Coll d’Ordino (East side)
Distance: 10.49 km
Elevation Gain: 470 m
Elevation Loss: 152 m
Difficulty:
346 (Easy)
FIETS Index: 2.22 FIETS
Avg Grade: 5.05 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 1533 m
Max elevation: 1973 m
Ride Category:
Climb
The Coll d’Ordino crosses the ridge between the parishes of Canillo and Ordino, in Andorra, and its east side, from Canillo, is the one the big races have used most. The Vuelta a España has climbed this side many times since 1994, and so have the Volta a Catalunya and Andorra’s own one-day race, the MoraBanc Clàssica. The Tour de France has crossed the pass twice, both times from Canillo. In 1993 Oliverio Rincón led over the top and rode on alone to win the stage at Pal. In 1997 the race came over on the day Jan Ullrich won at Arcalís and took the yellow jersey.
This ride starts in Canillo and climbs to the Collet de Montaup. From there a short path leads to the Roc del Quer viewpoint, a walkway built out over the valley, where a sculpture called El pensador, ‘the thinker’, stands. After a short dip the road reaches the col. From the 1980s until 1999 the people of Canillo and Ordino met here every August to share two roast calves, a feast that drew up to 4,000 people. The ride ends a short way down the Ordino side.
