Alto de las Vacas

Overview

Alto de las Vacas is short, but do not mistake short for easy. Across just 3 km it averages a brutal 11.87%, dragging you from a start elevation of 154 m up to a summit of 513 m. That is 359 m of net elevation gain packed into a climb you could ride the length of in a few songs — if the road ever let you settle into a rhythm. It does not. With a Category 1 rating, this is a climb that punishes any rider who treats it like a warm-up, and the 337 m of total ascent tells you the road barely relents from bottom to top.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining number here is the max gradient: 23.09%. On a climb averaging 11.87%, a peak that steep means the road doubles its difficulty in places, and there is very little flat to hide the effort. Do the arithmetic and the character becomes clear — a 3 km climb gaining 359 m of net elevation cannot be a gentle drag; it is a wall that keeps standing back up every time you knock it down. Expect the steepest pitches to arrive without warning, spiking well past the average before easing just enough to let you breathe. The gap between the 11.87% average and the 23.09% maximum is the whole story: this is a climb of surges, not of steady tempo.

Pacing Notes

The trap on Alto de las Vacas is the opening. Because it is only 3 km, the temptation is to attack from the base — and because the average is 11.87%, that mistake compounds fast. Ride the first pitches at or just below your FTP, and hold something in reserve for the ramps that touch 23.09%, where you will be forced well into the red no matter how disciplined you were. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pacing plan. On a climb this steep and this short, your power-to-weight ratio governs everything; there is no aero, no draft, no coasting. Gaining 359 m over 3 km means every watt goes straight into fighting gravity.

Gearing

Gear for the worst pitch, not the average. With a 23.09% maximum and a sustained 11.87%, a compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette is the sensible floor. A 34×32 will get many trained riders up an ordinary steep climb, but on ramps this severe it can leave you grinding at a cadence that shreds your legs. If you have any doubt about your climbing legs, fit a 34×34 — that extra sprocket is the difference between spinning through the steepest sections and grinding to a walking-pace crawl. For a Category 1 wall gaining 359 m in 3 km, err generous.

Summary

Alto de las Vacas is a pure test of climbing strength: 3 km, 11.87% average, and a 23.09% sting that defines it. Pace the base, gear low, and respect the wall.

Length: 3 km
Average gradient: 11.87%
Max gradient: 23.09%
Start: 154 m
Summit: 513 m
Net gain: 359 m
Total ascent: 337 m
Category: 1