Bartolosattel

Overview

Bartolosattel is a Category 1 climb in Italy, running 8.3 km from a base at 549 m to a summit of 1185 m. That gives a net elevation gain of 636 m over the ascent, with an average gradient of 7.64%. On paper it reads as a steady, sustained effort in the classic mid-length mold: long enough to demand a plan, short enough that you can spend hard if you get the pacing right.

The number that reshapes the ride is the total ascent of 857 m against that 636 m of net gain. The 221 m difference means the climb is not a single clean ramp — it descends and flattens in places, then claws the height back. Every metre you drop, you re-earn. That undulation raises the true cost of the climb above what the net figure suggests, and it punishes riders who treat the average gradient as a constant.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 7.64% average is a blend, not a description. With a maximum gradient of 25.23%, the steep sections are far harder than the mean implies, and the flatter and descending stretches that pull the average down are exactly where riders waste the time they think they are saving. Read the profile as a series of efforts, not one long drag.

• Flatter and recovery sections where the road eases or tips downhill — use them to eat, drink, and reset, not to sprint.
• Repeated short climbs that rebuild the height lost across the 221 m of undulation.
• A steepest ramp approaching 25%, where cadence collapses and raw torque decides the moment.

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-effort beats even-speed. Chasing a constant speed forces you to surge on every steep pitch and coast on every flat, spiking your cost far above your sustainable power output. Instead, hold a steady effort: let your speed rise on the shallow parts and fall on the ramps, keeping power in a controlled band. Use the recovery sections to sit just below threshold and recover before the next kicker. If you do not know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator first and pace to a percentage of it rather than to the clock.

Gearing

The 25.23% maximum gradient dictates your setup, not the average. Bring a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you a bailout low enough to keep spinning when the road stands up. Grinding a big gear at 25% wrecks your legs for the rest of the climb. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; the summit is the wrong place to discover you are over-geared.

Summary

• Length: 8.3 km
• Average gradient: 7.64%
• Maximum gradient: 25.23%
• Net elevation gain: 636 m
• Total ascent: 857 m
• Category: 1

Bartolosattel rewards riders who respect its undulation: pace by effort, gear for the steepest ramp, and treat the 857 m of total ascent — not the 636 m net — as the real workload.