Alto de los Cacaos

Overview

Alto de los Cacaos is a hors catégorie climb that earns every letter of that label. Over 16.7 km it drags you from a start elevation of 871 m up to a summit at 2519 m, banking 1648 m of net elevation gain along the way. The average gradient is a punishing 9.9% — not a number that eases off, but a number you live inside for the better part of an hour or more. Add in a total ascent of 1689 m, and you have a climb that barely gives back a single metre once it begins pointing skyward.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The gap between the 1648 m net gain and the 1689 m of total ascent tells you almost everything: there are only 41 m of descent or flat relief across the entire 16.7 km. In practical terms, this climb never truly lets you recover. A 9.9% average sustained over that distance is already brutal, but the max gradient of 30.34% warns that the mean hides some savage spikes. Expect stretches that hover in the double digits punctuated by short walls where the road kicks toward that 30.34% ceiling. On a climb this uniform, the danger is not one hard section — it is the absence of any easy one.

Pacing Notes

Treat Alto de los Cacaos as a sustained threshold effort with an emergency reserve for the ramps. The 9.9% average means gravity sets your pace; your job is to hold an even power output rather than chase speed. Anchor your effort to your FTP and aim to sit just under it for the bulk of the 16.7 km, saving matches for the pitches that leap toward 30.34%. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit — going out too hard in the first few kilometres on a climb with 1648 m of gain and no flat to recover is how good days unravel. Start conservatively; the summit at 2519 m is a long way up.

Gearing

This is a climb that rewards spinning over grinding. With a 9.9% average and ramps to 30.34%, most riders will want the widest range they can fit. A compact chainring paired with a wide cassette is the baseline — think 34×32 as a starting point for strong climbers. But given the sheer length and the 30.34% max, do not be shy about going to 34×34 or beyond; the extra cog can be the difference between riding the steepest ramps and walking them. Over 16.7 km and 1689 m of ascent, a lower gear you barely use costs nothing and saves everything.

Summary

Alto de los Cacaos is a genuine HC test: long, steep, and unrelenting from 871 m to 2519 m. Come with low gears, a disciplined pacing plan, and respect for a 9.9% average that never blinks.

Length: 16.7 km
Average gradient: 9.9%
Max gradient: 30.34%
Start: 871 m
Summit: 2519 m
Net gain: 1648 m
Total ascent: 1689 m
Category: HC