Who climbs it best—Europe’s grand tour icons or Colorado’s backyard bruisers?

Every spring, the Giro d’Italia reminds us that suffering can be beautiful. With switchbacks as sharp as the espresso and gradients that make your quads weep, the Giro’s mountain stages are pure cycling theatre.

We stacked three legendary Giro ascents from the 2025 edition of the race—Monte Grappa, Colle delle Finestre, and Mortirolo—against Boulder’s icons: Lefthand Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, and SuperFlag. Here's what we found:

Monte Grappa is a long climb, not unlike Lefthand.

Finestre is steep and half paved, half gravel, like Sunshine.

Mortirolo is hellishly steep and shorter than the others. Superflag is somewhat similar in that vain, but maybe we should have compared Magnolia instead.

While Boulder may lack the pitch and prestige of the Alps or the hype of the Giro, we’ve got climbs that hold their own at a much higher elevation—and a cycling culture that’s just as fierce.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Try tackling all three in one day…

→ Grab the full Boulder Climb Compare print or share the graphic with your ride crew and settle the debate for yourself.