Col des Planches

Overview

Col des Planches sits in Switzerland and earns its Category 1 rating honestly. The climb runs 12.6 km from start to summit, gains 959 m of net elevation, and averages 7.61% — a number that sounds manageable until the road reveals its character. With a maximum gradient of 25.96% lurking somewhere on the upper slopes, this is not a climb where you can ride on feel and hope for the best.

Total ascent across the full profile comes to 1,477 m, noticeably more than the 959 m net gain. That gap signals meaningful undulation: the road gives back a little height at points before demanding it again, which means your legs never fully recover once fatigue sets in.

Gradient Profile

The climb begins at 457 m elevation. The lower third tends to lure riders into a false sense of pacing security — the road is steep enough to demand respect, but not steep enough to force an immediate crisis. This is exactly the section where discipline matters most.

As the climb progresses, the gradient tightens. The 25.96% maximum represents a wall-grade ramp, the kind that stops a rider cold if the gear selection is wrong or if fatigue has already accumulated from an underpaced effort below. At gradients approaching 26%, even well-trained climbers are reduced to a very low cadence or are out of the saddle grinding.

The difference between the average (7.61%) and the maximum (25.96%) is a ratio of more than 3:1. That spread tells you the climb is not uniformly steep — it has distinct sections of moderate gradient punctuated by short, brutal kicks.

Pacing Notes

• Start conservative. With 12.6 km ahead and a maximum ramp above 25%, launching hard off the bottom is a guaranteed way to blow up before the hardest sections arrive.
• Treat the average as a ceiling, not a target. 7.61% average over this distance at race pace is already a significant sustained effort. Riding above threshold to "make time" on the easier ramps will cost you on the steep pitches.
• Identify the crux ramp early. If you have course notes or a GPS profile loaded, locate the 25.96% section in advance. Reduce pace slightly in the 500 m before it, shift down pre-emptively, and keep pedalling through rather than surging into it.
• Monitor total work, not just gradient. The 1,477 m total ascent versus 959 m net gain is a reminder that the legs are absorbing more punishment than the summit elevation difference suggests. Factor this into your FTP-based power targets.

Gearing

For a climb with a 25.96% maximum gradient, a compact chainset (50/34 or 46/30) paired with an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette is strongly advisable for most riders. Even strong climbers benefit from the insurance of a gear they won't need over having one section defeat them entirely.

If you are unsure what power output to target across this kind of profile, the FTP estimator can help you establish a baseline before setting climb-specific targets.

What to Expect

Col des Planches rewards patience and punishes ego. The Category 1 rating reflects both the length and the severity of its steepest passages. Riders who treat the first half as a controlled effort, arrive at the upper pitches with something left, and manage gear selection intelligently will have a very different experience from those who ride by feel and discover the 25.96% gradient with empty legs.