Coll de les Llebres

Overview

Coll de les Llebres is a long, patient climb rather than a violent one. Over 23.5 km it lifts you from a start elevation of just 19 m all the way to a 1006 m summit, a net gain of 987 m at an average gradient of 4.2%. That average tells you most of what you need to know: this is a category 1 effort built on duration and rhythm, not on wall-like ramps. The scale is what makes it serious. Very few riders can hold a hard tempo for the better part of an hour of continuous climbing, and that is exactly what les Llebres asks. The reward is a genuine high-mountain summit reached from near sea level, a rare full-value ascent.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 4.2% average across 23.5 km hides some useful math. The recorded total ascent is 946 m, slightly less than the 987 m net gain figure, which points to a climb that trends upward almost the entire way with little to no descending inside it. In practice that means the road rarely gives you a free coast to recover. Instead you settle into a gradient that hovers around the average, with the inevitable steeper pitches balanced by shallower drags where you can breathe. There is no single decisive ramp to fear; the difficulty is cumulative. Manage the middle third well and the summit comes to you.

Pacing Notes

The smartest way to ride a climb this long is off your sustainable power, not your ego. Anchor your effort just under threshold and let the kilometres tick by. Knowing your FTP turns 23.5 km of guesswork into a plan: hold a percentage of it you can defend for the full duration, and resist the urge to chase early. If you have not tested recently, the FTP estimator will give you a working number to pace against. On a 987 m ascent, going two minutes too hard in the first third costs you far more than two minutes on the road above. Drink and fuel on the shallower sections, because there are few natural rest points.

Gearing

For a 23.5 km climb at 4.2% you want gears that let you spin, especially deep into the effort when fatigue flattens your cadence. A compact chainring paired with a wide cassette is the right foundation. A 34×32 low gear is a sensible starting point for strong riders who climb often, giving enough range to sit and turn the pedals on the steeper pitches. If you weigh more, ride at endurance level, or simply want insurance for a summit near 1006 m, step to 34×34. The extra sprocket protects your knees and your morale on a climb where the last few kilometres are always the hardest.

Summary

Coll de les Llebres is a proper big-mountain climb: long, steady, and relentless from near sea level to over a kilometre up. Pace it off your sustainable power, gear low enough to spin, and let the 23.5 km deliver you to the top.

Length: 23.5 km
Average gradient: 4.2%
Max gradient: n/a
Start: 19 m
Summit: 1006 m
Net gain: 987 m
Total ascent: 946 m
Category: 1