Col de Locia

Overview

Col de Locia is a long, high-altitude haul that rewards riders who respect its length before they worry about its steepest pitches. Over 24.8 km the road lifts you from 855 m at the base to a summit of 2192 m, a net elevation gain of 1337 m. The average gradient reads a deceptively civil 5.38%, but that figure hides a max of 15.52% and a total ascent of 1328 m once the small dips and false flats are counted. This is a category 1 climb — one rung below hors catégorie — and it earns that rating through sheer duration as much as steepness.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The gap between the 5.38% average and the 15.52% max tells you everything about how Locia is shaped: it is not a uniform ramp but a climb of shifting moods. Long stretches sit comfortably below the average, letting you find a rhythm, and those easier kilometres are balanced by pitches that spike toward the mid-teens. With total ascent (1328 m) sitting just under the net gain (1337 m), the profile is almost entirely uphill — there is very little descending to recover on. Expect the hardest sections to arrive as isolated walls rather than one sustained brutal band, so the challenge is metering your effort so a single 15.52% pitch doesn't blow apart an otherwise well-judged ride.

Pacing Notes

At nearly 25 km, Locia is an effort measured in tens of minutes, so anchoring your pace to a power number matters more here than on a short climb. Ride the bulk of the 5.38% average at or just below your FTP, leaving a reserve for the 15.52% ramps where power naturally surges. If you don't know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a target, because going out too hard over the first several kilometres leaves nothing for the 1337 m of climbing still ahead. Remember too that the summit sits at 2192 m, high enough that thinner air quietly trims the power you can hold — bank effort early and let altitude, not ambition, dictate the final kilometres.

Gearing

For a climb this long topping out above 2000 m, gear low and gear early. A 34×32 is the sensible floor for strong riders who can spin the 5.38% sections without grinding, but the 15.52% pitches combined with 24.8 km of accumulated fatigue make a 34×34 the safer, more forgiving choice for most. The extra cog buys you cadence when your legs are deep into that 1337 m of gain, and spinning a lower gear late costs far less than muscling a too-big one over the steepest ramps.

Summary

Col de Locia is a patience climb: 24.8 km, a manageable 5.38% average punctuated by 15.52% spikes, and a summit at 2192 m that adds altitude to the arithmetic. Pace it to power, gear it low, and let the length — not the gradient — set your ambitions.

Length: 24.8 km
Average gradient: 5.38%
Max gradient: 15.52%
Start: 855 m
Summit: 2192 m
Net gain: 1337 m
Total ascent: 1328 m
Category: 1