Alto de la Cruz

Overview

Alto de la Cruz is a long-haul Category 1 climb that trades brute steepness for sheer duration. Over 25.8 km the road lifts you from 208 m at its base to a summit of 1422 m, a net gain of 1214 m. The average gradient sits at a deceptively civil 4.71%, and the steepest pitch tops out at 7.43% — numbers that never look intimidating on paper but add up relentlessly across nearly a full hour of climbing. This is a diesel-engine effort, not a fireworks display. The difficulty here is measured in patience, not panic.

How the Gradient Unfolds

With a 4.71% average and a 7.43% maximum, the difference between typical and hardest is modest — only 2.72 percentage points separate the mean from the peak. That tells you almost everything about the climb's shape: it is remarkably consistent. There are no wall-like ramps waiting to shatter your rhythm, but there is also nowhere to truly recover. The total ascent of 1189 m falls just short of the 1214 m net gain, meaning the descents and false flats along the way are minimal — you are essentially always going up. Expect long, dragging sections just above and just below that 4.71% line, with the occasional stiffening toward 7.43% to keep you honest.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, restraint early is everything. Because the gradient rarely bites hard, it is easy to ride above threshold without noticing until the damage is done. Anchor your effort to your FTP and aim to hold a sustainable percentage of it across the full 25.8 km rather than surging on the steeper 7.43% pitches. A climb approaching an hour of work should be ridden as a controlled tempo-to-threshold effort, not a series of accelerations. If you are unsure of your numbers, run them through the FTP estimator first, then set a wattage ceiling and refuse to break it for the first two-thirds. The final third, above roughly the halfway point of your elevation gain, is where a well-managed effort pays off.

Gearing

The saving grace of Alto de la Cruz is that its moderate gradients don't demand ultra-low ratios — but its length does. Fatigue makes a 4.71% grade feel much steeper at km 22 than it did at km 4. A 34×32 setup is enough for most fit riders to spin comfortably through the 7.43% sections while keeping cadence high. If you weigh more, ride heavier gear, or simply want insurance for the back half of a 1214 m ascent, step up to a 34×34. The extra range costs nothing on a climb where protecting your legs over the long haul matters more than raw punch.

Summary

Alto de la Cruz rewards the disciplined climber: steady output, sensible gearing, and a refusal to chase the moderate ramps. Ride it like the hour-long tempo effort it is, and the 1214 m of vertical will come to you.

Length: 25.8 km
Average gradient: 4.71%
Max gradient: 7.43%
Start: 208 m
Summit: 1422 m
Net gain: 1214 m
Total ascent: 1189 m
Category: 1