Timmelsjoch (Passo del Rombo)

At 2,509m, the Timmelsjoch is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the Alps and the crown jewel of Ötztal cycling. The approach from Sölden climbs 1,625m over 26km on a road so demanding it is one of the four passes in the legendary Ötztaler Radmarathon — a 238km, 5,500m-elevation amateur event considered one of the hardest single-day cycling challenges in the world. The gradient averages 6.3% but the sustained length at altitude, with sections at 12-14% above 2,000m where every breath costs more, makes this a very different proposition from lower passes. The summit has a toll station (cyclists typically exempt or charged a token amount) and straddles the Austro-Italian border. The descent into South Tyrol is spectacular.