Vrsic Pass (from Kranjska Gora)

The crown jewel of Slovenian cycling. Vrsic Pass at 1,611m is the highest road pass in the Julian Alps and one of the most spectacular mountain roads in all of Central Europe — built by Russian prisoners of war between 1914 and 1916 along a route of 50 numbered hairpin bends. From Kranjska Gora, the climb begins deceptively gently through the Pišnica valley before the hairpins commence in earnest at around km 4. Each bend is numbered in stone on the inside corner, and counting them becomes as much a part of the experience as managing the effort. The gradient averages 6.3% but the upper hairpins — particularly around hairpins 24 through 30 — regularly touch 14%, demanding committed gear selection and steady tempo. The summit plateau opens to a view of the Triglav massif and the Soča valley that is among the most dramatic panoramas available from a road bike in Europe. The Russian Chapel, built in memory of the prisoners who died during construction, stands at hairpin 8 on the ascent — a moment of solemnity in an otherwise exhilarating climb.