Punta Olimpica

Peru Punta Olimpica

45.3

PDI

28.9 mi

DISTANCE

6,958 ft

GAINED

ELEVATION GAINED

4.5 %

AVG. GRADE

AVG. GRADIENT

FULL CLIMB STATS

Page Contributor(s): Ties Arts, Bussum, Netherlands; Bryan Kevan (BMK Framewerckx), Berkeley, California; Jelmer Brinkman,Lent, Netherlands

INTRO

The Punta Olimpica road bike climb is in our opinion the second most epic bike climb in the world. There are so many factors that make this one of the greatest bike climbs on earth - challenging, stunningly scenic, glaciers, lakes, high altitude (finish at 4,736 meters/15,538’), hairpins, etc., etc.

While you're there, you can't miss the other side of the tunnel, Punta Olimpica East. It's every bit as epic!

This climb averages 4.5%. The steepest quarter mile of this climb is 13.9% and steepest continuous mile is 8.1%. 1 miles of the climb is at or above 10% grade. The gradient on this climb is broken down as follows: 1.3 miles (4.7%) of descent; 15.8 miles (54.7%) at 0-5% grade; 10.7 miles (37.3%) at 5-10% grade; 0.9 miles (3%) at 10-15% grade; 0.1 miles (0.4%) at 15-20% grade;

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via our interactive Profile Tool.

When you reach the town of Shilla, there's a .2 mile section averaging 15% (our Wahoo read as high as 19%). Ever wonder what biking up 19% feels like at 10,000 feet above sea level? It hurts!

Roadway & Traffic:

This is a well maintained national park road, and the surface is excellent. Traffic is mainly tourists driving around the park and very light.

You'll have to pay the national park fee to complete the second half of this climb.

Parking:

There is street parking at the start of the climb. We used a SAG who drove along with us and didn't have to park (which we recommend).

Gear:

As you can assume from the altitude, these climbs can get very, very cold at the top. When riding this high in the mountains, rain and snow storms can formulate and appear at a moments notice. Make sure you bring sufficient cold gear and an emergency rain jacket, even if it's warm and sunny when you start!

Provisions:

There are places to get water and snacks in the Shilla District at mile 6, and restrooms, a restaurant, and vending machine at the park entrance at mile 14.

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 Huaraz, about 90 minutes from the start of the climb. We highly recommend where we stayed at La Casa de Zarela, an excellent bed and breakfast with incredibly warm and friendly hosts.

If doing this climb again, we'd probably choose to stay in Carhuaz right at the start. It is a very hard climb to get to, but without a doubt the highlight of a Peruvian cycling trip. All of the climbs in central Peru require a good amount of driving to get to, regardless of where you're staying.