Bocchetta di Molina

Overview

Bocchetta di Molina is one of those climbs that reads harder on paper than most riders want to believe — and then rides even harder than that. Over 8.2 km it averages 11.55%, dragging you from a start elevation of 226 m up to a 1174 m summit. That is 948 m of net elevation gain, with 928 m of total ascent packed into a single relentless push. Rated HC — hors catégorie, the hardest grade above categories 1 through 4 — it earns the label not through length but through unremitting steepness. There is no easing here, no gentle valley approach to spin your legs into rhythm. The road tilts up early and stays there.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Bocchetta di Molina is that its 11.55% average is not a blend of flat and steep — it is a genuine baseline you sit near for most of the 8.2 km. Where lesser climbs give you recovery ramps between the hard sections, this one keeps the pressure constant. Then there is the sting: a maximum pitch of 34.58%, more than three times the average, a wall so severe it forces you out of the saddle and into pure survival cadence. With 948 m of gain to swallow and only 8.2 km to do it in, every kilometre asks for well over 100 m of vertical. The shape is simple and merciless — up, and then more up.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep, pacing discipline decides everything. Because the gradient rarely relents, you cannot bank on coasting sections to recover, so ride to a power ceiling rather than to feel. Anchor your effort just under your FTP for the sustained 11.55% stretches, and accept that the 34.58% ramp will spike you well above it for short bursts — that is unavoidable, so keep those surges brief and settle back down immediately after. If you do not know your threshold number, run it through the FTP estimator before you commit, then convert it into a target you can hold across all 8.2 km. Going out too hard in the first kilometre on Bocchetta di Molina is the classic error; the climb has plenty of road left to punish it.

Gearing

Gear for the wall, not the average. At 11.55% sustained and 34.58% at its worst, this is a climb where an overly tall setup will cook your legs and wreck your cadence. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible floor. A 34×32 will get most trained riders up the steady sections, but the maximum pitch is where it falls short — for the 34.58% ramp you will want the extra relief of a 34×34, and many riders would happily go easier still. Prioritise being able to spin over grinding; on 948 m of climbing this steep, a cadence you can sustain beats a bigger gear you cannot.

Summary

Bocchetta di Molina is a short, savage HC climb defined by a punishing 11.55% average and a 34.58% maximum that few will forget. Come with low gears, a paced plan, and respect for all 8.2 km.

Length: 8.2 km
Average gradient: 11.55%
Max gradient: 34.58%
Start: 226 m
Summit: 1174 m
Net gain: 948 m
Total ascent: 928 m
Category: HC