Alto De Melgarejo

Overview

Alto De Melgarejo is a hors catégorie climb, the highest classification the sport uses, and it earns that label without needing embellishment. Over 22.4 km the road lifts you from 1470 m at the base to a summit of 3236 m, a net gain of 1766 m. The average gradient reads 7.89%, which is severe for a climb of this length: most riders can survive 8% for a few kilometres, but sustaining it for the better part of an hour and a half is a different exercise entirely. The total recorded ascent is 1727 m, close to the net gain, telling you this is a relentlessly upward road rather than a rolling one with false flats to hide behind.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Read the numbers as a shape. An average of 7.89% across 22.4 km with a maximum of 14.87% means the climb is fundamentally steady but far from uniform. There is no long flat reprieve baked into the profile — with total ascent (1727 m) sitting so near the net gain (1766 m), almost every metre you climb is a metre kept. Expect the steepest pitches, approaching that 14.87% ceiling, to arrive as sharp punctuation rather than sustained walls. The danger is the average itself: at 7.89% the road never truly lets you recover, so the harder ramps compound onto legs that are already loaded. Treat the summit at 3236 m as a factor too — thinner air near the top quietly steepens every percentage point.

Pacing Notes

This is a climb won by discipline in the first third. Anchor your effort to your FTP and hold something in reserve, because 22.4 km at 7.89% will expose any early over-exuberance long before the 3236 m summit. A sensible target for most riders is a steady sub-threshold effort, lifting slightly over the ramps toward 14.87% and settling back on the more average sections rather than surging. If you don't know your threshold, run the numbers first with the FTP estimator so your pacing is built on data, not optimism. Fuel early and often — an ascent of this duration is a nutrition problem as much as a power one.

Gearing

Bring climbing gears. For a 22.4 km effort averaging 7.89% with pitches near 14.87%, a compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the baseline. A 34×32 is the minimum most riders should consider here, and even strong climbers will be grateful for it on the steep ramps. If you weigh more, ride at a lower threshold, or simply want to protect your knees over 1766 m of climbing, step up to a 34×34. The extra range lets you keep cadence rather than grinding, which is what preserves your legs for the thin air near the 3236 m top.

Summary

Alto De Melgarejo is a true HC test: long, steep, and unforgiving from base to summit. Pace it conservatively, gear it generously, and respect the altitude.

Length: 22.4 km
Average gradient: 7.89%
Max gradient: 14.87%
Start: 1470 m
Summit: 3236 m
Net gain: 1766 m
Total ascent: 1727 m
Category: HC