Bocchetta di Spessola

Overview

Bocchetta di Spessola is one of those climbs whose numbers tell you almost everything you need to know before you turn a pedal. It runs 7.4 km, and across that distance it averages a savage 11.18%. That is not a rolling road with a couple of steep ramps thrown in — it is relentless, sustained steepness from bottom to top. The road lifts you from a start elevation of 427 m to a summit of 1253 m, a net gain of 826 m, with a total ascent of 806 m once the small dips are accounted for. Rated HC — hors catégorie, the hardest classification there is — this is a climb that rewards respect and punishes bravado.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An 11.18% average over 7.4 km leaves nowhere to hide. There is no gentle valley approach to spin through, no false flat to recover on. The defining feature is the max gradient of 18.65%, a wall steep enough that even seated climbers will feel the front wheel go light. Because the average sits so high, the ramps around that maximum are stacked closely together rather than isolated, so the pitch rarely drops far enough to feel like rest. Expect the road to hover in the low-to-mid teens for long stretches, punctuated by those 18.65% spikes. With only 20 m separating the net gain of 826 m from the total ascent of 806 m, this is an almost purely uphill effort — you climb nearly every metre you gain.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this long, pacing is survival. Your FTP is the number that matters most here: at 11.18% average, small overshoots in power compound fast because you cannot freewheel back the deficit. Ride the lower ramps a touch conservatively so you have something left for the 18.65% pitches, where power naturally spikes just to keep the bike moving. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit — target roughly threshold or just below on the shallower sections, and accept short surges over it on the steepest walls. Cadence will drop; that is normal on gradients like these. The goal is a steady, sustainable effort across all 7.4 km, not a fast start you cannot hold to 1253 m.

Gearing

Gear for the worst pitch, not the average. With sustained double-digit gradients and an 18.65% maximum, a compact 34-tooth chainring is the baseline. Pair it with at least a 34×32 for most riders — that ratio gives you a fighting chance of keeping cadence on the mid-climb ramps. If you climb at a lower cadence, carry extra weight, or simply want insurance for the steepest section, step up to a 34×34. On a 7.4 km HC effort averaging 11.18%, easier gearing is never wasted; the spare ratios keep your legs turning instead of grinding to a stall on the walls.

Summary

Bocchetta di Spessola is a short but uncompromising HC test: 7.4 km that never lets up, averaging 11.18% and topping out at 18.65%. Gear low, pace by threshold, and treat the summit as earned.

Length: 7.4 km
Average gradient: 11.18%
Max gradient: 18.65%
Start: 427 m
Summit: 1253 m
Net gain: 826 m
Total ascent: 806 m
Category: HC