The climb from Biella to the Santuario di Oropa — a vast Marian sanctuary at ~1,160 m — is one of the Giro d'Italia's great summit finishes, used across seven decades: Vito Taccone (1963), and famously Marco Pantani in 1999, who dropped his chain at the foot of the final ramp, stopped, remounted and rode back through the whole group to win. It has finished Giro stages again in 1993, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2024 (Pogačar). About 11.7 km at ~6.2%, a steady wooded ascent to the basilica.
Santuario di Oropa
1159 m · Italy
Also: Oropa
Open most of the year (low sanctuary road); ride spring–autumn
Open on the map →The side
| From | Length | Gain | Avg | Max | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biella | 10.8 km | +728 m | 6.8% | ≈14.5% | 1 |
From Biella
Category 1≈7 hairpin bendsfaces SE
0–4%4–7%7–10%10–12%12%+
The climb
Race history
7× Giro d'Italia · 7 summit finishes · 1963–2024