Col de Larone

Overview

Col de Larone is a Category 2 climb in France, running 9.2 km from base to summit. It starts at 76 m and tops out at 601 m, for a net elevation gain of 525 m. On paper that is a moderate ascent: a mid-length climb with a mid-range category, the sort of effort most trained riders expect to ride through without drama.

The paper version is misleading. The net gain is 525 m, but the total ascent over the climb is 1010 m. That gap of 485 m means you are not climbing a single clean gradient — you are gaining height, giving some back, and clawing it up again. Every metre you descend has to be re-earned, so the legs do close to twice the vertical work the summit elevation suggests. Treat this as a rolling climb, not a steady drag.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 5.7% average gradient is an artifact of that undulation. Because the profile loses height in places, the flat mathematical average is dragged down and undersells the ramps that actually hurt. The climbing sections are steeper than 5.7%; the average only looks tame because the descents subtract from it. The single steepest ramp reaches 27.64% — a wall that has nothing to do with the gentle average.

Expect the profile to break into distinct pieces:

• Short false-flat and downhill recovery sections that reset your rhythm and drop the average
• Repeated stacked climbs rather than one continuous wall, each one asking for a fresh surge
• A concentrated steep ramp peaking at 27.64% where the real gradient bites — carry momentum into it rather than hitting it cold

Pacing Notes

Do not pace this climb to an even speed. On an undulating profile, holding constant speed forces huge power spikes on the ramps and coasting on the descents — a fast way to blow up. Pace to even effort instead: hold a steady, repeatable sustainable power output through the climbing sections and let your speed rise and fall with the terrain.

The descents are your recovery. Soft-pedal them, drop the effort, and bank a little for the next ramp. If you do not know your ceiling, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first, then aim to sit just under that figure on the pitches and well under it on the flatter stretches.

Gearing

The 27.64% maximum ramp on this climb means you want low gears in reserve. A compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — something like 34×32 or 34×34 — gives you a bailout when that wall arrives on tired legs after 1010 m of accumulated climbing. Check your setup before the ride. Confirm the cassette and chainring you are actually running, not the one you think you have, because there is no room to fix it mid-climb.

Summary

• Length: 9.2 km
• Average gradient: 5.7%
• Maximum gradient: 27.64%
• Net elevation gain: 525 m
• Total ascent: 1010 m
• Category: 2

Col de Larone rewards riders who read the undulation before the average. Pace to even effort, keep low gears in hand, and respect that 1010 m of ascent — nearly double the net gain — is the number that decides your day.