Chiomonte – Colle delle Finestre – Usseaux: the most difficult climb in Europe

01/04/2024 - 31/10/2024
3 DAYS / 1 NIGHT
Susa
Heroic cycling

Description

Colle delle Finestre is well known to cyclists. The northern slope is considered one of the hardest climbs of Europe, for a length of 18.5 km over more than 1700 m of altitude difference, an average gradient of 9.1% which is almost constant over the entire route and the last dirt road section to the top to make it more demanding and picturesque. The climb of Colle delle Finestre has been travelled 4 times by the Giro d’Italia. In 2018, Colle was also the stage of Chris Froome's solo breakaway. He went on to win the pink jersey in Bardonecchia.


Schedule

Day 1

Check-in to a 3* Hotel in Susa.
Afternoon at leisure to discover the most fascinating places of the area. A visit to the city of Susa is a must. Seguisum, in Latin, it was originally inhabited by the Ligures, the Celts already 500 years before Christ and then by the Romans. Piazza Savoia, the main square, was built above the ancient city, and there are still archaeological remains of Roman times and the Savoy Gate of the 4th century.
Dinner in a local restaurant serving specialties of Valle Susa, between cured meats and selected cheeses, accompanied by wines produced by autochthonous grape varieties of Valle Susa such as Becuet and Baratuciat.
Return to hotel and overnight accommodation.

Day 2

Rich breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
Day among the unpaved hairpin bends of the Great Champions. A stage which has become mythical in just a few years. Le Finestre have become part of the history of road cycling, with that "white" part which has remained in very few Alpine passes. Everyone wants to do it and they can. Slowly, one hairpin bend after another. Be careful of punctures! The 38km route with an altitude difference of 1,751 m departs from Chiomonte in Valle Susa and descends towards Susa for 8 km. We follow the directions for Meana, the mythical 18.5km climb of Colle delle Finestre begins after about 500m. The first 2 km to Meana are very challenging.

LENGTH 38km
DIFFERENCE IN ALTITUDE 1,751m
MIN. ALTITUDE 484m
MAX. ALTITUDE 2,172m
BIKES Road/Gravel

Day 3

Breakfast in hotel and check-out.
The area is full of ideas for spending a day here, one of the richest in flora and fauna of the Alpine valleys of Piedmont.
The village of Usseaux is in Val Chisone and, aside from being the chief town of five villages among the mountains that also include Balboutet, Fraisse, Laux and Pourrieres, it is an area highly appreciated by enthusiasts of cycling and walking itineraries. A network of military roads offers routes suited to every need. And then the Great Piedmont Wall, namely the fortified complex of Fenestrelle, built between the 18th and 19th century over a surface of 1,350,000 m2 of compendium and a length of 3 km distributed over a difference in altitude of 650m.

Rates / Supplements

Price per person from:

€ 225,00 (groups of 1 pax)

Other

Holiday formula:

Individuals

Attachments
Chiomonte-Finestre
Info