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Passo Sella: the climb, its Grand Tour history and records
Passo Sella: each side of the climb, every Grand Tour passage since 1996 and the records, each figure with the source it comes from.
The climb
Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
| Side | Start | Length | Elevation gain | Average | Max | Summit | Hairpins | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Val di Fassa (Canazei) | Canazei | 11.2 km | 794 m | 7.1 % | 11.1 % | 2243 m | 31 | climbfinder.com |
| Val Gardena (Selva) | Selva di Val Gardena | 9.0 km | 649 m | 7.2 % | 10 % | 2239 m | — | cyclingup.eu |
Each side from one source, linked. A dash: the sources we opened disagree or give no figure, so we leave it out.
In the Grand Tours since 1996 7
| Year | Race | Stage | Type | Stage winner or first over the top | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Giro d'Italia | 17 | Crossed | Giulio Pellizzari | cyclingrevealed.com |
| 2016 | Giro d'Italia | 14 | Crossed | David López | cyclingcols.com |
| 2005 | Giro d'Italia | 13 | Crossed | José Rujano | cyclingnews.com |
| 2002 | Giro d'Italia | — | Crossed | Rubén Marín | cyclingcols.com |
| 2000 | Giro d'Italia | 13 | Crossed | Gilberto Simoni | autobus.cyclingnews.com |
| 1998 | Giro d'Italia | 17 | Crossed | Marco Pantani | cyclingrevealed.com |
| 1997 | Giro d'Italia | 19 | Crossed | José Jaime González | autobus.cyclingnews.com |
Records
| Record | Rider | Time | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Val Gardena (Selva): fastest race ascent (watts2win segment 8.74 km, 7.43%) | Giulio Pellizzari | 0:24:27 | 2024 | watts2win.eu |
A time is listed only where the sources agree on it; where two sources give different times for the same ride, it is left out.
How long would it take you?
Your time up Passo Sella at a steady power, from a physics model.
Advanced: rolling resistance and drag
Estimate from a physics model (Martin et al. 1998), on the average gradient. Wind, surface, pacing and steep sections change the real time. More cycling tools
How this is calculated
P × 0.977 = ½ · ρ · CdA · v³ + v · m · g · (sin θ + Crr · cos θ), θ = arctan(average gradient), m = rider + bike, g = 9.81; solved for the speed v, time = length / v. Air density ρ: NASA GRC troposphere: T=15.04-0.00649*h; p=101.29*((T+273.1)/288.08)^5.256; rho=p/(0.2869*(T+273.1)); h = mean of start and summit altitude. Sources: Martin et al. 1998, J Appl Biomech 14(3):276-291 — https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6jd5f71; Defraeye et al. 2010, J Biomech 43(7):1262-1268 (upright position, cyclist+bike 0.270 m2) — https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/232736; NASA Glenn Research Center, Earth Atmosphere Model (metric) — https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/atmosmet.html. Climb geometry: the side's source in the table above.