Col de la Lombarde

Overview

The Col de la Lombarde is a hors catégorie (HC) climb, the hardest classification on the scale that runs HC, 1, 2, 3, 4. It stretches 20.4 km from a start elevation of 808 m to a summit of 2323 m, giving a net elevation gain of 1515 m and a total ascent of 1520 m. That small gap between net gain and total ascent — just 5 m — tells you almost everything: there is virtually no descending or false-flat recovery baked into this road. It goes up, and it keeps going up.

At 7.42% average over more than twenty kilometres, the Lombarde belongs in the upper tier of high-mountain efforts. This is not a wall you sprint and forget; it is a sustained, high-altitude test of patience and pacing.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of the Lombarde is its consistency. With a total ascent of 1520 m against a net gain of 1515 m, the road climbs almost monotonically — you gain roughly 1515 m of real height while only ever giving back around 5 m along the way. There are no long flat plateaus to soft-pedal and no fast downhill kilometres to reset your legs.

Spread across 20.4 km, the 7.42% average means the gradient rarely relents. Expect a rhythm climb where the number under your wheels hovers near that mean for long stretches. Because the summit sits at 2323 m, the final kilometres also come at genuine altitude, where thinner air quietly trims your available power even when the slope itself does not change.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long and this even, pacing is the whole game. The most reliable strategy is to ride to a target power tied to your FTP rather than chasing the rider ahead. A steady effort held just under threshold will almost always beat surging early and blowing up before the top.

If you do not know your current threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first, then set a ceiling for the lower slopes and hold it. Over 20.4 km you have plenty of time to spend matches — the discipline is not spending them in the first few kilometres. Bank a smooth, repeatable cadence early and you will still have something left when the altitude near 2323 m starts to bite.

Gearing

A 1515 m ascent at 7.42% over 20.4 km rewards gearing that lets you spin rather than grind. For most riders a compact 34-tooth inner chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible choice. A 34×32 gives a comfortable low gear for holding cadence through the steady mid-climb kilometres, and if you run lighter watts per kilo or simply want insurance for the altitude in the final stretch, step up to 34×34. On an HC climb of this length, easier gearing is not a weakness — it is what keeps your cadence high and your legs fresh all the way to the top.

Summary

The Col de la Lombarde is a relentless, almost gradient-perfect HC climb: 20.4 km of near-continuous ascent at 7.42%, topping out in thin air. Pace it to your threshold, gear it to spin, and respect the distance.

Length: 20.4 km
Average gradient: 7.42%
Max gradient: n/a
Start: 808 m
Summit: 2323 m
Net gain: 1515 m
Total ascent: 1520 m
Category: HC