Best Bike Climbs in Colombia

Colombia’s top bike climbs

#2 Alto de Letras, Photo:  top right & center

#13 Alto de Linea, bottom right; #4 Picacho, top left;  #7 Limonar, bottom left.

This relatively small South American country is home to three of the Top 100 World Bike Climbs.

#2 BIKE CLIMB IN COLOMBIA

ALTO DE LETRAS

50.5 miles (third longest bike climb in the world)

Behind only #1 Mauna Loa, USA (62.2 miles); #2 Wuling East, Taiwan (54.3 miles).

We gain 14,526’ on the climb + 4,025’ on the return

Total out and back:  101 miles and 18,551’ climbed.

#4 BIKE CLIMB IN COLUMBIA

PICACHO

Ride 28.8 miles gaining 7,420’ at 5% average grade.

This scenic and very challenging bike climb is located out of Bucaramanga (population 570,752 in 2018) in northeastern Colombia, not far from its border with Venezuela.  This is the third most difficult bike climb in Colombia and #73 in the world.

#7 BIKE CLIMB IN COLUMBIA

EL LIMONAR 

This climb is located close to Medellin, in the Andes mountains.  This brutally steep climb will have you suffering, we’d even call this one the hardest we did in Columbia.  That being said, we’d do it again -- and so should you!

Cycling El Limonar, just north of Medellin.

Ride six miles gaining 3,372’ at at 11% average grade.  

#13 BIKE CLIMB IN COLOMBIA

ALTO DE LA LINEA

Ride 12.5 miles gaining 5,200’ at 8% average grade.

This beast is only 120 miles from the start of Colombia #1 Alto de Letras (although it is a five hour drive).  This climb is ranked #2 in Colombia and #50 in the world.  At 8% for a full 12.5 miles this climb is draining, challenging, and just plain hard!