Col de Pavis

Overview

Col de Pavis is a hors catégorie climb, the hardest rung on the classification ladder above categories 1 through 4. Over 12 km it lifts you from 392 m to a 1945 m summit — a net gain of 1553 m, with 1513 m of that arriving as pure ascent. The headline number is the average gradient: 13%. That is not a figure most riders encounter outside a nightmare, and it holds across the entire 12 km rather than being flattered by a gentle run-in. There is nowhere to recover here, which is precisely what makes Pavis a benchmark.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Pavis is its relentlessness. A 13% average over 12 km means the climb almost never dips into territory where you can freewheel or spin easily. The pitch simply sits, and stays, in the red. Layered on top of that baseline is a maximum gradient of 28.2% — a wall steep enough that on a bad line you may struggle to keep the front wheel weighted. The gap between the 13% average and the 28.2% max tells you the climb is not uniform: expect sustained mid-teens grinding punctuated by savage kicks that spike more than 15 percentage points above the mean. Because those ramps land inside an already brutal average, they hit when your legs have no reserve left.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this long, pacing is survival. Your ceiling is your FTP — the power you can hold for roughly an hour — and 12 km at 13% will take most amateurs well beyond an hour, so riding at or above threshold from the base is a fast route to blowing up before the top. Anchor your effort a notch below FTP and treat the 28.2% ramps as the only place you spend matches, standing briefly to clear them before settling back. If you do not know your number, run the FTP estimator first and build your target around it. Save something for the upper slopes: the summit sits at 1945 m, and thinner air compounds the fatigue of 1553 m of climbing exactly when the gradient refuses to relent.

Gearing

Gear for the worst pitch, not the average. On a climb averaging 13% and spiking to 28.2%, most riders will want the biggest cassette they can fit behind a compact. A 34×32 is a sensible floor, but on the 28.2% ramps that ratio can still leave you grinding at a cadence that shreds the legs. If your derailleur allows it, step up to 34×34 — the extra tooth buys precious cadence exactly where the road stands up. Riders who suffer on steep gradients, or who are carrying the full 12 km in their legs, should not feel over-geared choosing 34×34; on Pavis, spinning survives where mashing quits.

Summary

Col de Pavis is a genuine hors catégorie test: 12 km that never eases from a 13% average, capped by a 28.2% wall, delivering 1553 m of net elevation to a 1945 m summit. Gear low, pace under threshold, and respect the relentlessness.

Length — 12 km
Average gradient — 13%
Max gradient — 28.2%
Start — 392 m
Summit — 1945 m
Net gain — 1553 m
Total ascent — 1513 m
Category — HC