17.7
PDI
6 mi
DISTANCE
2,546 ft
GAINED
7.8 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Passo Cibiana from Venas di Cadore climbs 9.7 km (6.0 mi) from the Boite valley to the pass at 1541 m (5057 ft), gaining 776 m (2546 ft) at a 7.8% average. This is the eastern and harder side of the pass that links the Cadore with the Val di Zoldo, and it's the side the Giro d'Italia climbed on Stage 18 in 2023, the day Filippo Zana outsprinted Thibaut Pinot at the finish in Val di Zoldo.
The climb has a breather in the middle. It starts firmly out of the Boite crossing at 7-8%, almost flattens as you roll through the hamlets of Cibiana di Cadore, then saves its toughest stretch for last: 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at 9.2% through the forest to the pass, with the steepest kilometer at 11.9%. The Sassolungo di Cibiana rises behind the village, and traffic is light for a road that crosses a Dolomite pass.
Cibiana di Cadore is the reason to slow down. Since 1980 more than 60 murals have been painted on the facades of its houses, each telling the story of the family or trade that lived there. At the top, the Rifugio Remauro sits on the pass, and a former military road closed to cars continues to the summit of Monte Rite (2181 m / 7156 ft).
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. Passo Cibiana from Venas di Cadore covers 9.7 km (6.0 mi), climbing from 792 m (2599 ft) at the Boite bridge to 1541 m (5057 ft) at the pass with 776 m (2546 ft) of gain, an average of 7.8%.
It comes in three pieces. The first 3 km (1.9 mi) average 7.1% up out of the valley. Then the road levels through the hamlets of Cibiana di Cadore, gaining only about 30 m (100 ft) in 1.2 km (0.7 mi). From there to the summit it's 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at 9.2%, with whole kilometers at 9-10%.
The steepest kilometer averages 11.9%, the steepest 2 km (1.2 mi) 10.3% and the steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) 9.4% - all of it on the upper half above the village.
Roadway: Paved throughout on the SP347, a partly narrow, winding provincial road that was good enough for the Giro d'Italia in 2023. The pass road is kept open through the winter, but at over 1500 m (4900 ft) the upper forest section can see snow and ice from late autumn into spring.
Traffic: Light to moderate - a rider count on this side found roughly 10 to 30 vehicles an hour, mostly locals heading to Cibiana and drivers crossing to the Val di Zoldo. Above the village, what's left is mainly through traffic over the pass.
Parking: Venas di Cadore is a small hamlet of Valle di Cadore on the SS51, and the climb starts just below it at the Boite bridge. The easiest approach is to ride in on the Lunga Via delle Dolomiti, the cycle path built on the old Calalzo-Cortina-Dobbiaco railway, which runs right through Venas - from Calalzo or Pieve di Cadore it's an easy warm-up.
Gear: A compact crankset with a 30- or 32-tooth low cog handles the 9-10% kilometers above Cibiana. Bring a wind layer for the pass and the descent into either valley.
Provisions: Cibiana di Cadore, partway up, is the last village before the pass, so top up there or in Venas before the hard upper half. The Rifugio Remauro on the pass serves food and drink.
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.
Give yourself time in Cibiana di Cadore. The murals began in 1980, when local man Osvaldo Da Col brought the idea home from years working in Germany, and more than 60 now cover the village, painted by Italian and international artists and each tied to the history of the building it's on - the cheesemaker, the blacksmiths, the village shop, a letter from an emigrant in Argentina. Cibiana also has a long key-making tradition that grew out of its old iron mines, and keys are still made here today.
From the pass, the former military road climbs to Monte Rite, where Reinhold Messner's Messner Mountain Museum Dolomites occupies a fort built between 1911 and 1915. The museum did not open for the 2026 season and the shuttle up from the pass was suspended, so check its status before planning a visit around it.
Back in the valley, the parish church in Venas holds a work by Francesco Vecellio, the older brother of Titian, and Titian's birthplace of Pieve di Cadore is only a few kilometers away. Weather can change quickly at the pass, so check current conditions before you go with our Weather tool.
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