Muro di Sormano
| Muro di Sormano | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 280 m (920 ft) |
| Location | Lombardia |
| Start | Sormano |
| Altitude | 1,107 m (3,632 ft) |
| Length | 1,700 m (5,600 ft) |
| Average gradient | 17 % |
| Maximum gradient | 25 % |
The Muro di Sormano (English: Wall of Sormano) is a hill located in Sormano, Italy. This climb is famous as one of the most severe of any road cycling race, with an average gradient of 17% and a maximum of 25%. The road up the climb, though famous in cycling folklore, fell out of use from 1963 to 2006. After pressure from local cyclists it was restored, and now features split-times and soundbites from the riders of the climb in the 1960s era stencilled on the road. The current record time for the short but painful climb is 7 minutes 36 seconds, achieved by local rider Matteo Cappè.[1]
Giro di Lombardia
The Muro is famously associated with the Giro di Lombardia, a one-day race which featured the climb three times from 1960−1962. However, after complaints that the climb was so steep that riders were either falling off or being pushed up by fans, the climb was taken off the route. The rider Ercole Baldini dominated the climb during this period, although he later admitted that he was "ashamed to hold the record" because of this.[2]
After its restoration, the climb returned to the route during the 2012 edition, about 80 km from the finish of the race and before the less brutal and better known Madonna del Ghisallo climb. French rider Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) was the leader at the summit, although the eventual winner of the race was the Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez.[3]
References
- ↑ Friebe, D, and Godling, P. Mountain High: Europe's 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs, p. 42, Quercus
- ↑ Friebe, D, and Godling, P. Mountain High: Europe's 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs, p. 44, Quercus
- ↑ "Muro di Sormano returns to Tour of Lombardy route". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
Coordinates: 45°52′58″N 9°14′36″E / 45.8828°N 9.2433°E