Exploring the Cinisi climb

Even though I’ve ridden thousands of kilometers in this part of Sicily, every now and then I stumble across a road where I’ve never been, or a climb I’ve never done before. This was the case with a climb I found by using Strava. I had clicked on “Segment Search” and saw a few segments near the town of Cinisi. I’ve passed through Cinisi hundreds of times on my bike, but I didn’t know there was a climb starting near the town center and ending in a small “frazione” of Cinisi. So a few weeks ago I decided to cycle to Cinisi and explore this climb.

I rode from Balestrate through the coastal town of Trappeto in the direction of Cinisi. It was a bit of a cloudy day, but with temperatures of around 29°C it felt like summer! I passed Terrasini, turned right and entered the town of Cinisi. The main street, the “Corso Umberto” leads to a few beautiful buildings, the town hall and the library:

The town hall of Cinisi (PA)

The library of Cinisi

I went around the town hall and followed the signs for “Santuario Madonna del Furi”, which is located halfway to the top of the climb. I rode out of town and soon my Garmin showed 8-10% gradients. I felt good, so I decided to try and set a good time. I found a nice rhythm and started climbing. Then 2 minutes later my phone rings and from the ringtone I knew it was my girlfriend. I cursed a few times (not because I was angry with her, but just because I could forget about setting a good time on the climb 🙂 ) and picked up the phone. Some problem needed to be addressed, so I stopped and we talked about a possible solution. I knew she would probably have to call back a few times, so I forgot about riding fast and decided to just enjoy the climb and take a few pics:

The town of Cinisi and the airport of palermo in the distance.

I passed the Santuario and took a picture of a monument near the entrance.

At the Santuario Madonna del Furi

When I was almost at the top I took a picture of my Ridley Helium SL:

My Rildey Helium SL on the Cinisi climb

I turned around and saw a few bulls on the road. Just when I wanted to take a picture, one of them decided to chance his pose….

A bull looking for his coglioni…?

I got back on my bike and rode on. Soon I arrived at the frazione on the top of the climb. The views were amazing!

The view at the top with Alcamo and Monte Bonifato in the distance.

The view at the top with Cinisi and the Golfo di Castellammare in the distance.

I enjoyed the views and the Sicilian sun and started to descent. This turned out to be a lovely climb and I’m sure I will be back (many times)!

The ride in Strava

Total 64 km and 1117 m ascent. Average gradient of the Cinisi climb: 6.6%