Alto de los Coto

Overview

Alto de los Coto is a short, honest climb that rewards a clear head more than a big engine. Over just 2.2 km it averages 6.2%, and while that number sounds gentle on paper, the sharpest ramp bites at 10.16% — enough to sting if you have misjudged the effort. You start low, at 21 m above sea level, and finish at 157 m, a net gain of 136 m packed into a tidy distance. This is a category-4 climb: the mildest rung on the classification ladder below categories 3, 2, 1 and the fearsome HC, but "mild" here means brief, not effortless. Everything about Coto is about compression — a whole climb's worth of work squeezed into a handful of minutes.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Coto is the gap between its 6.2% average and its 10.16% maximum. That spread tells you the road is not uniform: expect stretches sitting comfortably under the average, punctuated by at least one pitch that leaps toward double digits. The net elevation gain of 136 m against a total ascent of 107 m is worth noting — the total ascent figure counts only the accumulated upward metres, which on a climb this short means the road tips almost continuously upward with little relief. There is nowhere long enough to fully recover, so the steep section arrives while your legs are still loaded from everything before it. Treat the early, shallower gradient as your bank of energy for the 10.16% moment, not as a place to attack.

Pacing Notes

On a climb of 2.2 km, pacing is everything — go too hard in the first few hundred metres and the 10.16% ramp will expose you. Anchor your effort to your FTP: riding the shallower sections just below threshold leaves headroom to surge over the steep pitch without blowing up. Because the average is 6.2% but the max is 10.16%, plan for your power to spike well above your steady number on that ramp, then settle back. If you do not know your threshold, the FTP estimator will give you a working figure to build these targets around. The whole climb is short enough to hold a strong tempo start to finish — the skill is spending your matches on the 10.16% section rather than the easy metres before it.

Gearing

For a 2.2 km climb averaging 6.2% with a 10.16% peak, most riders will be comfortable on a compact setup. A 34×32 low gear handles the bulk of the gradient and lets you spin the steeper pitches rather than grind them, protecting your legs across the 136 m of climbing. If you prefer to stay seated and keep cadence high — or you are carrying fatigue — a 34×34 gives a touch more range for the 10.16% ramp and turns a hard effort into a manageable one. Neither is overkill; on a punchy category-4 climb, the extra sprocket is cheap insurance against the sharpest section.

Summary

Alto de los Coto is a compact test: 2.2 km, a 6.2% average, and a single 10.16% ramp that decides how the climb feels. Pace off your threshold, gear low enough to spin, and it becomes a satisfying short effort rather than a grovel.

Length: 2.2 km
Average gradient: 6.2%
Max gradient: 10.16%
Start: 21 m
Summit: 157 m
Net gain: 136 m
Total ascent: 107 m
Category: 4