Col de Turini

What to Expect on the Col de Turini

The Col de Turini is an Hors Catégorie climb in the French Maritime Alps that earns its rating honestly. Over 12.6 km it averages 9.28% — a gradient that puts it firmly in the category of climbs that demand a real FTP strategy, not just fitness. The net elevation gain is 1,165 m, rising from a start elevation of 466 m to a summit at 1,631 m. Factor in the total ascent figure of 1,956 m and it's clear the road doesn't give you much flat road to recover on.

Gradient Profile: Bottom to Summit

The opening kilometres provide no gentle warm-up. The average of 9.28% over the full 12.6 km tells you the road is consistently steep, and the maximum gradient of 37.43% signals at least one ramp severe enough to demand everything your lowest gear can offer. That kind of max figure isn't a brief kicker — it's a wall, and it can appear at any point in the climb.

The profile rewards riders who have studied it in advance:

• Lower section: Expect sustained double-digit gradients early. The road climbs aggressively from the 466 m start, giving no grace period.
• Mid-section: The average holds close to or above the overall 9.28% mean, meaning any slight easing of the gradient is temporary rather than structural relief.
• Upper section: The summit push to 1,631 m keeps the pressure on. At altitude, where air is thinner and legs are already taxed, the consistent gradient becomes harder to manage than it looks on paper.

Pacing Strategy

At 9.28% average over 12.6 km, most riders will need 50–90 minutes on this climb depending on fitness. That duration makes early-effort management critical.

Start conservatively. The temptation to ride the first few kilometres at a pace that feels comfortable will cost you later. Use your FTP estimator to set a power ceiling before the climb starts and hold below it for the first third.

Protect watts on the steep ramps. When the gradient spikes toward its 37.43% maximum, the instinct is to surge. Resist it. Shift down early, keep cadence manageable, and don't let heart rate spike to a level you can't recover from within 60–90 seconds.

Cadence targets: On a climb averaging over 9%, a cadence between 65–75 rpm is realistic for most riders. Lower gearing lets you maintain that range without spiking power on the steeper pitches.

Gearing Notes

The 37.43% maximum gradient is among the steeper maxima you'll find on a named HC col. A compact chainset (50/34) paired with an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette is the practical minimum for most cyclists. If you're riding a sub-compact (46/30 or equivalent), you'll have more margin on the brutal sections. Going in on a standard 53/39 without a wide-range cassette is a risk not worth taking — grinding at 40 rpm on a 37% pitch will destroy your knees before it destroys your morale.

Key Numbers at a Glance

For riders building toward climbs of this calibre, see the full Hors Catégorie climb library on Neverchill.