17.2
PDI
2.7 mi
DISTANCE
1,773 ft
GAINED
12.5 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Cardeto hangs on a promontory above the Sant'Agata valley. It's a village of about 1,200 people and one of the old centers of the Grecanica area, where a dialect descended from Greek is still spoken. Many of the climbs around Reggio Calabria are long and gradual. This one goes the other way: a short, steep farm road straight out of the village into the chestnut and pine country of the Aspromonte.
It's 4.4 km (2.7 mi) gaining 540 m (1,773 ft) at a 12.5% average, from 586 m (1,922 ft) to 1125 m (3,690 ft). The first half is hard but manageable at 9 to 13.5%. Then the zigzags tighten and it gets serious: two half-kilometers at about 18% with a short breather between them, and a steepest kilometer of 16.7%.
There's no col sign or bar at the top in Contrada Donna, just fields, pines and the view back down the valley. It's the kind of road you ride for the effort and the quiet.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Cardeto Contrada Cardolo climbs 4.4 km (2.7 mi) from 586 m (1,922 ft) to 1125 m (3,690 ft) at a 12.5% average, and it saves the worst for the second half.
0 to 0.5 km: 13.5% straight away out of Contrada Liso.
0.5 to 2 km: 9 to 10.5%, the steadiest part of the climb.
2 to 2.5 km: About 17.8% - the first wall.
2.5 to 3 km: A breather at around 7.7% near Contrada Garcea.
3 to 4 km: The crux: 17.8% and then 15.5%.
4 to 4.4 km: About 9.4% to the finish in Contrada Donna.
The steepest kilometer averages 16.7%, the steepest 2 km 14.9% and the steepest 0.5 km 18.6%, and there are very short pitches well over 20%.
Roadway: A narrow, single-lane paved road serving the scattered farms and houses of the contrade above Cardeto. Surface quality on these local roads varies, and the tightest switchbacks come where the grade peaks, so ride the descent slowly and start braking early for every hairpin.
Traffic: Very light - residents, farm vehicles and not much else. The real risk is meeting a car on a steep, blind bend with no room to pass, so keep right.
Parking: There's no dedicated lot. Park considerately in Cardeto village, a short roll from the start in Contrada Liso, or ride up from Reggio Calabria if you want a longer day - the road up the Sant'Agata valley makes a long warm-up.
Gear: Bring your lowest gearing. With two half-kilometers near 18%, a 34x34 or smaller is worth having, and slightly wider tires help on the steep, narrow descent.
Provisions: Fill bottles in Cardeto before you start; there's nothing on the climb. It's short, but the lower slopes get hot on a summer afternoon in Calabria, so take at least one full bottle.
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.
Cardeto is worth an hour off the bike. The parish church of Santi Sebastiano e Rocco anchors the village, and San Sebastiano's feast falls on 20 January. For lunch, Il Tipico Calabrese at the foot of the old town is a traditional osteria cooking with produce from its own garden, with a small museum of Aspromonte Greek rural life attached - call ahead (0965 343696).
Our Cardeto climb starts a few hundred meters away and heads south instead of north, so the two make a short, very hard double. For longer days, Reggio Calabria and our Mosorrofa climb are over the hills to the west, and the Strada Santa Venere climbs to Gambarie in the high Aspromonte.
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