🚴‍♂️ Berici Ridge (Vicenza)

Not a simple climb, but a journey at high altitude: the Berici Ridge It's a long, scenic ride along the Vicenza hills, combining effort and beauty over nearly twenty kilometers of continuous ups and downs. More than a simple climb, it's a test of endurance and tactical intelligence, where the winner is the one who can read the terrain and manage their energy.

📊 General information

• Location: Vicenza – Berici Hills
• Climb name: Berici Ridge
• Length: 19,4 km
• Total difference in altitude: 590 m
• Average slope: 1,8%
• Maximum slope: ~10–12% (short bursts)
• Departure altitude: ~ 44 m
• Arrival altitude: ~ 393 m
• Classification: 🟡 Yellow

🧭 Technical analysis of the climb

Here the difficulty lies not in the dry numbers, but in the continuity of effortThe profile is a mosaic of ramps, false flats and short descents that break up the rhythm.

🔹 Km 0 – Km 4 | Gradual approach

The road climbs gently (2–4%), ideal for warming up the legs. The ride is agile, without any sudden changes, but it's important not to underestimate the overall length.
After having covered the iconic climb of Monte Berico, we continue along the SP 19 known by all as the Dorsale dei Berici, the main road that cuts the northern Berici Mountains from north to south. Worth mentioning is the legendary S, the two hairpin bends which, after the short descent to the Risorgimento museum (the park with its centuries-old trees is worth a visit!) lead towards Arcugnano. Pay attention to the final climb that leads to Arcugnano church: challenging!

🔹 Km 4 – Km 10 | The nervous part

i begin continuous ups and downs: short 6–8% ramps alternating with recovery sections. This is the most technical section: those who push too hard on the climb pay the price in the following sections. Here the ridge "wears" down.
After the town of Arcugnano, continue along the Dorsale dei Berci, a wide, well-paved road that's fun with its changes in pace. After a few kilometers of seemingly flat terrain, the road begins to climb gently again near the town of Perarolo. Near the church of Perarolo, with its distinctive octagonal bell tower, there's a refreshing water fountain. After the turnoff for Brendola, the road turns left and begins to climb steeply! Double-digit gradients reach 11% in the final few meters leading to the "Santiella" turnoff in San Gottardo.

🔹 Km 10 – Km 15 | The Backbone

This is the heart of the climb: steady gradients between 4 and 6%, with few moments of real relaxation. The climb is steady, immersed in greenery, with the sensation of being suspended between the plains and the hills.
We keep left following the Dorsale dei Berici. Steep descents and climbs await us, the heart of the landscape and typical vegetation of the Berici Hills. After a few kilometers, we reach the "Crocevia dei Segnali," a turning point for Zovencedo and the Val Liona. We continue on the main road, which soon begins its descent toward Barbarano Vicentino.

🔹 Km 15 – Km 19,4 | Undulating finale

Once your legs are already tired, the final climbs arrive. They aren't particularly hard, but they are psychologically taxing. The profile continues to climb, never allowing for a true flatness. After a short downhill stretch, you turn left for a final push towards the finish line in San Giovanni in Monte, to conquer the longest climb (19,3 km) of BERICI CLIMB.

🚴 Road sensations

The Dorsale dei Berici is a climb that it doesn't crush you, but it consumes youThere's no wall to take your breath away, but a subtle, continuous effort. Your legs are always turning, but never resting. It's a "diesel" climb, where you feel your body working for a long time, with your heart rate staying high for dozens of minutes.

🌿 Naturalistic aspects

You pedal immersed in the woods of the Berici Hills, among downy oaks, chestnut trees, and hilly scrub. The views open up at times across the Vicenza plain, all the way to the Prealps on clear days. It's a bright, airy road, changing with each season: deep green in spring, gold and copper in autumn.

🏛️ Artistic and cultural places

The ridge crosses an area rich in history:

• Palladian villas and Venetian residences scattered across the hills
• Ancient rural villages and parish churches
• The proximity to Arcugnano and Monte Berico, symbols of the Vicenza cultural landscape

Cycling here means crossing an open-air museum.

🧠 How to deal with it

• Agile report: you don't need a fixed 34, but a fluid cadence
• Effort management: avoid shooting on the first few steps
• Supply: it's long, it should be treated like a cross-country climb
• Regular gait: better to stay just below threshold for the entire ridge

Here, the patient wins, not the explosive.

🪪 Identikit of the climb

• Type: Resistance climb
• Style: Long, wavy, panoramic
• Strength: Continuity and landscape beauty
• Critical point: Progressive wear and tear
• Ideal for: Mountain bikers, cross-country training, granfondo
• Soul: More marathon than sprint

La Berici Ridge It doesn't challenge you with brutality, but with intelligence. It's a climb that stays with you for miles, slowly building in your legs, and at the end gives you the rare feeling of having truly traveled, not just climbed.