Alto de Correderos

Overview

Alto de Correderos is an Hors Catégorie climb in Colombia (CO) that runs 9.2 km from base to summit. Over that distance it delivers a net elevation gain of 1,328 m, lifting you from a start elevation of 1,696 m to a summit at 3,024 m. Finishing above 3,000 metres means the final third is ridden in thinning air, which compounds an already savage 14.49% average gradient.

Look closer and the numbers tell a second story. The net gain is 1,328 m, but the total ascent is 1,605 m — a difference of 277 m. That gap is undulation: 277 m of climbing you do only to give it back on descents scattered through the profile. Every metre of that lost altitude is regained on gradients that are steeper than the average, so the undulation costs more energy than the raw net figure suggests. Plan for the full 1,605 m of vertical work, not the 1,328 m the summit sign implies.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 14.49% average is already extreme, but averages flatten the truth. Because the profile includes descents, the sustained climbing pitches must run well above 14.49% to net out where they do. Expect the effort to come in surges rather than one steady wall.

• Short recovery or descending sections where you regain cadence — and where the 277 m of undulation is lost.
• Repeated steep ramps immediately after each recovery, each one pitched above the average to compensate.
• The steepest sustained pitches concentrated where the road claws back the lost altitude, likely in the middle and upper thirds.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this broken, chase even effort, not even speed. Your speed will swing wildly between the steep ramps and the brief descents, and trying to hold a constant pace will spike your power on every ramp. Anchor your ride to a target watts figure at or just below your sustainable power output and let the terrain dictate speed. If you do not know that ceiling, set it first with the FTP estimator. On the descents, spin and recover rather than pushing — the undulation is a gift only if you use it to shed load, not to gain time.

Gearing

The steepest ramps here govern your setup, not the average. Run a compact (50/34) or, better, a sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 at minimum. If your climbing legs run out of gears on a 14.49% average, the above-average ramps will stall you. Check your chainring and cassette before the ride; discovering you are over-geared at 2,800 m is not a fixable problem mid-climb.

Summary

• Length: 9.2 km
• Average gradient: 14.49%
• Net elevation gain: 1,328 m
• Total ascent: 1,605 m
• Category: HC

Alto de Correderos is an HC climb that punishes both under-gearing and over-pacing. Respect the 1,605 m of total ascent, gear low, ride to power, and save something for the thin air above 3,000 metres.