passo-di-gola-2294m

https://steemit.com/cycling/@arpiwi/cycling-in-the-dolomites-italy-part-1-passo-sella