Bocchetta di Selvaraonda

Overview

The Bocchetta di Selvaraonda is a climb built on sheer duration. Over 23 km it averages 7.46%, dragging you from a valley floor at 68 m up to a summit of 1787 m. That is 1719 m of net elevation gain, with 1816 m of total ascent once the small dips and false flats are counted. The gap between net gain and total ascent — 97 m of it — tells you the road does not climb in a single clean line; there are stretches where you give a little back before the grade reclaims it.

This is a full hors catégorie (HC) effort, the hardest rating on the scale that runs HC, 1, 2, 3, 4. Nothing about 23 km at 7.46% is casual. It is long enough to be a whole day's centrepiece and steep enough that there is no coasting your way to the top.

How the Gradient Unfolds

With no recorded max gradient, the number that matters is the 7.46% average sustained across the entire 23 km. Think of it less as a wall and more as a relentless, unbroken pull. A 7.46% average over that distance means the climb rarely eases into anything you would call recovery — even the flatter moments are only flatter by comparison.

The 97 m difference between the 1816 m of total ascent and the 1719 m net gain confirms the road is not perfectly uniform: expect the grade to pitch above the average in places and slacken in others, but always trending upward toward 1787 m. Ration your effort as if the whole thing sits at or above 7.46%, because on average it does.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, pacing is everything. The 23 km at 7.46% will punish anyone who goes out hard in the first few kilometres. Anchor your effort to your sustainable power rather than your feelings early on. If you know your FTP, aim to sit comfortably below it for the opening two-thirds and only spend what is left near the top. If you have never measured it, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a target here — guessing on a 1719 m ascent is how you blow up.

Break the climb into thirds in your head. Each third is roughly a sustained tempo block, and the summit at 1787 m only reveals itself once the earlier discipline has paid off.

Gearing

Gear for endurance, not for heroics. A 7.46% average held for 23 km chews through legs, so you want a bailout ratio that lets you spin rather than grind. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with at least a 34×32 is a sensible floor for strong climbers. For most riders — and for anyone carrying fatigue into the lower slopes — go one step easier to a 34×34 so you can keep the cadence up through the full 1719 m of climbing. On a climb where the grade rarely relents, the easier gear is the one that gets you to 1787 m still pedalling.

Summary

The Bocchetta di Selvaraonda is a genuine HC test: 23 km, 7.46% average, and 1719 m of net gain from 68 m to 1787 m. Respect the distance, pace to your FTP, and gear low.

Length: 23 km
Average gradient: 7.46%
Max gradient: n/a
Start: 68 m
Summit: 1787 m
Net gain: 1719 m
Total ascent: 1816 m
Category: HC