Col de Menée

Overview

Col de Menée is a Category 1 climb in France, running 9.7 km from a valley floor at 782 m to a summit at 1426 m. That gives a net elevation gain of 644 m across the ascent, with an average gradient of 6.66%. On paper it reads as a steady, mid-length Category 1 effort, the kind of climb you can settle into rather than survive.

The number worth noticing is the gap between net gain and total ascent. You climb 644 m in net terms, but the road actually takes you up 1083 m in total. That 439 m difference is undulation: sections where the road dips or flattens before rising again. It means the climb does not gain height in one clean line, and the recovery you get on the flatter stretches is paid back with sharper efforts elsewhere. Plan for more vertical work than the net figure suggests.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 6.66% average is a useful anchor, but on a climb with this much undulation it hides both the easier and the harder ground. The extra 439 m of total ascent has to be absorbed somewhere, which means steeper pitches sit above the average to compensate for the flatter, recovering sections.

• Flatter or descending sections where the road gives back height before climbing again
• Repeated short rises rather than one continuous wall
• The steepest ramps sitting well above the 6.66% average — treat any short, sharp pitch as the place you can burn matches

Pacing Notes

On a smooth climb you can hold near-constant speed. Here, undulation makes even-speed pacing a trap: chasing the same speed up the steep ramps spikes your effort and empties the tank early. Pace on effort instead, anchored to your sustainable power output. Let speed rise on the flatter, recovering sections and let it drop on the ramps while power stays steady.

If you do not know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you plan the day. Ride the steep pitches a touch below threshold so the recoveries genuinely recover you, rather than arriving at each ramp already in debt.

Gearing

The steep ramps govern your setup, not the average. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you the low end to spin the sharp pitches instead of grinding them. Grinding at low cadence on the ramps is what turns a manageable Category 1 into a survival exercise. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; swapping a cassette in the car park is not the moment to discover you are under-geared.

Summary

• Length: 9.7 km
• Average gradient: 6.66%
• Net elevation gain: 644 m
• Total ascent: 1083 m
• Category: 1

Col de Menée rewards riders who respect the undulation. Pace on effort, gear for the steep ramps, and the extra 439 m of climbing hidden inside the total ascent becomes a rhythm to manage rather than a surprise.