Sa Calobra | Spain | 700 metres in altitude | 10.27 kilometres | QOM 31:09 min.
Everyone talks about Sa Calobra, but this is the lowest point of the route - the highest point is the Coll dels Reis. The climb is not one of the most difficult, but it is definitely one of the most beautiful in the world. Any road cyclist can manage 710 metres in altitude, spread over 10.1 kilometres, and most are happy to take their time because there is so much to see. The "tie knot" below the top of the pass, where the road runs in a loop, is legendary. Because Mallorca has been a popular training destination for years, there are many Strava rides and crisp times, and well-known professional cyclists adorn the leaderboard. Most recently, the climb was also Popular for Everesting with 8848 vertical metres in one go. The biggest mental hurdle is that you have to ride down the dead-end road for a long time before you can climb uphill.
Illi Gardner (25), Cardiff | Great Britain | Segment 9387933*
British rider Illi Gardner is known as a talented climber - in 2020 and 2021 she rode for the UCI Women's Continental Team CAMS-Basso. She holds countless QOMs: "I really like long and steep climbs; Monte Zoncolan and Alpe d'Huez are probably two of my favourites. The Galibier, the Stelvio and the Teide were also special experiences due to their sheer length!" She won the QOM on the Sa Calobra climb more by chance when she was on a cycling holiday. "I wasn't in top form as I had just finished the British mountain season, but I wanted to try Sa Calobra as it's a legendary climb." She found riding downhill for a long time daunting at first, but the lower part went much faster than expected. On the other hand, "the upper sections were both steeper and more exposed, which made the last few kilometres particularly strenuous".
*Because there are sometimes several segments on a climb, we name the number of the segment (example: 9387933 means www.strava.com/segments/9387933). We have taken the altitude information for all segments from Strava, even if it is imprecise
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