Cippo di Carpegna

This route is one of the most challenging. It begins in Rimini and goes up Mount Carpegna for a total of 115 km. The difference in altitude is approximately 1,800 metres on spacious roads which offer wonderful scenic views.
Marco Pantani cycled along these roads and made them famous with the quote "Carpegna is all I need", because he deemed it unnecessary to take on the Dolomites for his training: Carpegna's ascents were more than enough to prepare him for his countless victories.

Details of the Cippo Carpegna ascent 1344 m a.s.l.

Total difference in altitude: 706 metres in 4.9 Km. Average incline: 13.5% Max incline: 28.5%

Start at Hotel Ferretti Beach; go past Le Befane shopping centre and reach the road that takes you to Coriano. The constant 1% incline over 10 km is ideal to warm up your legs. The first uphill stretch starts at the beginning of the town, which is the hometown of ill-fated MotoGP pilot, Marco Simoncelli.

Continue to Croce, going down the road that first takes you to the crossroads towards Montelicciano, and then to the two crossroads towards Montregrimano, until you reach the quaint hamlet of Montecerignone. Here, you can enjoy the beautiful view of many Malatesta castles in the valley, after which the real ascent begins. It's not impossible, but it is challenging and constitutes a great warm up for what lies ahead.

The road is flanked by cultivated crops and cattle farms: you'll feel far from the city and immersed in nature.

Reach to the crossroads; given that your destination is the "cippo", you need to follow the directions to the left, which take you to Carpegna.

A couple of hundred metres before the centre, continue on to Mount Cippo. The ascent begins at 1000 metres and takes you to 1423 metres above sea level.

The first stretch is extremely hard: the first two kilometres will give you heart palpitations, with inclines of over 20%, and an average incline of 12-13%.

Your legs will tense up; luckily, the last 700 metres before the roadblock (you’ll be halfway up the hill) are easier to cycle on.

This stretch features billboards with newspaper articles about the memorable challenges between Merkx and Moser, and Pantani's statements about Carpegna

Once you get past the barrier, the remaining 3 kilometres to the end of your agony are gentler, even though some stretches can be tough and you mustn't forget the fatigue of the first 3 devastating kilometres in order to preserve your energy for the journey back.

You’ll descend from the other side of the hill. It it advisable to pay attention because the road is one-way and it’s likely you’ll encounter cyclists ascending from this side, as it is less demanding.

Once you are down the hill, you'll cross a well-paved road: la Cantoniera. At the end of the descent, you'll reach la Marecchiese. Cycle past Novafeltria and the other towns along the "Marecchiese" provincial road. There's lots of traffic on this road, but transiting is fast because, for the most part, it’s on a constant downhill incline.

We recommend cycling in single file for your own safety