Packing 33 hairpins into less than 10km of climbing the Passo Pordoi is nestled between the Gruppo del Sella and Marmolada in the Dolomites.

A Giro d’Italia favourite and a climb very familiar to Maratona dles Dolomites sportive participants, the serpentine ascent boasts 3.5 turns per kilometre on average, and has monuments to Fausto Coppi and Gilberto Simoni at the summit.

The gentle reminder of the sporting giants whose wheel-tracks you are following in is just part of the appeal of a climb which also boasts a generous, and largely steady 6-8 per cent gradient throughout its twists and turns.

In the latest instalment from the Col Collective, sportive guru Mike Cotty leads the way up the climb.

Cotty advises: “Settle down and find your rhythm as you climb beyond the trees and towards its summit at 2,239m elevation.

“But the story doesn’t end there, oh no, with 33 marked hairpins in less than 10km this gives the ascent from Arabba one of the best ‘bend to length’ ratios in the business with a whopping 3.5 turns per kilometre.

“Now if that’s not a good excuse to ride it I don’t know what is!”

Vital statistics

Start: Arabba
Length: 9.4km
Summit: 2,239m
Elevation gain: 638m
Average gradient: 6.8%
Max gradient: 9.7%