PAMPEAGO AND LAVAZÈ

Pampeago and Lavazè
You want to feel like a professional (and also sweat like one)? Then this tour from Panchìa to the Alpe di Pampeago and to the Passo Lavazè is just the right thing for you. It is considered to be one of the most challenging tours in the Dolomites and is physically very demanding – no matter whether anti-clockwise or clockwise.
In the latter case, the steepest section is the ascent to the Lavazè and from the Novale to the Obereggen.

The tour information
The first 3 kilometers  leading from the Hotel Panorama to the village of Tesero, are ideal for warming-up as we go only slightly uphill. Then we arrive at the foot of the legendary ascent of Pampeago, challenging and steep right from the start with gradients consistently in double figures.
We reach the Stava, which is tragically known for the dam collapse in 1985, one of Italy‘s worst disasters. Passing the village, we continue uphill to the right.
Here we reach the point, where 1999 Marco Pantani achieved one of his last but most spectacular victories of his extraordinary career.
The slope does not allow us any rest. What keeps us going is the certainty of being on the trail of the greatest. Only the champions such as, Claudio Chiappucci, who has opened the Giro del Trentino, local champion Gilberto Simoni and Roman Kreuziger have cut the finish line first here.

Two galleries, in rapid succession, mark the end of the most difficult sectionof the entire day. On arrival in Pampeago, with its hotels and the Latemar in the background, we have made 7 kilometers with an average gradient of ascent of almost 10 percent.
Passing the cable car of Latemar the road narrows to a sudden rise, an easier one this time, but still very demanding.
What comforts us is, that we can admire the breathtaking panorama of the Lagorai mountain range, Monte Agnello and Latemar until we reach the Passo Pampeago.
After the 10 kilometers we climbed up,now follows a pleasant break for our legs in the form of a fast and steep (be careful!) descent on a private road to the village of Obereggen and of Ried. Here begins the second steep ascent of the day: the Passo Lavazè.
Less known by the general public, that of Lavazè is a tough climb, especially in the first section. Leaving the village of  Novale behind us, we continue steeply uphill with a gradient of 10 percent for about 3 kilometers.
The only thing that might help is to distract us with the history of Giro d’Italia. Here in 1998,  Alex Zülle, had to abbandon his dreams to arrive in pink jersey in Selva Val Gardena, while in 1969 Felice Gimondi, driving in ebony pink, did not lose sight of his worst rival, Italo Zilioli.
When we reach the fourth kilometer of the ascent, the road gets more friendly and less steep. Surrounded by conifer trees forest we enjoy the view of the Catinaccio massif.
Passing the signpost that marks the border between the South Tyrol and the Trentino, we finally reach the highest point of the tour. The reward is the fairytale landscape framed by the Black and the White Horn.
Now that the hardest part lies behind us, we roll 4 kilometers downhill until we reach the Stava again. After further 4 kilometers, we turn onto the road we had previously taken uphill, and finally arrive at Tesero and from there back to the hotel.

Distance: 45,00 km Height variation: 1 560 mt Riding time 4:00 h Difficulty:expert
Passo Pampeago:
Distance: 10 ,00 km Height variation: 1 000 mt Max.climb gradient:16% Average climb gradient:10%
Passo Lavazè:
Distance:7,00 kmHeight variation:560 mt Max. climb gradient:14% Average climb gradient:9%