Brocon Pass

Overview

Brocon Pass is a long-haul category 1 climb that trades brutality for duration. Over its 30.4 km it lifts you from a valley floor at 258 m all the way to a 1622 m summit, banking 1364 m of net elevation gain along the way. The total ascent of 1411 m tells you the road isn't perfectly monotonic — there are dips and false flats folded into the profile — but the overall trend is relentlessly upward.

At a glance the numbers look gentle: a 4.49% average gradient is the kind of figure you can spin all day. The catch is the length. Thirty kilometres of continuous elevation gain is an effort measured in hours, not minutes, and that changes how you have to ride it.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Read the average and the maximum together and the shape becomes clear. The climb sits at 4.49% on average but spikes to 16.5% at its steepest — nearly four times the mean. That gap is the whole story: this is not an even ramp but a rolling, uneven ascent where mellow drags are punctuated by sharp pitches.

Because total ascent (1411 m) slightly exceeds net gain (1364 m), roughly 47 m of the road actually goes back downhill or flattens before climbing again. Those interruptions reset your rhythm. Expect long, sustainable stretches well below the average, then abrupt kicks toward that 16.5% wall that force you out of the saddle or deep into your easiest gear.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, discipline beats bravado. Anchor your effort to a percentage of your FTP rather than to how you feel in the first few kilometres — you have 30.4 km to fill, and the early enthusiasm evaporates fast. A sensible target for most riders is a controlled tempo that leaves headroom for the 16.5% ramps, which will spike your power far above your steady-state number no matter how smoothly you ride.

If you don't know your threshold, sort that out before you attempt the pass. Our FTP estimator will give you a working figure to plan around. Set your ceiling, ride under it on the shallow sections, and accept short surges over it on the steep pitches — then recover on the false flats where the gradient eases back below the 4.49% average.

Gearing

The 4.49% average is not what dictates your cassette here — the 16.5% maximum is. On pitches that steep, after you've already climbed for an hour or more, you want a bailout gear that keeps your cadence alive. A 34×32 setup is the sensible baseline for fit riders and will get most people up the wall without grinding to a crawl. If you climb at a lower cadence, carry extra weight, or simply want insurance for the back half of a 30.4 km effort, size up to 34×34. The longer the climb, the more you'll thank yourself for the easier ratio. There is no prize for over-gearing a category 1 that lasts this long.

Summary

Brocon Pass rewards patience. It's a 30.4 km category 1 ascent that stays civil on average but bites at 16.5%, delivering 1364 m of net gain to a 1622 m summit. Pace it by your threshold, gear it for the steep bits, and let the length — not the gradient — earn your respect.

Length: 30.4 km
Average gradient: 4.49%
Max gradient: 16.5%
Start: 258 m
Summit: 1622 m
Net gain: 1364 m
Total ascent: 1411 m
Category: 1