Italy Passo Giau (South)
Passo Giau (South) Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

24.2
PDI
6 mi
DISTANCE
2,927 ft
GAINED
9.3 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Luke Hise, AZ

INTRO

The Dolomites are home to some of the most epic and scenic cycling climbs in the world, and Passo Giau is the jewel of the Dolomites. From the edge of Selva di Cadore in Val Fiorentina, the south side climbs 9.6 km (6.0 mi) and gains 892 m (2,927 ft) at a relentless 9.3% average, topping out at 2,220 m (7,283 ft) beneath the rock turret of Nuvolau.

What makes this side special is the combination of consistency and scenery. Every kilometer averages between about 8.5% and 9.7% - there's no false flat and no respite - across 29 marked hairpins (tornanti) and three short avalanche galleries. From around km 5, Monte Averau comes into view and dominates the rest of the climb, and the final kilometers open onto high alpine pasture with Nuvolau and Ra Gusela towering over the pass. We rode it on June 30, 2017, and from km 5 to the top it remains one of the most breathtaking climbs we've ever done.

Passo Giau is also Giro d'Italia royalty. It debuted in 1973, when José Manuel Fuente led over the top, and it has been the race's Cima Coppi - the highest point of the Giro - four times: 1973, 2011, 2021 (when Egan Bernal attacked in the maglia rosa in cold rain and all but sealed the overall), and 2026, when Stage 19 climbed this exact south side and Giulio Ciccone crossed the summit first on his way to the mountains jersey. It's also the steepest of the seven passes in the Maratona dles Dolomites gran fondo.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE

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Passo Giau South climbs 9.6 km (6.0 mi) from 1,328 m (4,356 ft) to 2,220 m (7,283 ft), gaining 892 m (2,927 ft) at a 9.3% average with no descending at all.

Few climbs anywhere are this uniform. Every kilometer falls in a narrow band between about 8.5% and 9.7%, so the challenge is sustaining a steady effort for an hour or more rather than surviving one brutal ramp. The first ramps out of Val Fiorentina are among the steepest, and the stretch around km 4-5 - just as Monte Averau first appears - holds the steepest full kilometer of the climb.

The steepest half kilometer averages 10.9%, the steepest kilometer 10.3%, the steepest mile 10.1%, the steepest 2 km 9.7%, and the steepest 5 km 9.5%.
Roadway: The SP638 is paved the entire way and in good condition, as you'd expect of a road the Giro d'Italia raced up as recently as May 2026. The 29 hairpins are numbered, and three short galleries protect the road from avalanches, which can close the pass in winter - check the Provincia di Belluno's road notices early or late in the season. The pass is also closed to motor traffic for events such as the Dolomites Bike Day in June and the Maratona dles Dolomites in early July, when it belongs entirely to cyclists.

Traffic: Heavy in peak summer. Unlike the Passo Falzarego road, the Giau road is open to trucks and coaches, which makes it a popular route between the Agordino valleys and Cortina, and it draws large numbers of motorcycles and car rallies on summer weekends. For the quietest conditions, ride early in the morning, go outside July and August, or plan around the car-free event days.

Parking: Most riders start from Selva di Cadore itself, right at the foot of the climb. If you need a bigger lot, the Fertazza chairlift in nearby Pescul, about 3.5 km from the start, has ample parking and makes the ride to the bottom of the climb an easy warm-up. Caprile, a common base for the wider area, is covered on our Passo Fedaia page.
Gear: With nearly 10 km at over 9%, gearing is the key decision - a compact crankset with a 32- or 34-tooth low cog lets most riders hold a sustainable cadence all the way up. The summit is above 2,200 m, so carry a jacket or gilet for the descent even on a warm day.

Provisions: Selva di Cadore has shops and bars at the base. There's nothing on the climb itself, but the top is well served: Rifugio Passo Giau sits right at the pass, with a mountain hotel and several other rifugi and malghe on the surrounding slopes.
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.
Selva di Cadore, at the foot of the climb, is home to the Museo Vittorino Cazzetta, which displays the remarkably intact skeleton of the "Man of Mondeval" - a Mesolithic hunter who lived some 7,000 years ago, found in 1987 at around 2,150 m on the high Mondeval de Sora plateau above the village. It's one of the only known burials of that era found at such altitude, and a fascinating hour off the bike.

Val Fiorentina, with Selva di Cadore, Pescul and Colle Santa Lucia, makes a convenient base with direct access to Passo Giau, Passo Staulanza and, via Colle Santa Lucia and Caprile, Passo Falzarego. Combine the Giau with its north side, the Falzarego and the Valparola for a classic Dolomites loop - see other climbs nearby, or build a custom route from here, with our Routes in the Area tool.

ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Strenuous
4.5/5
Road
2.5/5
Traffic
4.5/5
Scenery

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Apr 1, 2026
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 5
traffic: 3
road: 5
Apr 1, 2026
scenery: 5
traffic: 3
road: 5
We did this ride from Arabba. It is one of the most spectacular rides we have ever done. It’s steep but very consistent and never gets crazy steep but also never lets up. The scenery is spectacular especially after about 2 miles. Lots of traffic but they are patient and use to cyclists. Should be on everyone’s bucket list.
Jun 7, 2023
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 4
traffic: 2
road: 4
Jun 7, 2023
scenery: 4
traffic: 2
road: 4
Sports cars on the road were dangerous . Cloudy and rainy. Hard to see much.
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CLIMB SUMMARY

Passo Giau from the south (Codalonga).

Ride 9.6 kilometers gaining 898 meters at 9.4% average grade.

PJAMM Cycling’s 2021 Giro d’Italia page.

The Giro has visited Passo Giau seven times, the earliest as far as we can tell in 1973, and most recently in 2016.  Regardless of its Giro tradition, this climb sells itself -- it is one of the most beautiful cycling climbs in the world, and few who have been there would debate this claim.

Stunning scenery along the climb.

The Giro will again feature Passo Giau on May 16, 2021 as the final climb of the Queen Stage.  

Stage 16 Profile - girodiitalia.it

Passo Giau Profile - girodiitalia.it

“A fast-running descent through Arabba and up to Selva di Cadore leads to the foot of Passo Giau, where the road ascends at nearly 10% for 10 km. The route then drops towards Cortina, heading for the finish.

Final kilometres.”  girodiitalia.it 

PJAMM Cycling’s Profile Tool

61% of the climb is at 5-10% and 36.6% at 10-15%.

At 9.6 kilometers and 9.4% average grade, Passo Giau does offer a fair amount of challenge to the scenic splendor of the climb.  Passo Giau from the south is also the most difficult climb in the Dolomites with a respectable Fiets Index of 9.6.

Thick forest and green hills are seen along much of the climb.

We ride towards, and ultimately past, the famed Monte Averau the majority of the climb.  Similar to the great Mont Venoux’s radio tower, it is not often that we have the great fortune of climbing within sight of an iconic formation for the majority of a bicycle climb.

Monte Averau

The highest mountain of the Dolomites Nuvolau Group at 2649 meters.

This mountain lies between Passo Falzarego and Passo Giau.

The pass itself lies at the base of Nuvolau Massif, which is one of the most renowned formations in the Dolomites.

Along the climb, a sign marks each of the 29 south ascent tornanti (hairpins).

Both sides of Passo Giau are fairly short and mild by Italian road bike climb standards.  The northern approach is 5.4 miles, 2,350’ at 8.2%, and the southern approach is 6 miles, 2,940’ at 9.4%.  The steepest sections from the south are:  11.1% for a ¼ mile, 10.55% for ½ a mile, and 10.2% for 1 mile, and the steepest sections from the north are:  10.8% for a ¼ of a mile, 10.1 for a ½ mile, and 9.9% for a mile.

Each approach to Passo Giau showcases what the Dolomites have to offer, that is, extreme and unparalleled beauty in the form of extraordinary and breathtaking mountain and rock formations.  Passo Giau (and its Dolomite neighbor Passo Poroi) is truly a bucket list set of climbs that are well worth travelling from, say, for example, Northern California (USA) to do -- and we are glad we included this pass in our 2017 six country, 55 climb European Climb Trip -- it may very well have been the greatest experience of the trip.      

IMG_2521.JPG     

Kilometer signs keep us company along the way.

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Cafe at the summit.

This is an extremely popular cycling destination.

The Giro d’Italia has featured Passo Giau ten times between 1973 and 2018. Most recently, Passo Giau was included in Stage 14 of the 2018 Giro.  This inclusion featured six passes climbed, for a “total rise and drop of 4,700 m (out of 5,400)” in a route that “runs across the Val Cordevole along well-surfaced roads, all the way to Arabba.”  From there, the route “clears Passo Pordoi, followed by Passo Sella and Passo Gardena (with not even a single flat metre in between), and heads for the first pass over the finish line in Corvara (intermediate sprint). The road then climbs up Passo Campolongo, Passo Giau (the harshest climb of the stage, with an average 9% gradients, and peaks of more than 10-12% over the first kilometres) and Passo Valparola, which leads to the final 5 km”  (Giroditalia).

Passo Giau has been the Cima Coppi of the Giro twice since that designation was first introduced in 1965 to honor arguably the Giro’s greatest participant of all time:

“The Cima Coppi is the title given to the highest peak in the yearly running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The mountain that is given this title each year awards more mountains classification points to the first rider than any of the other categorized mountains in the race.

The categorization was first introduced for the 1965 Giro d'Italia in honor of the late Fausto Coppi who won five editions of the Giro d'Italia and three mountain classification titles during his career. It was first announced on 22 April 1965 by then race director Vicenzo Torriani that the highest peak would award two times as many mountains classification points. Torriani thought of possibly awarding time bonuses to the first to summit the mountain; however, after many dissenting opinions, he opted to go award more mountains classification points.

The Cima Coppi changes from year to year, depending on the altitude profile of the Giro d'Italia, but the Cima Coppi par excellence is the Stelvio Pass, which at 2758 m is the highest point ever reached by the Giro. The Stelvio has been used in the 1972, 1975, 1980, 1994, 2005, 2012, 2014 and 2017 editions. It was also scheduled in 1965, 1988, and 2013, but in each case the course was modified due to weather conditions, with various effects on the Cima Coppi designation” (Wikipedia - Cima Coppi).