Alto de l’Angliru, also known as La Gamonal is a very steep mountain road in Asturias, near La Vega-Riosa, in northern Spain. Dubbed as the “hardest climb in the Vuelta a España“, where it is often used, the Angliru is considered one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing.
Bola del Mundo, also known as Alto de las Guarramillas is a mountain of the Guadarrama mountain range located in the Community of Madrid in Spain, near the border with the province of Segovia. Its height is 2,257 meters (some sources give it 2.265 meters). It is one of the hardest climbs ever seen in pro cycling. Despite its modest average gradient of 6.2%, the climb gets really hard in the final kilometers where the average gradient is always above 10% and at some points, it gets as steep as 19%.
The peloton has climbed 1.9 km long and up to 29% (according to exact measurements) steep Mirador de Ézaro along the way at Vuelta a España 2013 stage 4. Some of the riders have dismounted and climbed on foot.
A hundred meters from the beach of Ézaro, where the Galician coast is at its best, there is an ominous sign with the red warning triangle: thirty percent (30%) warns the board, then you directly ride against uphill over a huge rock. Welcome to the Mirador de Ézaro, the steepest climb in bicycle racing history.