At the foot of the Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites, the Passo Fedaia is one of Italian cycling’s hardest and most legendary climbs, often chosen as the Giro d’Italia’s Cima Coppi.
Quick facts
- Start: Caprile (Rocca Pietore)
- Finish: Passo Fedaia (2,057 m)
- Length: 12.7 km
- Elevation gain: 1,001 m
- Average gradient: 7.8% (max 15.8%)
- Surface: paved
- Difficulty: extreme
From Caprile the road rises at a moderate gradient up to Malga Ciapela, but it’s beyond this point that the Fedaia shows its harshest side: four almost straight kilometres, nicknamed the “champions’ cemetery”, where the gradient rarely drops below 10% and peaks above 15%. Past the final ramp, Lake Fedaia opens up before you with the north face of the Marmolada and its glacier in the background, one of the most striking sights in the whole of the Dolomites. Traffic is generally light and the road surface excellent, but the climb demands nimble gearing and well-trained legs.
Did you know?
The Passo Fedaia has repeatedly decided the outcome of the Giro d’Italia: Marco Pantani produced one of his most famous rides here in 1998, and in later years the Cima Coppi has been won by champions such as Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali.
