Scanuppia Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

23.7
FIETS
4.4 mi
DISTANCE
4,196 ft
GAINED
18.5 %
AVG. GRADE

FULL CLIMB STATS

Page Contributor(s): Jiri Fikejz, Choceň, Pardubický kraj, Česká republika

INTRO

How does a 4.5 mile (7.4 km) climb justify a top 10 World Bike Climb ranking?  There is no other bike climb in the world in the 2+ mile range that comes close to the steepness of Scanuppia (Mombacho in Nicaragua at 3.8 miles and 14.4% and Nebelhorn, Germany at 4.6 and 14.7% come closest).  Only 27 Strava members have done the full Scanuppia climb as of December 2020 (Scanuppia Strava Segment).  The sign at the bottom that indicates "no bikes" may explain that. We have ridden Scanuppia twice without incident and have never heard from anyone that it is absolutely forbidden to ride this road on a bike, but we must advise that bikes are not permitted on the roadway and you climb at your own risk. 
Scanuppia is all about the grade - nothing in the world compares to Scanuppia.  The entire road is cement with traction grooves in it. You will never see a gradient profile as steep as the one above for this length of climb anywhere.  It is rare to ever encounter an 18% grade for more than a couple hundred yards - think about doing that for 4.5 miles.  Also appreciate that 18% is the average and some sections exceed 30%. At times I had to lean over the handlebars to keep the bike from tipping backwards because the grade was impossibly steep. 

An extraordinary 34% of this climb is a grades ≥20%.  The steepest quarter-mile on this monster is 25.6%, steepest kilometer 24%, and steepest full mile 23%.  Be sure to check out more gradient details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button above.
Roadway:  As stated in the introduction, bicycles are prohibited on the road, so climb at your own risk.

Traffic:  You may encounter a handful of cars struggling up the grade very slowly.  Traffic is not an issue. 

Parking:  There are not a lot of places to park near the start, but you can park along the side of the road a few hundred yards up the climb or near the quarry half a mile up the road and then ride back to the start to begin the climb. 
I rented a mountain bike at Lake Garda the first time I did this climb.  The second time I brought along a Specialized Crux with a 28 chainring and 42t and this worked as well as can be expected on a road that had gradients exceeding 30%.  Also bring mountain bike pedals and shoes for time you may (will?) be walking.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
We stayed in Riva del Garda (at the northern tip of Lake Garda) and drove the 20 miles to the start of the climb.  Riva del Garda is a good hub for traveling to and climbing other excellent bike climbs within a 25 mile (40 km) radius of Riva del Garda are Passo Manghen, Monte Bondone and Punta Velone. There are reasonable apartment and villa rentals in the area too.  

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File:Philippines road sign R3-4.svg - Wikimedia Commons[note - sign at beginning says no bikes]File:Philippines road sign R3-4.svg - Wikimedia Commons

Scanuppia, Italy, Italian Alps, hairpins drone photo

Cycling the Italian Bike Climb King - Scanuppia.

Aerial view of the start of the climb - just across bridge left center.

Climb summary by PJAMM’s John Johnson.

Scanuppia is home to the world’s steepest ½ mile (32%),  mile (26.7%) and 5 kilometer (21.2%) and second steepest 2.5 mile segment (21.2%).

Scanuppia averages 18% for 4 ½ miles (7.24 kilometers)

There is no doubt and there will be no rematch!  This is the most difficult bicycle climb in Italy and likely in all of Europe.  We do not believe that it can be done on a standard road bike, even by the fittest cyclist.  The website dangerousroads.org declares that Scanuppia is  “the steepest hardest long climb on a sealed-surface road in Europe (or the world).”  Based both on our personal experience and our ranking system, we completely agree.

That’s what a 30%+ grade looks like . . . 😓

There is an intimidating 45% grade sign that we encounter a short distance up the mountain which is foreboding but not altogether accurate by our estimation.  While we encountered several exceptional stretches of 30% (or slightly above) grade, we never approached 40%.  The reference is likely to the inside portion of the steepest hairpin on the climb.  The maximum grade of this nearly impossible monster is in the 35-37% range.

45% steepness road sign on Scanuppia Italy cycling climb.

45%! We have never encountered a sign with a gradient this high.

We hesitate to call this a “Must-Do” ride because we must issue a caveat in advance of such enthusiasm.  This road is marked at the beginning as​ "Prohibited for Bikes" -- while there are no words to that effect, there is the Italian road sign that stands guard over the first of the several 30% segments to come.  However, in spite of the sign, it does not appear that this roadway is heavily policed for cyclists.  

Climbing Scanuppia Italy by bike - no bike sign

Sadly, the #10 World Bike Climb starts with a “no bikes” sign.

We ventured past the sign (at the time thinking it was actually a sign warning motorists of cyclists...silly us!) and were never criticized, confronted, or dissuaded in any way from continuing our climb up this beast.  Truth be told, we likely would not have protested too forcefully had we been directed off the mountain!  

Scanuppia road bike climb steep cement section

   Steepest paved section of roadway you’re likely to ever see.

 

It is hard to capture gradient on a photograph, but these do some justice to Scannupia’s extreme grade.

Grades exceed 30% -- a rare and nearly unparalleled pitch.

There are some good distant views, but the glory of this climb is it's extreme difficulty and challenge; there is more head-down-just-survive to this climb than 99.9% of any other climb.  Scanuppia fits into only a handful of bicycle climbs that, when ranked by difficulty, can be fairly characterized as ​A Climb Like No Other.

On our first go at Scanuppia, we rented a mountain bike in Lake Garda (this was a big mistake: it was lower end, heavy, with a worn rear tire -- a trifecta that brought us to our knees, literally, at one point).  We drove to the start point some 37 km (21 miles) northeast.  We do recommend Lake Garda as a staging area as it is a beautiful area to visit and close to 5 Italian Top 25 Climbs.

Cycling Scanuppia steep section of road 

We wisened up for trip #2 - 28t chainring + 42t cassette.

It is strongly recommended that you bring either a Garmin with the Scanuppia map downloaded onto it, or detailed instructions, because there are a couple of points where it’s easy to make a wrong turn.  And, while you will not go far on the wrong route, a mere 50 wasted yards at 30% can break the spirit.  In particular, there are a couple forks in the 2.3 to 2.5 mile range -- stay right at the forks.

Scanuppia is located in the Dolomites mountain range, in the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige in northeastern Italy.  The Dolomites are the “most spectacular mountain range in Italy” with high peaks “interspersed with hills, green meadows, rivers, lakes and old villages” (climbbybike.com).  This is a vast mountain range; the eighteen peaks that make up the Dolomites cover over 350,000 acres!  WalksOfItaly.com shares a list of their six favorite spots to visit in the Dolomites to narrow down the decision making process for you: Six Favorite Spots in the Dolomites.

Before heading out to climb the unmatched Scanuppia, be sure to rely on our list of Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip, and use our interactive checklist to ensure you don't forget anything.

Other terribly steep  6 km+ world bike climbs are:

45% steepness road sign on Scanuppia Italy cycling climb. 

Nebelhorn, Germany

Ride a mere 7.4 km to elevation 1,885 m gaining 1,075 m at 14.7% average grade.

Cycling Mombacho Volcano, Nicaragua - steep cobbled road

Mombacho, Nicaragua

6.1 km at 14.2% (1 km @ 29.3%; ½ km at 31.9%).

Cycling Passo della Forcella, Italy second hardest climb in Italy - road and steep grade sign 

Passo della Forcella, Italy

9.4 km at 14.4%

Cycling Alpe Fuori, Italy  one of the steepest bike climbs in Italy - bike and road sign.

Alpe Fuori, Italy

11.8 km at 13.7%

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