cycling Scanuppia - Malga Palazzo - Besenello

Hello I was with my friend on Malga Palazzo last holidays. If you need some photos see this: http://wyprawy.ovh.org/malga_palazzo.htm Here part of relation from our "Tour des alpes 2005" 11th day. Saturday. We wake up at 5:20, pack quickly and have breakfast. We leave the luggage and set out. It’s 7 o’clock. The way is incredibly steep - exactly such as we have imagined. We ride on lightest gear with a great difficulty. We have to stop for rest every 50 meters. To make it easier we ride from right to left and from left to right side of the road. Unfortunately the road is very narrow. The whole trick is to start riding each time. We try various tricks: we start crosswise from the edge of a road or even we try to ride downhill a little and ride uphill again. We move forward with ‘incredible’ speed 4 – 5 kilometres per hour. The only cars going there are with four wheel drives. We covered about 8 km distance and we are also 1300 m higher than at the beginning. What a way! In the worst situation is Wojtek becouse his road bike hasn’t as light gears as my or Janusz’s cross bikes. Our salvation is that it’s early morning, if we chose to ride later... probably we would be dead yetJ. We reach the top, success! Now it’s a time to ride downhill - strictly speaking - to go down. Road is so rough and steep that downhill riding in some parts of it would be extremely dangerous. We return to our camp at... 15 o’clock. Yesterday i told household members that we will be back at 10 o’clock J. We eat a dinner yet (noodles with meat, French fries, ice cream) Excellent! We have to be in nearby Trento before 17.00, becouse we are afraid that located in this place Lidl could be closed later - it’s Saturday...

Scanuppia is said to be the hardest/steepest climb in Europe, and I think it is. This statements sais it all: "I needs to be said, that if you really have to go over you fysical abilities, that's where the fun ends".
So i did Scanuppia last year (as well as number 4 in the list of hardest climbs, Nebelhorn). It was an experience Scanuppia is said to be the hardest/steepest climb in Europe, and I think it is!

This statements says it all: "I needs to be said, that if you really have to go over you physical abilities, thats where the fun ends". So I did Scanuppia last year (as well as number 4 in the list of hardest climbs, Nebelhorn). It was an experience Ill never -ever- forget.

I had been doing some interesting climbs in Europe and came upon a picture of a photo saying: 45%. This triggered me so much, I printed the picture put it on my desk and started finding out about this climb. In the overal indexes famous mountains like Montirolo is placed number 29 (average of 10,55), Stelvio (9%) only number 89, and Ventoux (not so hard after all) number 110 (7,8%). Scanuppia is number one with an average (!) of 20% (!!) and at some stages the climb is over 40% even 45%: this must be an absolute killer (it is...)

The climb is rather hard to find, as it is hardly ever done bij cyclist and kind off hidden. The surface is concreet, no problems there. The road is used bij 4x4 jeeps etc. there are some farms up the hills. The total of the climb is almost 10 kilometers: if you end at the Malga Palazzo (which is the second name of this climb). So this is NOT an obscure small path somenwhere, it is really a long climb.

It starts of at 8%, nice and easy. Then, afther 1,5 kilometer there is the famous seign: 45% and the fun starts.. The only way to make progress now is to bend over all the way over the steer trying to keep pressure on the frontwheel, hanging in the bar ends. I shifted to 22x28, and, hard to believe even now, the speeds drops to 4 to 5 kilometers an hour (2 to 3 miles..). So it is hard not to fall. The pressure in the extreem curves for the next 2 kilometers is terrible. I have done some climbs but this one is really increddible and beats them all, by far. I felt (really frightning) because of pure exhaustion, to tired to concentrated. Because, even if you are not is a curve the road still mounts 15% so sitting done is almost impossile.

My goal was cycling every inch (no cheating), and I did. I fellt three times, my reflections prefailt me from falling backwards (..). And then: get on your (mountain)bike on the same spot (cycle every inch), start sidewards and full-power continuing the climb (no fun). After 5 kilometers there the climb flattens to 13% for 1 kilometer. This feels like heaven...then maximum effort again and (kil. 8) then on a rather steep part the concreets just stops like that. The road (without the concreet) continues and so did I: to the top! One more hard kilometer and then Malgra Impra: you are on a flat alm now, increddible, I made it, I felt so happy. From here its one more kilometer to the small castle of Malgra Palazzo (not hard, even a bit downhill) so I went there. From the casstle there is a bit of a view but also not so impressive. The climbs and surrounding were, to me, rather boring and not really attractive. Decending turns out, to my surprise, not all that scary and (full breaks) gives no problems (apart fom almost melting down of my brims beacueas of the breaking-heat..).

It took me 2 hours to do the climb, starting at the S12 (road to Trentino)to the small casstle. I felt three times (no injuries), one rest (10 min). If you calculate the effort you have to make, considering your weight, speed etc. you will have to realise 350 and some parts 450 watts and more (for two hours....). But more important: you have to be focussed on this one! Anyone in for a lifetime cycling experience: it is possible to cycle up if you really want to! Ill never -ever- forget this one..