10 Hardest Climbs In Professional Cycling

[@gcn]

What other climbs do you think should have made the list? 👇

[@mscbijles1256]

So, based on the numbers, why did you put the mortirolo higher than zoncolan and angliru?

[@hawkmantm465]

Stelvio!!!

[@fastasasloth]

There are no tough climbs, just inappropriate gearing.......

[@JanicMilan]

One of the most difficult i have ridden is in Serbia,Debelo brdo. 25kms, max around 12%. They say sometimes cars manage to get up the hill without overheating. That is still a legend :)

[@juliangarciasalinas6844]

you have forgotten the bola del mundo, was rinden in vuelta a España 2010/ 2012.

[@dioright]

Top 5 rarest thing on GCN today 1. John Beaven 2 .Tom Last 3. Rear hub sound check 4. Presenters riding with pro's 5. Dan talking about his pro career (I almoust forgot what was name of his team).

[@bhumiriady]

Dan's team when he was racing professionally is the Cervelo Test Team.

[@rooadamson]

​@@bhumiriady what team sorry?

[@bhumiriady]

@@rooadamson Cervelo Test Team.

[@rubenlegout6578]

Sorry didn’t hear, say that again ? The what ?

[@henkjanvanderweide3362]

Where's the Colle delle Finestre, it's 18 km to around 10%, with the last half gravel. It's the climb where Froome started his 80 km solo in the 2018 giro

[@gcn]

That would certainly be a contender!

[@beeble2003]

I’m confused. How is the Alto de los Machucos a 7.2km climb if the last kilometre is downhill? I get that there can be short descents in the middle of a climb but if the descent is at the end, the isn’t it actually a 6.2km climb?

[@cheesesandwich1236]

"hello, I would like to work for GCN." "What are your qualifications ?" "I have won the Taiwan KOM." "You're hired."

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

I love images of pros in the hurt box on brutal climbs. Thank you GCN!

[@cyka4075]

Hey

[@AdiGaskell]

The Rettenbachferner climb has been in the Tour of Austria a few times. From Solden it's 14.7km at just under 10%, which is hard enough on its own, but the climb starts at an altitude of 1300m and finishes at nearly 2,800m. In other words, it's like a Mortirolo at an altitude of the Stelvio.

[@japphan]

I think you forgot the 200m 3,6% climb just outside my house.

[@andyolsen4517]

Exactly what about getting up my driveway, 10m 8,4%

[@begardb]

😂

[@lueric2046]

Wow!! Taiwan KOM challenge is on the list of hardest climbs. I hope more and more world tour cyclists can join this famous race in Taiwan

[@Simte]

Not to mention it's truly beautiful. I'll training here in Colombia and one of these days I'll go. :)

[@tempaccount2585]

Nice to see Oscar and Emma on their Taiwan KOM wins! 4:25

[@DionigiBenincasa]

Punta veleno (featured in the 2012 Tour of the Alps/Giro del Trentino, Pozzovivo won the stage)

[@MikkelMunckRasmussen]

Lagos de Covadonga in Asturias is another good candidate. 12 km that averages 8%, but that is including 2 minor downhill sections, so the gradient is closer to 9-10% of the rest of the climb.

[@paulst8646]

You forgot the Höttinger Höll of the last year's World Championships

[@AngelGonzalez-hc4zw]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but the Lagos de Covadonga climb is one to be reckoned with even with today’s compact gearing. This climb was used in the early 80s as well, back when the 42 x 25 was used.

[@urby1720]

You won’t see the peloton go up Mt Washington in NH, USA. However, some pros have climbed it. That beast is insane and can hang with the best!

[@ianmonica7526]

12 km at a relentless 11.9% average, max is over 20%. And like Ventoux, factor in the weather, which includes the worlds highest ever wind speed.

[@alessiosaviane8312]

Nice video as usual. I guess I'm a little late but Punta veleno on the Garda lake east side is even harder than Zocolan but with a much nicer sight on the lake! Check it out if can!

[@tomrachellesfirstdance7843]

Mont Due Chat is pretty savage and how about Colle Delle Finestre it killed most the peloton in the Giro

[@kevanmurphy8035]

What about the Valley of the Tears in Gran Canaria. Absolutely brutal. I think Si went down it in one of last years videos. Maybe go up it this year....

[@samhart7091]

Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. The hardest part start above in at above 10,000 ft. (3,047 m.). It tops out at 14,101 ft. (4,298 m.) and the max gradient is 15.7%. It's used as the USA's National Hill Climb Championships.

[@sudduthjonathan]

Sam Hart, I rode PP twice last fall since I live in COS. It’s no fun on a windy day, which it was the second time! My Dad’s ebike ran out of batteries a mile from the top; total bummer.

[@thegreenbikerider6189]

The Muro is brutal. Completed the Lombardia Gran Fondo in October. Insane.

[@SebastianMartinez-oj5lk]

Alto de Letras completed, i have 9 more to complete! Greetings from Bogota, Colombia!

[@dekoderdekis1]

Kitzbüheler Horn?

[@paulnewman8803]

I'm not sure I could walk a 23% climb!

[@jatinmaharao6888]

Definitely not with cleats

[@gamma_dablam]

ratswordoow tbf there’s a lot of achievement in knowing you got up purely on the bike rather than walking.

[@samac5555]

I've done Monte Zoncolan in 2018 and hopefully in next weeks again but would be awesome to do all of them as complete amateur. Love your videos !

[@Fernando-rz3ql]

What about Passo dello Stelvio? Might just be the hardest climb in Europe...

[@choprn]

There's a few left on the list. El alto de bizkaia, la bola del mundo and cuitu negru in spain. In Costa Rica there one huge monster call "El Cerro de la Muerte" Goes up to 3360 up to sea level.

[@bobbwc7011]

There is an old Tour de France rule: The riders make the race hard. Many Tour de France climbs are harder than the ones shown here simply because the peloton is stronger and more competitive compared to the Giro and Vuelta.

[@dominicjames4848]

Hardest one I've tried myself is Mont Chery in Les Gets, it was used as the prologue for the Dauphine in 2016. Features 600m at 18%, which felt like the very limit of what I could handle.

[@gcn]

It's crazy huh!

[@jen3800]

Signal Hill, and the Brow, in St John's Newfoundland and pretty much any road in town. I was born on a hill. Nothin' but hills back home.

[@HansChristianFrancke]

Juvasshytta is a good candidate. Not in any pro-tour yet, but it should be. 13.16 km average at 9.9% and a net climb of 1,300 m.

[@superflex6587]

Wait for this years UAE tour. Jebel Jais is a beast

[@Jazzmaster11]

Colle Dell'Agnello from Casteldelfino : altitude : 2744m, 20km at 7.3% but the last 10kms around 10%.

[@davidriveiro4583]

Mirador del Ézaro, in Galicia. It was a final of Vuelta a España. it is 1,82 km only. But has an avg 14,5% and max 30%!!

[@evanmacdougall9715]

Stage 17 of the 2018 Vuelta finishing at Balcó de Bizkaia up the steep slope in dense fog was pretty epic. All the riders seemed to be riding in slow motion.

[@KimTumamakMusicPH]

As a beginner, a local climb called east ridge climb is brutal. 2.3km with an average gradient of 10%. And the last 900-800m averages 15% with max gradient of 24%

[@jehelmetify]

Port de larau between Basque and Bearn country in south west France is another hard climb you had to consider ..

[@patrickfrank5063]

I love how half the pictures are Contador and Nibali

[@christopherbeattie263]

Two words - Mauna Kea.

[@getoutandride]

I would add the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington auto road hill climb in New Hampshire, it's only open to cyclists 2 times a year, they have a practice ride in July and the race in August, they only allow you to ride it up, you will need to have a driver take you down in a car.

[@stevexjet]

Little known but a brutal climb near Hamburg, IN. Hilltop Rd is only 1.2k but 100M-400M is at 26% 400-600M at 27%. The remaining portion is limited to 13% and it seems to be a break. My iPhone literally slipped down the hill when I was measuring the 27% with a slope scale app. More than corn in Indiana.

[@nickw6175]

my favourite is a series of hills in the quantocks Somerset, on a 40km ride you can get 1100m of climb including the crowcombe hill topping out at 29% max love to get around in under 2 hours although ~I am sure Emma would bang it out in about 35mins !

[@johnbouttell5827]

I loved the Chris Opie video, especially the van tour. Perhaps we have a new channel coming; GCV: Global Cycling Vans.

[@grandad1982]

Not sure its a pro climb but Hardknott Pass is pretty savage!

[@djpalmer31]

I think it's about time that GCN had a presenter challenge up Hardknott Pass

[@sipandrei6403]

Transalpina and transfagarasan are nice climbs

[@jackiejango]

Sveti jure in croatia starting from podgora. 23km from a little bit above 0m up to 1700m above sea level

[@phildelgiudice3448]

North Wilton Road in CT!

[@fabioandressalazarreyes8285]

We have the línea climb (22km), picacho climb (50km) among others in Colombia. You missed alpe d' huez, Galiber, Gavia.

[@DrJRMCFC]

Monte Crostis, the epic stage in the Giro that never happened. Shame, as the small village at the bottom of the climb named their square after the Giro. I did it after doing the hard side of the Zoncolan (Ovaro) going up the intended Giro side (from Comeglians and Miele). The hardest day of climbing I’ve ever done

[@SergioCristancho]

👍🏼 nice ranking... 3 thing's about letras, there's 2 sides of letras side 1 Is the longest and famous the side 2 the short one is the infamous hell. Pro cyclists make letras in 3 to 4 hours and the KOM record is 3 hrs 05 min... for the 80 km distance but there's a 86 km segment. The hardest part that make letras the hardest above them all is the altitude reaching 4000 mosl and starting at 1900... there's a redefinition of training and conditioning for altitude. But you must get you own impressions GCN come and take on letras.

[@kieranbarry8193]

Letras is long and high but its not one of the hardest imo

[@luislemusda]

Casa de maquinas in México. hardest part is 16.36 km, at 10% MAX of 21%, from 940 m to 2450m. Although the climb is 21.6 km at 7 % in total.

[@jetthamilton8131]

Col de la loze, alpe d huez and the col de la Croix de fer

[@lestandardmaruine]

the last 2 arent tough climbs

[@MikkelMunckRasmussen]

San Pellegrino in Alpe north of Lucca. 13km with an average gradient of 9%(including a downhill section) makes it the hardest climb in Tuscany. Especially the last 2.5 km are brutal, with an average gradient at around 15%. For some reason it's rarely used in the Giro - maybe it's too hard ;-)

[@jordyv5421]

Time to make an other video about this subject!

[@AryanSingh-vz4uu]

Love your content guys

[@cirosemprebon6755]

check out Punta Veleno on Garda Lake.

[@superluvver3]

The zoncolan from ovaro is crazy ,yes crazy ,averages 15.4 for last 8km ! The mortirolo from mazzo imo is harder overall,as there is absolutely no respite ever! It's so hard The 10% parts feel like a recovery..the mortirolo from tovo St agata is much harder with 23% ramps where it joins from famous mazzo route. The stelvio is hard due to altitude, the gavia is a bit like mortirolo,it's a beast.my 2 cents.

[@dlus6369]

Move over Koppenberg, get the pros on Trooper Lane in Halifax. Cobbled with a max of 33%. That'll sort the peleton out!

[@lestandardmaruine]

In Belgium and France there are real cobbles

[@sohlbergk]

At some point steep becomes stupid. I'm not sure where that happens, but definitely below 33%.

[@kieranbarry8193]

I would add Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain. 40kms long, and like Wuling, the last 7k are simply brutal

[@jondillon3333]

Was Berti the most featured rider in these images?

[@fredcouture1158]

Mount Washington in New Hampshire like 12km at 12% with sweet spot at 22%

[@sevenrats]

Not a professional climb though. It's only used for independent open races. Pro's do ride in those races sometimes though. It's brutal. It has extended sections around 16%. For the average serious amateur cyclist you absolutely have to have the gearing on your bike changed to allow at least a 1:1 gear ratio. Less for many riders.

[@pasqualerecchia5932]

What about Colle delle Finestre?

[@gamer-yr8et]

Passo dello Stelvio, Colle delle Finestre and Passo Fedaia from Italy

[@Camuvingian]

Passo Dello Stelvio!?

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

Its long but its not sooooooooo hard.

[@rubenschoenmakers5426]

More difficult than the ventoux for sure.

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

@@rubenschoenmakers5426 yeah also that one should not be included. I live in bolzano in the middle of the alps and here we have a lot of alpine passes which are more difficult but not that present in races like the manghenpass, timmelsjoch etc.

[@stanislavdermek4982]

Absolutely! And the weather there is a real gamble. The climb from Trafoi to the summit is probably the most challenging for the bikers in Europe.

[@Fyr35555]

Personally I think Everest is a contender. Pretty chill up there but don't expect to find a Mc Donalds. You never know though, perhaps Dan (now Eurosport) could climb it if you gave him a beer or two.. and if he could clip in....

[@matthewho1053]

How about the Muro De Aia, the climb which Tom Last enjoy?

[@SumoSammyDodger]

If the koppenburg was on the list then the paterberg should be too. That climb is crazy

[@lestandardmaruine]

Paterberg is just around 400 meters with an maximum gradient of 20.8 percent.

[@2rocship]

Any idea which chainring / sprocket the riders use to get up the steepest sections?

[@chrishey6891]

The Killer Mile of Mow Cop in Staffordshire. 9% straight into the climb, then creeping up through the teens till you get to a few 100 metres of 20%, then 200 metres of 25%, which isn't the end, it "eases" off back into the teens for the last 300 metres. Oh and it is bumpy in sections and goes under the trees early on making it slippy. #ouch

[@alpinisme07]

Dolomitenstrasse, Lienz, Austria. 7kms long, 13% average gradient.... Done this some years ago.

[@simonknowles4267]

Wooohoooo I’ve never been first to watch a GCN video.....another one of the bucket list

[@gcn]

Hahah!

[@noahjimkrak]

What about planche de belle filles in the tdf 2019 with the part where they had to ride on a dirt road?

[@connorboles4569]

It was also the time trial in the tour this year

[@lestandardmaruine]

La Plance Des Belles Filles is quite do-able

[@dergaukler4657]

Timmelsjoch (Passo Rombo)??

[@_xO_Ox_]

Nice material at 4:21 on the right 😍

[@samuelfawdry6411]

I climbed the Col de Joux Plane that was the most brutal climb I have climbed I think it was in the height of summer which made it even harder for me

[@joeydekkers2703]

Maybe Passo dello Stelvio?

[@beastiecarrion]

Joux Plane ... savage. The only climb to crack Armstrong while he was on go faster juice

[@tapieromateo]

Awesome to see letras here.

[@SteveBerman55]

Brasstown Bald, Georgia

[@danielblank4305]

can you remake this video with cool visual maps? all the stats are great but seeing it on a map will really let the difficulty sink in.

[@jpmtlhead39]

In my personal opinion and by personal experience the Angliru it's the most Cruel Climb in professional cycling. Breaks any person spirit.

[@thymenvuik8357]

Stelvio is the one i miss

[@AryanSingh-vz4uu]

Awesome video

[@sitanshu3472]

Hey just wanna let you guys know that He bicycle club has beaten the Guinness world record for the longest line of cyclists!

[@andypandy352]

Colle del Agnello and Passo dello Stelvio?

[@nelsoncampos7339]

Alto del Picacho (Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia)

[@secretagent86]

pretty amazing. does anyone here know the road up from the harbour in white rock British Columbia Canada? I don't know it's gradient but i can hardly walk up it. The pedestrian slope has little bumps so people can manage up it. my guess is over 30 percent. nope i would NEVER try going up or (especially) down it.

[@lmao7439]

Col du granon is much difficult than plateau de solaison. Same distance and grade except to like 2400 m or something

[@watsonroadster3707]

The Stelvio Pass, The Gavia, Alpe D'Huez

[@傅傅-z2r]

Alpe D'Huez isn't very steep, just famous.

[@sebastiancoolidge2401]

Why isn’t a presenter bike check mini series? We want to see what bikes everyone has!!

[@thatboymark]

Doi Inthanon in Thailand - savage!

[@stevemansfield9582]

As below, Passo Dello Stelvio. From either side. Good to see the Mortirolo is on there, Gavia is quite an uphill battle too. Out to do all three again in May and to watch the Giro.

[@durianriders]

Doi Inthanon is.

[@gianpierotondina5720]

Stelvio, Fedaia, Pordoi.

[@chuchi1881]

Alto e Los Machucos Cantabria España .... Froome dice, es el ascenso más difícil en mi vida

[@sidritvaqari.svpipesdesign]

Zoncolan ,damn I saw when Froome wins that day ,really terrible

[@danielskaska]

You need to know more about Colombia

[@andreffbarros]

What about Bola Del Mundo??

[@bNaVSK]

I was thinking the same, one of the most spectacular for sure!

[@SaqerAlKhalifa]

Stelvio?

[@manumercado1127]

2:09 drum&bass!!!

[@sevenrats]

You just have accept the fact that when you climb these kinds of hills you're going to be there a while and just focus on staying within yourself. If you let your heart rate get up to threshold there's no way to recover.