30.8
PDI
11.2 mi
DISTANCE
4,424 ft
GAINED
7.5 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
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. At 7.5% average over 11.2 miles, Colle di Sampeyre sud climbs with fewer extreme pitches than many Piemonte passes, but it holds that grade with little letup - our data shows the steepest kilometer, roughly midway up the climb, averages 10.7%, only modestly harder than the rest of the route.
That steadiness, combined with the valley's remoteness, means there's rarely a natural place to recover - riders should plan pacing around a long, sustained effort rather than saving matches for one crux section.
Roadway: Paved for the entire climb, though rider reports describe the asphalt out of Stroppo as rougher and more pothole-prone than the smoother sections higher up - budget for a bumpier lower half than the numbers alone would suggest. As with the north side of this pass, the summit stretch is a seasonal high-mountain road; check Provincia di Cuneo's alerts before an early- or late-season visit, since this side can stay closed into late spring.
Traffic: Light throughout - the Valle Maira sees a fraction of the traffic of Piemonte's more famous valleys, and Stroppo itself is a small, quiet village with little through-traffic beyond local and cyclist use.
Parking: Stroppo is a small village with informal roadside parking available near the start of the climb; there's no dedicated cyclist lot, so expect to park along the shoulder in the village itself.
A compact or triple setup suited to a sustained 7.5% average is the right call - there's no need for anything beyond standard Alpine climbing gears, though the rougher pavement out of Stroppo rewards slightly wider tires (28mm or more) for comfort over the potholed lower stretch.
Fill bottles in Stroppo before starting; this is a remote valley with no confirmed services along the climb itself. Because this side sees less traffic and less regular maintenance than the Sampeyre side, carry a spare tube and basic repair kit.
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.
Stroppo is a tiny, little-visited base in the Valle Maira - genuinely one of the quieter valleys in the Italian Alps, and worth a slow drive in on its own merits even before the climb. There's minimal tourist infrastructure in the village itself, so riders based here typically stay in nearby Dronero or one of the valley's small agriturismi rather than in Stroppo proper.
For the climb's other side - the shorter, north-facing approach from Sampeyre in the Valle Varaita, with its own Giro d'Italia history - see our Colle di Sampeyre page. Combining both sides into a there-and-back or point-to-point over the pass is a natural way to see the whole of this remote crossing in one day.
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