Aurine pass

Overview

The Aurine pass is a Category 1 climb that does not bother with a warm-up. Over 8.8 km it averages a punishing 9.26%, dragging you from a start elevation of 497 m up to a summit at 1311 m. That is a net elevation gain of 814 m and a total ascent of 780 m, packed into a distance short enough to keep the pressure on your legs the entire way. There is no long valley approach hidden in these numbers — the whole thing is climb. At 9.26% average, this is the kind of ascent where the gradient itself sets the pace, and you are simply deciding how much it will hurt.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Aurine is consistency at a brutal level. An average of 9.26% across 8.8 km means there are very few soft kilometres to recover in. Where a gentler climb lets you sit up and spin, here the road keeps tilting back into double digits. The max gradient of 15.88% is the sharpest bite, and on a slope that already averages over 9% those steep pitches arrive without much relief on either side. Expect the hardest ramps to feel like they nearly double the effort of the "easy" sections. Because the average sits so close to 10%, the mental game is holding a steady rhythm rather than chasing the flat spots — there simply aren't many.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this uniform, pacing to your FTP is the whole strategy. With an average of 9.26% you cannot coast, so going out above threshold in the first kilometre will cost you dearly before the summit. Aim to settle just under threshold and hold it, treating the 15.88% ramps as short, controlled surges rather than moments to accelerate. If you do not know your threshold number, run it through the FTP estimator first so you have a wattage ceiling to defend. Break the 8.8 km into thirds in your head: ride the first third conservatively, hold the middle, and only spend what is left once the summit at 1311 m is genuinely in reach.

Gearing

At 9.26% average with 15.88% pitches, gearing is not a luxury — it is the difference between climbing and grinding to a walk. A compact 34-tooth chainring is the minimum up front. For the cassette, a 34×32 is the floor for strong climbers who can hold a decent cadence at threshold. Most riders will be far happier with a 34×34, which buys you the extra spin to survive the steepest ramps without lurching over your gears. If you have the option of anything easier than 34×34, take it — nobody ever regretted having a bailout gear on a climb averaging over 9%.

Summary

Aurine pass is a short, unrelenting Category 1 test: 8.8 km with almost nowhere to hide, an average of 9.26%, and ramps to 15.88%. Pace it to threshold, gear low, and respect the 814 m of climbing that separates 497 m from the 1311 m summit.

Length: 8.8 km
Average gradient: 9.26%
Max gradient: 15.88%
Start: 497 m
Summit: 1311 m
Net gain: 814 m
Total ascent: 780 m
Category: 1