Sa Calobra
Climb · Mallorca
Checked
part of: The test climbs of the prospart of: Hairpin heaven: the most switchbacks on one climb
Sa Calobra is a 10.1 km cycling climb averaging 6.6% (+684 m), rising from 48 m to 715 m in Mallorca.
Sa Calobra is the most famous dead end in cycling: Parietti's 1932 road drops to a cove that could only be reached by boat, so everyone who rides down must climb back out. That quirk made it the sport's favourite test piece. The professional teams ride it on every winter camp, the Strava segment is among the most contested in the world, and Tom Pidcock's 22:46 from a December 2022 Ineos camp is the mark the fast ones measure themselves against.
10.1 km · +684 m · 6.6% avg · ~13.5% max · 48 → 715 m · 17 hairpins
Stats computed from OpenStreetMap and satellite elevation data — approximate.
Download GPX ↓Navigate to the foot ↗
Gradient by colour: ● <3% ● 3–6% ● 6–9% ● 9%+
Where it bites
Steepest 500 m: 13.5% (km 2.8–3.2).
Road: paved throughout
| km | to | avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 89 m | 4.1% |
| 2 | 166 m | 8.7% |
| 3 | 180 m | 1.4% |
| 4 | 290 m | 11.0% |
| 5 | 347 m | 5.3% |
| 6 | 431 m | 8.6% |
| 7 | 496 m | 7.3% |
| 8 | 553 m | 5.5% |
| 9 | 632 m | 7.3% |
| 10 | 698 m | 7.0% |
What it’s like to ride
From the little port the first kilometre is relaxed, then the road settles into 6–8% and squeezes through a slot where two limestone cliffs almost meet overhead; it's steep through there, and descending cars can't see you, so hold your line. From about 5 km the hairpins arrive in earnest, some 26 of them stacked up the bare rock with the sea falling away behind, and the second half firms up to 9–10%. Near the top comes the Nus de sa Corbata, the 270-degree loop where the road curls under its own arch, and your computer can flash 12–14% coming out of it. It tops out at the brown Coll dels Reis sign, 682 m above the water, and there's a small café at the Sa Calobra turn-off by the junction when you're done.
History
The road down to Sa Calobra was designed by engineer Antoni Parietti Coll and opened in 1932, built largely by hand, over 30,000 cubic metres of rock were cut from the mountainside, not out of economic necessity but to draw tourists to a fishing cove that had previously been reachable only by boat, which is why Parietti allowed himself flourishes like the 270-degree loop where the road passes under itself. Because it dead-ends at the sea, every rider who descends must climb back out, and that oddity turned the road into a pure test piece: professional teams use it during their Mallorca winter and spring training camps, and its Strava segment has become one of the most contested in the world. In April 2022 Ed Laverack took the KOM, only for Tom Pidcock to lower it to 22:46 in December 2022 during an Ineos Grenadiers training camp, beating Laverack's mark by nearly two minutes. The climb also features in the island's biggest sportive, the Mallorca 312, whose route has included the descent and return up Sa Calobra in some editions.
Worth stopping near the climb
More climbs in Mallorca
Common questions
- How long and steep is Sa Calobra?
- Sa Calobra is a 10.1 km cycling climb averaging 6.6% (+684 m), rising from 48 m to 715 m in Mallorca.
- Where is Sa Calobra steepest?
- The steepest 500 m averages 13.5%, between km 2.8 and km 3.2 of the climb.
- How many hairpins does Sa Calobra have?
- Sa Calobra has 17 hairpin bends, counted from the road's map geometry (a hairpin here means at least 150 degrees of turning completed within 150 metres of road). Painted corner numbers on some climbs count gentler bends too, so the two figures can differ.
- What is the road surface like on Sa Calobra?
- Sa Calobra is paved throughout.