Alto de La Guaca

Overview

Alto de La Guaca is a category 2 climb that packs a genuine challenge into a compact 8.7 km. From a start elevation of 996 m it works its way up to a summit of 1518 m, a net elevation gain of 522 m. The average gradient of 6% reads as moderate on paper, but the profile hides a real sting: pitches reach as high as 10.93%, nearly double the average. That gap between the mean and the max is the whole story here — La Guaca is not a climb you can simply settle into and forget about.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Do the arithmetic and the shape becomes clear. If the whole 8.7 km climbed at exactly 6%, you would expect a gain close to the 522 m of net gain the profile actually delivers, and the total ascent of 497 m confirms the road climbs almost continuously rather than rolling up and down. So there is very little false flat and no meaningful descent to break the effort.

What varies is intensity. A 6% average built from a 10.93% maximum means the steep ramps are balanced by gentler stretches nearer 3–4%. Expect the climb to breathe: a shallower section where you recover, then a wall that pushes toward that 10.93% peak. The difference between the two is roughly five percentage points, enough to force a gear change and a change of rhythm each time.

Pacing Notes

Because the hard sections come in pulses, pace to the average, not the peaks. Aim to hold a wattage you can sustain for the full 8.7 km rather than chasing the steep ramps — the climb is short enough that going into the red early on a 10.93% pitch will cost you more than it gains.

A good target is to ride the sustained sections just under your FTP, letting your power drift above it only briefly on the steepest kickers before easing back on the flatter grades. If you do not know your threshold number, run the FTP estimator first so your pacing targets are grounded in your actual fitness rather than guesswork. On a climb this punchy, riding to real numbers is the difference between cresting strong and cracking on the last ramp.

Gearing

The 10.93% maximum is what dictates your setup. On a 522 m climb with double-digit pitches, you want a bailout gear that lets you spin rather than grind. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring paired with a 32-tooth cassette sprocket — a 34×32 — is the sensible baseline for fit riders comfortable turning a bigger gear on 10%+ ramps.

If you carry endurance-ride legs, or simply want to protect your knees and keep cadence high through the steep sections, go one step easier with a 34×34. That extra sprocket buys you meaningful relief every time the road tilts toward the 10.93% max, and on a climb defined by its ramps, cadence is your friend.

Summary

Alto de La Guaca rewards riders who respect its ramps. Ride to the 6% average, save something for the 10.93% pitches, gear low enough to spin, and its 8.7 km will pass under you smoothly. Underestimate the steep sections and the final ramp to 1518 m will feel a lot longer than the number suggests.

Length: 8.7 km
Average gradient: 6%
Max gradient: 10.93%
Start: 996 m
Summit: 1518 m
Net gain: 522 m
Total ascent: 497 m
Category: 2