Sollube (Larrauri)

Climb Description

Sollube is a well known cycling climb in the Basque region, which has been used for many decades in important races in the region. It is also one of the five Deiadar-Mendiak - visible summits from which messages were sent, summoning members of the local government to meetings. The messages were sent by fire or by a traditional Basque horn.

The climb from Larrauri first reaches the Puerto de Sollube after around 7km (here there is a monument to local rider and Vuelta a España winner Jesus Loroñe), before turning onto a minor road and contiuning the ascent up to a television tower which marks the top of Sollube. The gradient is inconsistent, with some sustained steep sections and also a very gentle few kilometres in the middle of the climb.

This is very much a climb of two halves. Until the Puerto de Sollube it is a busy road, shrouded by trees with little in the way of scenery. However, after turning off towards the television tower, the road becomes much quieter and the scenery opens up more with some fine views of the rolling green landscape. The first half of the climb is not very enjoyable to ride and contributes to the low overall rating; however, the final 4.5km are much more enjoyable.

Sollube is open throughout the year, although is subject to short-term closures in the winter if there is significant snow.

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