The Giro d’Italia started on Friday and will feature three weeks of racing. Stage 15 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia, will feature a challenging 214km route from Fiume Veneto, to Asiago, with the formidable Monte Grappa as one of the most important climbing stages. I have only ridden this little hill once, way back in 1990, but admit, it isn’t a little hill ... but a brute. Here’s that story.
Mónte Grapa is mountain of the Venetian Prealps, near Veneto, Italy. It lies between the Venetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the north. The mountain top is 1,775 metres above sea level, equating to about 1500 metres of climbing, as the start of the climb is a couple of hundred metres above sea level.
This year’s assent to Monte Grappa, will be 21kms long, from the Strada Cadorna side, which is the less steep way to the summit. However, these poor souls will ride it TWICE !
After a 78 km romp through the plateaus of Italian Alps after the climb, the peleton will have circled around to climb it AGAIN, from the other side. The second ascent of Monte Grappa, will be from Semonzo, which is considered a far more difficult approach. This climb is shorter at 18.2 km long, therefore has a steeper gradient, with an average of 8.1%. However, don’t let the 8.1% fool you, as there are a couple of shallow sections, that distort the average to that lower percentage. This direction features sections of up to 17%, but for much of the climb, it remains at an energy-sapping grind, of between 8% and 9.5%. This is the ascent I rode way back when. (see the attached Gradient charts)
I was at a cycling camp in Bassano del Grappa and one of the days was dedicated to climbing. Most of the time we rode along the river valleys, stopped at local restaurants and one day we toured the Scapin bicycle factory. (Needless to say, the bikes we rode were Scapins, a marque not sold in North America, but a really excellent racing machine.) However, the days I loved the most were very fast and intense training with the Italian National Team, time trial coach. We got along famously, even though there was quite a language barrier, but he knew more words in English, than I in Italian. He gave me a nickname … ‘Pepper’ (apparently due to my high cadence, smaller gear riding style, which was not common in those days, as most TT specialists used large gears and a slower cadence.) Oh those days were great and felt my speed had improved from the time spent there. Then again, the day I remember most, had nothing to do with speed, it was the little 200km ride in the mountains. (Which for most of the others was what they were there for … climbing. For me … not so much !)
There were about forty riders that day, as they had invited a group of locals to go with us, essentially as “tour guides” (IE to keep us from getting lost … there were no GPS or cycling computers in those days) We rode a large loop following many of the famous climbs in the area, but we had been warned about the Monte Grappa. It was a mountain of legends, but we had no idea where it was, or when we would tackle it.
At the base of all the climbs, everyone would attack, trying to drop other riders and we soon got into that groove ... Hill equals acceleration, Steep hill equals acceleration, very large hill equals acceleration. This had been going on for about 150kms, of non-stop trying to drop everyone else, (IE pain) but then we turned a corner and my group attacked, but none of the locals. I remember the guy beside me shaking his hands and gesturing we slow down … we knew where we were !
After 150 kms, knowing we now were to climb 18 kms of killer hill, instantly formed a lump in my stomach (A lead one apparently) It started not too badly at 8 or 9%, which is about the same steepness as the hill leading up to Hiawatha, probably the hardest climb in the Sault. However, Hiawatha hill is only about 150 metres long. Luckily I wasn’t doing the math in my head, as this climb is literally 120 times as long. Not only that ... there were a few stretches of 17% gradient ! Needless to say it was a LONG climb, much worse than anything I had ever ridden up to that point. It took me well over an hour of slugging. At the summit, there were actually a group of people handing out newspapers. No, not to read, but to tuck under our jerseys, as a buffer against the wind of the descent to come. Needless to say, the descent was MUCH faster than the ascent, down into Asolo, then back into Bassano.
I couldn’t say it was 200kms of bliss, but the first 150 were pretty nice, as was the decent back to the camp’s hotel. It was that little 18km piece near the end, that made the greatest impression.
MONTE GRAPPA VIA SEMONZO
The Giro d’Italia started on Friday and will feature three weeks of racing. Stage 15 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia, will feature a challenging 214km route from Fiume Veneto, to Asiago, with the formidable Monte Grappa as one of the most important climbing stages. I have only ridden this little hill once, way back in 1990, but admit, it isn’t a little hill ... but a brute. Here’s that story.
Mónte Grapa is mountain of the Venetian Prealps, near Veneto, Italy. It lies between the Venetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the north. The mountain top is 1,775 metres above sea level, equating to about 1500 metres of climbing, as the start of the climb is a couple of hundred metres above sea level.
This year’s assent to Monte Grappa, will be 21kms long, from the Strada Cadorna side, which is the less steep way to the summit. However, these poor souls will ride it TWICE !
After a 78 km romp through the plateaus of Italian Alps after the climb, the peleton will have circled around to climb it AGAIN, from the other side. The second ascent of Monte Grappa, will be from Semonzo, which is considered a far more difficult approach. This climb is shorter at 18.2 km long, therefore has a steeper gradient, with an average of 8.1%. However, don’t let the 8.1% fool you, as there are a couple of shallow sections, that distort the average to that lower percentage. This direction features sections of up to 17%, but for much of the climb, it remains at an energy-sapping grind, of between 8% and 9.5%. This is the ascent I rode way back when. (see the attached Gradient charts)
I was at a cycling camp in Bassano del Grappa and one of the days was dedicated to climbing. Most of the time we rode along the river valleys, stopped at local restaurants and one day we toured the Scapin bicycle factory. (Needless to say, the bikes we rode were Scapins, a marque not sold in North America, but a really excellent racing machine.) However, the days I loved the most were very fast and intense training with the Italian National Team, time trial coach. We got along famously, even though there was quite a language barrier, but he knew more words in English, than I in Italian. He gave me a nickname … ‘Pepper’ (apparently due to my high cadence, smaller gear riding style, which was not common in those days, as most TT specialists used large gears and a slower cadence.) Oh those days were great and felt my speed had improved from the time spent there.
Then again, the day I remember most, had nothing to do with speed, it was the little 200km ride in the mountains. (Which for most of the others was what they were there for … climbing. For me … not so much !)
There were about forty riders that day, as they had invited a group of locals to go with us, essentially as “tour guides” (IE to keep us from getting lost … there were no GPS or cycling computers in those days) We rode a large loop following many of the famous climbs in the area, but we had been warned about the Monte Grappa. It was a mountain of legends, but we had no idea where it was, or when we would tackle it.
At the base of all the climbs, everyone would attack, trying to drop other riders and we soon got into that groove ... Hill equals acceleration, Steep hill equals acceleration, very large hill equals acceleration. This had been going on for about 150kms, of non-stop trying to drop everyone else, (IE pain) but then we turned a corner and my group attacked, but none of the locals. I remember the guy beside me shaking his hands and gesturing we slow down … we knew where we were !
After 150 kms, knowing we now were to climb 18 kms of killer hill, instantly formed a lump in my stomach (A lead one apparently) It started not too badly at 8 or 9%, which is about the same steepness as the hill leading up to Hiawatha, probably the hardest climb in the Sault. However, Hiawatha hill is only about 150 metres long. Luckily I wasn’t doing the math in my head, as this climb is literally 120 times as long. Not only that ... there were a few stretches of 17% gradient ! Needless to say it was a LONG climb, much worse than anything I had ever ridden up to that point. It took me well over an hour of slugging.
At the summit, there were actually a group of people handing out newspapers. No, not to read, but to tuck under our jerseys, as a buffer against the wind of the descent to come. Needless to say, the descent was MUCH faster than the ascent, down into Asolo, then back into Bassano.
I couldn’t say it was 200kms of bliss, but the first 150 were pretty nice, as was the decent back to the camp’s hotel. It was that little 18km piece near the end, that made the greatest impression.