The Sella Pass, the Pordoi Pass, the Campolongo Pass, and the Gardena Pass. These are the 4 bike passes of the Dolomites that are, in classic iconography, part of the legendary Giro d’Italia’s history.
Four Dolomites passes that boast one of the most fascinating and captivating tours on two wheels, and it’s not for nothing.
It’s a challenge on level ground which is rather stimulating and leads directly to what is quite rightly the heritage of cycling’s legend.
For a fan at heart, it’s a godsend to be able to admire on your own bike saddle some of the best and most fascinating natural scenery that the splendid Dolomite mountains have to offer.
It’s easy to fall into rhetoric or even banality when talking about the Dolomites’ 4 bike passes, a route that winds through truly magical and gorgeous locations, places where the human dimension meets that of its majesty, the Dolomites.
The 4 Dolomite bike passes also allow you to enter and visit the real and true Ladin heart of the Dolomites.
Moena, Canazei, Arabba, Corvana, Ortisei (St. Ulrich; Urtijëi), Livinallongo, and Alleghe, all places that worthily represent what is perhaps one of the most compelling excursions on the Dolomites.
The Sella Pass at 2240m, Pordoi Pass at 2239m, Campolongo Pass at 1875m, and Gardena Pass at 2121m: 4 Dolomite passes to complete by bike that don’t necessarily need to be tackled in order. It’s not for nothing that all of the accommodation on offer allows you to comfortably complete the stages.
In fact, there’s a suitably wide range of accommodation available amongst its 3 star Dolomites hotels, in addition to the choices available for the 4 star Dolomites hotels and the Dolomites B&Bs.
If on bike this ends up being an endeavor beyond your physical capabilities, it certainly won’t be any less fascinating tackling the 4 Dolomites passes in a comfortable car, even doing the 4 passes of the Dolomites by motorbike.
You certainly can’t forget, however, that taking on the 4 Dolomites passes by bike is a continual source of emotion, that pedalling there can be demanding and can cause problems even for a professional cyclist.
Once you reach the height of 2000m there aren’t sections that allow you to adequately recuperate, as you find yourself repeatedly going from a steep decline to tiring ascent. When completing the 4 Dolomites passes, regardless of the manner in which you choose to do them, you must complete the almost compulsory stage of the Pordoi Pass in order to admire the memorial dedicated to the legendary Fausto Coppi.