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Video: Mike Cotty takes on the feared ZoncolanMonte Zoncolan (picture credit The Col Collective).jpg

Video: Mike Cotty takes on the feared Zoncolan

First Col Collective video of 2016 features one of cycling's toughest climbs...
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Jan 10, 2016 20:34
10

The Col Collective's first video of 2016 sees  Mike Cotty take on what many consider to be the toughest climb in professional cycling - Italy's Monte Zoncolan, and specifically the ascent from Ovaro.

Located in the Carnic Alps in the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region in the north west of the country, it has featured five times in the Giro d'Italia, most recently in 2014 when Michael Rogers won the race's penultimate stage in the colours of Saxo-Tinkoff.

Entering the final 3 kilometres with Bardiani-CSF's Michele Buongiorno, the Australian benefited from a fan giving the Italian a 'helpful' shove that destroyed the Italian's rhythm and allowed Rogers to ride away to the win.

Here is what Cotty has to say about the climb:

The direct answer to the Vuelta’s a España’s Alto de l’Angliru, it wasn’t until 2003 that the mighty Monte Zoncolan claimed worldwide notoriety when the Giro d’Italia used it for the first time, although on that occasion it was from the “easier” eastern approach from Sutrio.

Four years later and it was back with a vengeance as the race unveiled the 10.2km monster, with ramps up to 22%, from Ovaro.

Highly regarded as the toughest climb in Europe by the professionals, Gilberto Simoni summed the climb up perfectly, “It’s like a slow execution, the easiest part of the Zoncolan is harder than the most difficult at the Tour”.

Go under an hour from start to finish and you’re on serious fire, to put it in perspective on that day Simoni covered the climb in a mind bending 39 minutes (so obviously not quite as slow an execution for ‘Soignor Zoncolan’ as he was nicknamed after winning twice on the mountain) as it is for the rest of us!

I’ve been fortunate to ride some amazing mountains throughout the world and so far I’ve never come across anything like the Zoncolan, it just keeps going and pushing you, you’re questioning your sanity the whole way up, thinking to yourself ‘why am I doing this?’

And then 400 metres from the top it completely opens up, you see the views behind, there’s mountain peaks, a little bit of baby blue sky and everything makes sense again. Savour every second, the Zoncolan is one of the true greats of cycling!

Vital statistics

Start: Ovaro
Length: 10.2km
Summit: 1,750m
Elevation gain: 1,225m
Average gradient: 11.9%
Max gradient: 22%
Ridden in June

Mike Cotty
Col Collective
Monte Zoncolan
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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10 comments

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CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
1 like

The Steyning looks easy with a great flat spot in the middle.:)

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Daveyraveygravey replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

The Steyning looks easy with a great flat spot in the middle.:)

Yeah, it's very much a hill of 3 parts.  The flat bit lets you recover and get ready for the spike of something like 28% as you get round the corner...

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey | 8 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2, in the video, they state they go up the harder route; there is an easier road with a different start point.  Maybe that is what your trainer is simulating?  And also in the video, Mike says (whilst climbing the bloody mountain!) "the last 8 km average 15%".   I can't imagine what that is like; I have Steyning Bostal near me which is 17% but only for a few hundred metres.

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CXR94Di2 replied to Daveyraveygravey | 8 years ago
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Daveyraveygravey wrote:

CXR94Di2, in the video, they state they go up the harder route; there is an easier road with a different start point.  Maybe that is what your trainer is simulating?  And also in the video, Mike says (whilst climbing the bloody mountain!) "the last 8 km average 15%".   I can't imagine what that is like; I have Steyning Bostal near me which is 17% but only for a few hundred metres.

It's the Ovaro route.

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:
Daveyraveygravey wrote:

CXR94Di2, in the video, they state they go up the harder route; there is an easier road with a different start point.  Maybe that is what your trainer is simulating?  And also in the video, Mike says (whilst climbing the bloody mountain!) "the last 8 km average 15%".   I can't imagine what that is like; I have Steyning Bostal near me which is 17% but only for a few hundred metres.

It's the Ovaro route.

Not much of a simulator then!

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
0 likes

I will probably never cycle this or the other renowned mountain stage finishes in real life. I have cycled them on my simulator and the Zoncalon is easier because it has less steep sections which allow you to recover a little, and it's only 6 miles long!!. Mont Ventoux is in my small opinion a much harder climb, the gradient never relents and being nearly double the length

Avatar
harrier replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

I will probably never cycle this or the other renowned mountain stage finishes in real life. I have cycled them on my simulator and the Zoncalon is easier because it has less steep sections which allow you to recover a little, and it's only 6 miles long!!. Mont Ventoux is in my small opinion a much harder climb, the gradient never relents and being nearly double the length

 

Trust me these climbs are nothing like a 'simulator'.  Not rode the Zoncolon but done Mortirolo twice and there very hard with no recovery periods of note.  Until you stop and take in the view that is.

Avatar
olic replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

I will probably never cycle this or the other renowned mountain stage finishes in real life. I have cycled them on my simulator and the Zoncalon is easier because it has less steep sections which allow you to recover a little, and it's only 6 miles long!!. Mont Ventoux is in my small opinion a much harder climb, the gradient never relents and being nearly double the length

Err, you know the Zoncolan is an average gradient of 11.5%? I'm not sure what your simulator is doing but aside from the 6km forest section of ventoux which is around 10% it doesn't get anywhere near as bad as the zoncolan!
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Monte-Zoncolan&Mount...

There's nearly a km of 19%!!!

Avatar
CXR94Di2 replied to olic | 8 years ago
0 likes
olic wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

I will probably never cycle this or the other renowned mountain stage finishes in real life. I have cycled them on my simulator and the Zoncalon is easier because it has less steep sections which allow you to recover a little, and it's only 6 miles long!!. Mont Ventoux is in my small opinion a much harder climb, the gradient never relents and being nearly double the length

Err, you know the Zoncolan is an average gradient of 11.5%? I'm not sure what your simulator is doing but aside from the 6km forest section of ventoux which is around 10% it doesn't get anywhere near as bad as the zoncolan!
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Monte-Zoncolan&Mount...

There's nearly a km of 19%!!!

When I did them on my Kickr I had a XTR cass on the back of my boardman CXR with a 40T big gear and 50/34 chainset. I could with that setup spin at ~ 70 rpm even when the terrain went upto 40% Being nearly 16 stone, I need extra gearing to keep me in my zone at threshold power. There is no point turning the pedals at 30 - 50 revs , it just invites knee stresses.

Just checked my log of the Zoncolan session. I pedaled at an average of 85 rpm and an average 250 Watts, speed 6.6mph. That is not alot of power for my size, looking at other riders who develop 50 watts less than me, but ride up hills much faster because of lighter body weight. Now bear in mind, I am comparing the effort level compared to ventoux on interactive simulator, I found the Ventoux significantly harder! It could of been I had a bad day doing the Mont Ventoux as my average power was lower.

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700c | 8 years ago
0 likes

He'd find it a lot easier if he didn't stand on the pedals virtually the whole way up! 3

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