Irán

Iran rewards the patient climber with high, thin-aired ascents that carry riders toward summits reaching 3235 m. Its four catalogued climbs trade the raw brutality of hors catégorie ramps for sustained, high-altitude grinding, where the road keeps tilting upward long after your legs beg it to level off. The scenery shifts as you climb, and the sheer elevation on offer makes every effort feel like a genuine expedition rather than a quick out-and-back.

The marquee ascents give a sense of the terrain's range. Dizin lifts riders into ski-country heights, while the Haraz road threads a legendary corridor of switchbacks and tunnels. Taraz Pass and Kandovan Pass round out the catalogue, each a mountain crossing worth the climb. With only a handful of routes documented, Iran remains a frontier for riders chasing quiet, lofty roads far from crowded cols.