Granfondo Sestriere Colle delle Finestre: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The start is in Cesana Torinese at about 1,350 metres. The first 35 kilometres or so lose almost 850 metres: via Oulx, Salbertrand, Exilles, Chiomonte and Gravere you roll down the Susa valley to Susa, at just under 500 metres the lowest point of the course. The short rises on the way, around kilometre 18 for example, are only an interlude.

From Susa the Colle delle Finestre begins through Meana di Susa. At roughly 18 kilometres and about 1,700 metres of climbing it is the heart of the race, with long stretches around 9 to 10 percent and steeper ramps in between. The summit at kilometre 53 carries the mountain prize and a feed station. The organiser likes to recall that Chris Froome won the 2018 Giro on this climb.

After the descent through Usseaux and Pourrieres the road climbs through Pragelato for almost 9 kilometres to Sestriere, where the Mediofondo finishes. The Granfondo drops once more to Sauze di Cesana and then climbs back through Cesana, a good 10 kilometres and around 660 metres, to the finish on Piazza Fraiteve. Riders who reach Sestriere after 13:30 are sent straight to the finish.

Pacing Strategy

The first 35 kilometres are almost all descent and valley road. The speed is high, the effort low, and this is exactly where many riders give their race away by sitting in fast groups above their own threshold. Eat and drink here, because on the Finestre you will hardly manage it.

The day is decided on the Colle delle Finestre. Ride it at a pace you could hold for two hours, and break it into sections rather than staring at the summit. Riders who take the first kilometres out of Meana too fast pay twice in the upper part above 2,000 metres, where the air gets thinner.

The trap afterwards is believing the job is done. The climb from Pragelato to Sestriere and, for the Granfondo, the final climb from Cesana still add up to more than 1,100 metres. Keep the 13:30 time gate in Sestriere in mind as well: it decides whether you are allowed onto the long route at all.

Training plan for Granfondo Sestriere Colle delle Finestre: 12-week build

As a well-prepared amateur, expect five to seven hours; the time limit is seven. The effort is almost entirely aerobic but unevenly spread: a long, fast opening downhill and then more than 3,000 metres of climbing in three big blocks.

Build the preparation around long steady climbs of 60 to 120 minutes just below threshold. Ride them at the end of long days so you know how the final climb to Sestriere feels on heavy legs. Low-cadence work for the steep ramps and gearing with a very small bottom gear will help more on the Finestre than peak power.

The summit sits at about 2,170 metres and the start and finish above 1,300 and 2,000 metres. Arrive a few days early if you can. The organiser stresses Sestriere's fresh mountain air in July, while Susa lies almost 1,700 metres lower: plan clothing for cold descents as well as a warm valley section.

Practise long alpine descents with hairpins, since the course loses around 2,700 metres between its climbs. Use the long rides to test how much you can eat per hour, and fuel before the Finestre rather than at its foot.