Passo delle Erbe | Cycling in the Dolomites

Road Biking the Passo delle Erbe / Würzjoch

In the spring of 2007 I rode the Passo delle Erbe for the first time. It was one of the first big loops I ever did in the Dolomites and a day I’ll never forget because the ride was perfect. The entire experience left me in awe at the quality of the region’s road biking. I later wrote about it as a personal story, describing what it is to be a cyclist. Read it here. But, being one of the first passes I would ride, and in perfect weather, I have to wonder if this what made it so memorable? Or is it really of the highest quality?

In 2008 I rode it with Janine, not on the road, but on dirt trails. The mountain bike version was an entirely different, though still superb, experience. A few days ago, I set out alone on the road bike from our house and did it yet again. I wanted another impression after riding for two full years in the Dolomites. Would the experience be different? It turned out to be the same, phenomenal cycling, but the reasoning for it being so was evident, it is great for more than just road, scenery and views.

iPhone pic, the Peitlerkofel

What I speak of is something that only other cyclists will truly understand. Each climb has a character, a feeling that the nature of the climb evokes, the sensations, the rythym. The Passo delle Erbe is a long climb, nearly 26 kilometers, with 1450 meters of gain and average gradient of 6%. It hits 13% at times, but always at the right time.

The climb lets you find a rythym so you can dance. This is unusual in a place like the Dolomites. Just when you are feeling spent, it eases up, and just when you are feeling refreshed from the break, it rears up again. The road is impossibly narrow and twists and turns through a forest where Bilbo Baggins could reside. The only sounds to be heard are those of cowbells, birdsong, churchbells and of course the hum of the chain and the laboring of your lungs. There is something peaceful on the Erbe. For a cyclist it is magical.

Near the top is a long stretch of ups and downs, the road lets you open it up as the views are clear for oncoming cars. The tiny, perfectly paved road is like a race track, allowing you to feel as if you are flying even while ascending. The top comes quickly from the last bit of steep road, and as one approaches the view east to the Dolomites grows and grows. To your right is the Peitlerkofel, a massive buttress of Dolomite, and to your left rolling grassland of herbs for which the pass is named.

And finally there is the descent, to the east quite steep and very fast with hairpin turns stacked one on top of the other. In the middle of the descent is a climb of about 2 kilometers for 160 meters of gain. Love it or hate it, it is perfect for keeping the legs from turning to wood on the long descent.

So in the end the Passo delle Erbe truly is remarkable, even amongst all the more famous passes and climbs to be had in the region. It sits alone from the main group but should be right amongst all the others you choose to do when visiting the Dolomites.

A complete Garmin GPS route may be downloaded at DolomiteSport’s GPSies page.

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4165 calories burnt equates to a lot of fun eating post Erbe ride

Heart Rate vs. Elevation. Ok, it is pretty hard, numbers don't lie

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