Alto de Tres Morros

Overview

Alto de Tres Morros is a category 2 climb that runs 13.5 km from a valley floor at 657 m to a summit at 1364 m. That is 707 m of net elevation between bottom and top, gained at an average gradient of 5.25%. On paper 5.25% reads as steady tempo territory, and for long stretches that is exactly what it is. But the climb hides a sharper edge: a maximum pitch of 13.42%, more than double the average, which tells you the road does not deliver its height at one polite rate. The 13.5 km distance puts Tres Morros firmly in the "long enough to matter" bracket without tipping into the marathon efforts reserved for the highest categories.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The key to reading Tres Morros is the gap between its numbers. An average of 5.25% across 13.5 km would, if it were uniform, feel like a rhythm you could hold in one gear all day. The 13.42% maximum breaks that illusion. For a single pitch to hit more than 8% above the average, other sections must sit well below it — meaning the climb almost certainly alternates between shallower drags and short, sharp ramps. Note too that total ascent is 697 m against a net gain of 707 m. Those figures are close, so there is little in the way of descending or false-flat give-back on the way up; nearly every metre you climb stays climbed. Expect the effort to be relentless in the sense that it rarely lets you coast, even where the gradient eases.

Pacing Notes

Pace this one off your sustainable power, not the steep bits. At an average of 5.25% over 13.5 km, most riders will be climbing for a good while, so anchor your effort to your FTP and resist the urge to burn matches on the ramps toward 13.42%. When one of those pitches arrives, let your speed drop and your cadence sag slightly rather than surging — a 13.42% wall is where over-pacing earlier in the climb comes back to punish you. If you are not sure what number to hold, run your recent efforts through the FTP estimator and set a ceiling before you start. Ride the first few kilometres a notch under what feels comfortable; the 707 m of vertical will feel very different in the final third.

Gearing

Gearing should be chosen for the 13.42% ramps, not the 5.25% average. On a climb this length, spinning a comfortable cadence protects your legs for the full 13.5 km. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 32-tooth sprocket (34×32) is a sensible baseline for fit riders who can hold power on the steeper pitches. If you want more margin on the 13.42% sections, or you simply prefer to spin, step up to a 34×34. That extra sprocket makes the difference between grinding and turning the pedals when the road bites.

Summary

Alto de Tres Morros is a 13.5 km category 2 climb that rewards patience: a 5.25% average that is honest more often than it is brutal, punctuated by a 13.42% maximum that demands respect. With 707 m of net gain and almost no give-back, it is a climb you settle into and manage rather than attack.

Length: 13.5 km
Average gradient: 5.25%
Max gradient: 13.42%
Start: 657 m
Summit: 1364 m
Net gain: 707 m
Total ascent: 697 m
Category: 2