Giro d’Italia climbs – Alpe di Noveis and Bielmonte

FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER

We start from the square in Bielmonte and go down the Panoramica Zegna road and the Conca dei rododendri and reach Valle Sessera after passing through Crocemosso and Pray. On reaching Crevacuore we take the road to the village of Ailoche and Alpe Noveis (1,099 m).

This climb, in the Agliè-Oropa leg of the 2014 Giro d’Italia, is not very well known but very beautiful and tough. The steep and narrow road climbs up through the woods in tight zigzags. After the easy first 3 km there’s a long, seemingly endless section with gradients reaching 16% and averaging over 11% for around 5 km. In view of the top, the road emerges from the woods and the gradient eases a bit. The descent too is not to be underestimated. The road continues to be narrow, winding and very technical.

Having reached the valley bottom, we start back up to Bielmonte.

This is a fairly long climb with a fair elevation gain but there are no high gradients at all. The road is wide and therefore doesn’t offer much shade but it means that what little traffic there is is not a problem. From Trivero to the top the climb is on the Panoramica Zegna road.

The first part of the climb, to Trivero, is decidedly easy. The more demanding part starts after Casa Zegna and the Wool Mill (built in 1919) with a series of zigzags and gradients never exceeding 9%. We cross the picturesque Conca dei Rododendri to Bocchetta di Stavello, where the gradient eases a little, and Bocchetto di Luvera. From here it gets steeper again (around 7%) but we’ve nearly reached our destination, Bielmonte.