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Saddle of Monte Zoncolan – Monte Zoncolan Summit loop from Kötschach-Mauthen

Saddle of Monte Zoncolan – Monte Zoncolan Summit loop from Kötschach-Mauthen

Hard

5.0

(2)

riders

Saddle of Monte Zoncolan – Monte Zoncolan Summit loop from Kötschach-Mauthen

06:58

106km

3,300m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 13, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 1.09 km for 92 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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1.14 km

Parish Church of Our Lady, Kötschach (Gailtal Cathedral)

Highlight • Religious Site

At the end of the Carinthian Gailtal, where the path splits towards Gailberg or Mauthen, lies the imposing and impressive Gailtal Cathedral. The parish church in Kötschach was dedicated to “Our Lady”. The church was built on the remains of a medieval predecessor, which is why it had an irregular floor plan with side aisles of different widths. The given structure had to be taken into account, which is why the southern aisle is significantly smaller.

Another unusual thing is that you go down into this church (staircase exit). In fact, when it was built, stairs led upwards as usual, but a devastating flood flooded the church with so much material that it was decided to reverse the access to the otherwise largely intact building!

Please also go into the church; the Rococo frescoes, for example, or the vault covered with delicate looping patterns, as well as the wall paintings depicting the Virgin Mary, are well worth seeing! The Gailtal Cathedral is undoubtedly exceptional and remarkable in many ways.

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39.3 km

Sella Valcalda

Mountain Pass

49.6 km

Ovaro

Highlight • Settlement

Small holiday resort. The ascent to the Zoncolan starts from here.

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49.8 km

Ovaro – Start and Finish of the Zoncolan Ascent

Highlight • Climb

The Ovaro side is the hardest.

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50.0 km

Monte Zoncolan Climb from Ovaro

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

Steep, Steeper, Monte Zoncolan
The superlative of mountain roads leads up Monte Zoncolan. This ski mountain in the Carnic Alps has been the toughest climb in the Giro several times.
Even the bare facts of this ladder to heaven sound devilish: The ten-kilometer climb up the 1,730-meter-high Zoncolan overcomes 1,203 meters of elevation gain. From kilometers two to seven, the average gradient is 15.3 percent, with two sections featuring 20 and 22 percent climbs.
After the turnoff in Ovaro, the road winds gently through the town, but at the last houses, the more than eleven percent gradient gives us a taste of the difficult main course.
After the town, the "Strada al Zoncolan" begins – 8.2 kilometers dedicated to the Giro's great climbers: Every few hundred meters, a large plaque with their pictures is installed. 18 in total.

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59.9 km

Saddle of Monte Zoncolan

Highlight • Mountain Pass

The Zoncolan is one of the most famous climbs of the Giro d'Italia. Also known as the Kaiser, the Zoncolan boasts truly demanding slopes, making the task of reaching the top decidedly difficult.

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