Nove Colli 200

The most famous, the toughest. So well known to every person who pedals on the road that even the Giro d'Italia recently copied the route, on the occasion of the twelfth stage of the 2020 Giro. Following the serious floods between Emila, Romagna and Marche in May 2023, however, some of the roads were closed or collapsed. In short, before leaving for the classic Nove Colli route, check the condition of the roads.

The first climb, on the longest route of the Nove Colli, arrives immediately: it takes you up to Bertinoro, the town of Arnaldo Pambianco, and its hamlet Polenta, known for the castle in which the powerful family called Da Polenta lived. Unlike the previous routes, after Pieve di Rivoschio you do not face the Barbotto directly, but a further climb that reaches above 550 m altitude: Ciola. Although it is not particularly hard (5.5% average gradient) it is almost six kilometers long.

The descent towards Mercato Saraceno is very quick. After the Barbotto another surprise awaits you: the Montetiffi dentil, only three kilometers of climb but with peaks of 16%. You will thus arrive in Perticara no longer from the coasts around the Barbotto, but from Pietra all'Uso, having to go up the stream of the same name.

The ending, however, is similar to that of the 170 kilometer route: Monte Pugliano, Passo delle Siepi and Sogliano al Rubicone. Make sure you never reach your limit on these last three climbs, or even the simple kilometers up to Cesenatico will feel endless. Once you return to the statue of Pantani in Cesenatico, however, you will be able to say that you have completed the long route of the Nove Colli!