Another absolutely spectacular Dolomites climb!

Cycling Passo Pordoi from Canazei

Ride 11.8 kilometers gaining 742 meters at 6.3% to 2,239 meters

Visit PJAMM Cycling’s 2022 Giro d’Italia page.

Passo Pordoi is located in the Dolomites mountains of the Italian Alps.

The Passo is located between the Sella Group to the north and Marmolada group to the south.

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Steepest kilometer is 7.4% and 88.5% of the climb is at 5-10%.

While the route to Passo Pordoi is more scenic, the ascent from Arabba is more often included in the Giro and the Maratona dles Dolomites (seven Dolomites passes, 138 kilometers, 4230 meters).  However, in 2021 and 2022 the Giro features Passo Pordoi from Canazei as it makes its fifteenth appearance as the Cima Coppi on the Giro’s Queen Stage.

Stage 16 (May 24, 2021):

2022 Giro d'Italia Stage 20

2022 Giro d'Italia Stage 20

GIRO D’ITALIA HISTORY

Passo Pordoi was first featured in the Giro d’Italia in 1937 and since has appeared 40 times (most recently 2022). It has been the Cima Coppi (highest point of the Giro) 14 times (15 after the Giro passes over it May 28,  Stage 20), more than any other pass in Giro history (Stelvio is second highest at 9^[1]).  

Cima Coppi:

“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.

Photo:  Wikipedia

Fausto Coppi finished first on Passo Pordoi 5 times

He also won the Giro 5 times (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952-53)

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).

The two routes up to Passo Pordio come close, but just a tad short, to rivaling the incomparable Giau in beauty.  Along with Passo Giau (and so many other Dolomites beauties), Passo Pordio is a bucket list-travel-from-California-worthy climb.

The presence and significance of the Giro d’Italia is unmistakable in Canazei.

Note: All photo collages are in sequential order as we climb the mountain - except for the tornante and kilometer photos which appear at the end of this climb summary.

Climb begins in Canazei.

Canazei is in the Trentini-Alto Adige Region of Italy, in the Dolomites.  The town is very quaint and has a population of roughly 1,900.  And, while Passo Pordoi is part of the famous Sella Ronda, the route does not actually pass through Canazei.

Just leaving Canazei.

Tram area at kilometer 4.3.

Hotel Pordoi at hairpin 18 and kilometer 10.

Nearing the finish.

There are a couple of ristoranti at the top.

THERE ARE 27 SWITCHBACKS ON THE CLIMB

Note: Some signs are were missing at the time of our ride.