Col de la Biche

Overview

Col de la Biche is a Category 1 climb in France, running 14.6 km from a valley floor to an exposed summit. It gains 1,020 m of net elevation over its length, starting at 303 m and topping out at 1,323 m. That places it firmly in serious-climb territory: long enough to demand real pacing discipline, high enough to change the air under you before the finish.

The gap between net elevation gain and total ascent tells the rest of the story. You climb 1,020 m in net terms but accumulate 1,269 m of total ascent, meaning roughly 249 m of that vertical is bought and then given back to descent inside the climb itself. This is not a smooth ramp. The undulation means you pay for false flats and dips with repeated re-accelerations, and the effort ledger runs higher than the net figure suggests.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 6.97% average is a blended number, and averages lie on a climb like this. With 249 m of internal descent folded in, the true climbing pitches are steeper than 6.97% to compensate for every metre lost. Expect the gradient to swing rather than settle.

• Flatter or slightly downhill recovery sections where the road gives back elevation — do not coast these away, keep tempo
• Repeated short climbs that re-load your legs each time the road tips back up
• A punishing steepest ramp far above the average, where the grade bites hardest and torque matters most

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb, even-speed pacing will wreck you — holding a fixed pace over the steep ramps spikes your power far above threshold. Pace by effort instead. Anchor your climbing to your sustainable power output and let your speed rise and fall with the grade: ease slightly on the steep ramps, press on the flatter recovery sections to keep the average honest without burning matches.

If you do not know your threshold, run the FTP estimator before the ride and set a ceiling you can hold for the full 14.6 km. The internal descents are your chance to breathe, not to hammer.

Gearing

The steepest ramp governs your gearing choice, not the average. On a climb with pitches this sharp, gear for the worst moment. A compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 — gives you a bailout gear to spin up the steepest ramp without grinding to a stall. Check your setup before the ride: confirm your rear derailleur clears the largest sprocket and that the chain is long enough. Discovering you are under-geared halfway up is a mistake you make only once.

Summary

• Length: 14.6 km
• Average gradient: 6.97%
• Net elevation gain: 1,020 m
• Total ascent: 1,269 m
• Category: 1

Col de la Biche is a long Category 1 effort where the undulating profile — 1,269 m of ascent for 1,020 m of net gain — punishes riders who pace by speed and rewards those who pace by effort. Gear conservatively, hold your threshold, and treat the recovery sections as fuel for the ramps still to come.