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Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio

HC
5.0
1 review/story | Elevation profile | 15 photos
This climb is partly on a gravel surface, but can be ridden with a road bike.
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
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Elevation profile Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
paved
gravel

Statistics

Difficulty points 1426
Length 57.5 km
Average gradient 3.9%
Steepest 100 metres 8.2%
Total ascent 2249 m

Short recap

21 hairpin turns
Gravel
#21 toughest climb of South America
#50 most elevation gain of World
#35 longest climb of World
#13 average steepest climb of Argentina
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Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is a climb in the region Argentina. It is 57.5 km long and bridges 2249 m of vertical ascent with an average gradient of 3.9%, resulting in a difficulty score of 1426. The top of the ascent is located at 2960 m above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 1 review/story of this climb and uploaded 15 photos.

Road names: RP 52 & Ruta Provincial 52

5.0 by Leon
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch.
What an absolutely fantastic monster of a climb. After driving out of Mendoza, it slowly starts to climb. First on a wide, dead straight road with good tarmac. Once arrived at the "Caracoles de Villavicencio" the asphalt turns into gravel and the real climbing begins. What follows is a kilometre-long spectacle of a road winding its way up through the most beautiful hairpin bends. What adds to the spectacle is that you have to work your way up this nature reserve all by yourself. You... read more

Photos (15)

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
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Reviews (1)

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Leon
Leon premium
3 Mo 5.0
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch. Show original

What an absolutely fantastic monster of a climb. After driving out of Mendoza, it slowly starts to climb. First on a wide, dead straight road with good tarmac. Once arrived at the "Caracoles de Villavicencio" the asphalt turns into gravel and the real climbing begins. What follows is a kilometre-long spectacle of a road winding its way up through the most beautiful hairpin bends.

What adds to the spectacle is that you have to work your way up this nature reserve all by yourself. You will not encounter many other passers-by. Furthermore, there are several warnings during the climb about a high risk of encountering wildlife, including pumas, snakes and poisonous spiders. I fortunately did not encounter any of these; however, I did encounter llamas several times. On top of the summit, a culpeo (Andean fox) was curiously looking at me to see what kind of madman had cycled up there.

There is also a large cross and a small chapel at the summit. And otherwise mostly a big void with beautiful views. One small disappointment: the Garmin got stuck just below 3000 metres above sea level.

Watch out! You won't encounter anything at all along the way, not even a mini kiosk to buy water. So take plenty of food and drink with you. And don't forget to bring spare parts and tools for your bike. Apart from the occasional car, you won't be able to count on much help either. You won't have signal with your phone there either.

Wat een absoluut fantastisch monster van een klim. Na het uitrijden van Mendoza begint het langzaam te stijgen. Eerst over een brede, kaarsrechte weg met goed asfalt. Eenmaal aangekomen bij de "Caracoles de Villavicencio" verandert het asfalt in gravel en begint het echte klimwerk. Wat volgt, is een kilometerslang spektakel van een weg die zich via de mooiste haarspeldbochten omhoog slingert.

Wat bijdraagt aan het spektakel, is dat je je moederziel alleen omhoog moet werken in dit natuurreservaat. Veel andere voorbijgangers zul je er niet tegenkomen. Verder wordt er gedurende de klim meermaals gewaarschuwd voor een hoog risico om wild tegen het lijf te lopen, waaronder puma’s, slangen en giftige spinnen. Die ben ik gelukkig allemaal niet tegengekomen; wel meermaals lama’s. Boven op de top stond een culpeo (de Andesvos) me nieuwsgierig aan te kijken wat voor gek daar omhoog gefietst kwam.

Verder staat er op de top een groot kruis en een klein kapelletje. En verder vooral een grote leegte met prachtige uitzichten. Eén kleine teleurstelling: de Garmin bleef net op een hoogte onder de 3000 meter boven zeeniveau steken.

Let op! Je komt onderweg helemaal niets tegen, zelfs geen minikiosk om water te kopen. Neem dus voldoende eten en drinken mee. En vergeet ook zeker geen reserveonderdelen en tools voor je fiets mee te nemen. Op een enkele auto na zul je ook niet op veel hulp kunnen rekenen. Signaal met je telefoon heb je er ook niet.

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio
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Climbing times

7 km/h 08:12:50
11 km/h 05:13:37
15 km/h 03:49:59
19 km/h 03:01:34

Road surface condition

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Frequently Asked Questions

Cruz de Paramillo can be cycled from 2 sides. Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is the most popular side, but the summit can also be reached via Cruz de Paramillo from Uspallata.

You don't need special gearing for Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio. The slope isn't long or steep enough to require much shifting down. You can conquer this climb on power alone. However, a compact gearing system with a smallest front chainring of 34 and largest rear sprocket of 28 or 30 is always nice if you enjoy cycling uphill. This helps maintain a smooth cadence.

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio belongs to the Hors Catégorie, the top category. These are legendary and very tough climbs. A solid cycling condition, experience, and a good climbing gear ratio are essential to maintain a smooth cadence and complete the climb comfortably.

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is 57.5 km long.

The average gradient of Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is 3.9%.

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio has a steepest segment with an average gradient of 8.2%.

The summit of Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is at 2960 m.

At a slow pace of 7 km/h, it takes about 08:12:50 to climb Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio. At 11 km/h the time is 05:13:37, and at 15 km/h 03:49:59. For the fastest cyclists, 03:01:34 is an achievable time.

Cruz de Paramillo from Mendoza via Caracoles de Villavicencio is located in the region in Argentina.

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