Giau Pass

Passo Giau, at 2,305 meters above sea level, is one of the great mountains of Italian cycling and a symbolic climb of the Giro d'Italia. From the Selva di Cadore side, the climb measures 9.9 kilometers with an average gradient of 9.3 percent: numbers that tell a true challenge, loved by the most trained cyclists and feared by professionals as well.

The road climbs through 29 hairpin bends nestled in the Dolomites, giving spectacular views of the Nuvolau peaks and the wide alpine meadows surrounding the pass. Here the fatigue of the climb meets the history of great cycling: every bend recalls the exploits of champions who wrote memorable pages of the pink race.

The Giau made its debut at the Giro d'Italia in 1973 during the Andalo-Auronzo stage, when Spanish climber José Manuel Fuente succeeded on a mountain that challenged even Eddy Merckx. Over the years the pass has become one of the key points of the competition, often decisive in the fight for the Maglia Rosa. Unforgettable was the 2021 stage, tackled in the rain and cold, when Egan Bernal attacked right on the Giau consolidating his lead towards the final victory.