Colle della Lombarda
Distance: 21.04 km
Elevation Gain: 1465 m
Elevation Loss: 0 m
Difficulty:
1256 (Very Hard)
FIETS Index: 10.20 FIETS
Avg Grade: 6.96 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 885 m
Max elevation: 2350 m
Ride Category:
Epic Climb
The Colle della Lombarda, 2,351 m, is climbed from Vinadio in the Valle Stura, Piedmont, Italy, and its Italian side is the pass’s original road. Until 1947 the basin beyond the col, where Isola 2000 now stands, belonged to Vinadio, and the road from Italy ended there; France completed the link after the border moved. The Tour de France first crossed the col in 2008, climbing this side on the stage from Cuneo to Jausiers, won by Cyril Dessel.
The ride starts just west of Vinadio and climbs past the turn for the sanctuary of Sant’Anna di Vinadio, at 2,035 m one of the highest sanctuaries in Europe. The sanctuary began as a hospice recorded in 1307, and its church was inaugurated in 1681. In 2016 the Giro d’Italia came down the top of this road from the col and turned off to finish at the sanctuary, where Vincenzo Nibali took the pink jersey that won him the race. The ride ends at the col, on the border.
