Collada dels Maçaners

Overview

Collada dels Maçaners is a Category 2 climb in Spain (ES), running 13.8 km from a start elevation of 365 m to a summit at 1,106 m. On paper it delivers 741 m of net elevation gain at an average gradient of 5.37% — a profile that reads as a steady, mid-length tempo effort. The category and the length put it firmly in reach of most fit riders, but the average number is not the whole picture.

The gap between the net gain (741 m) and the total ascent (1,618 m) is where this climb hides its difficulty. That difference — 877 m — is elevation you climb only to give it back on descents and false flats before climbing again. In practical terms, you do more than twice the vertical work the net figure suggests. Expect an effort that feels harder and takes longer than a smooth 741 m climb, because every recovery section costs you rhythm and every re-acceleration costs you matches.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 5.37% average across 13.8 km sounds even, but with 1,618 m of total ascent packed in, the road clearly rises and falls rather than climbing in one clean line. The steep pitches are steeper than the average implies, and the flatter and downhill stretches drag that average down.

• Flatter and recovery sections: expect false flats and short descents that reset your legs but break your cadence.
• Repeated short climbs: the undulation means several distinct ramps rather than one continuous grade.
• The steepest ramp: a hard maximum pitch well above the average that will spike your effort — get into your climbing gear before you hit it.

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-effort beats even-speed. Chasing a constant speed forces you to over-push on the steep ramps and coast on the flats, burning matches you cannot recover. Instead, hold a steady sustainable power output and let your speed vary with the terrain — slower on the ramps, faster on the false flats.

Resist the urge to hammer the descents and recovery sections; use them to bring your heart rate down. Know your ceiling before you start by running the numbers through our FTP estimator, then ride the ramps just under threshold so the repeated efforts don't compound into a blow-up.

Gearing

The steepest ramp on Collada dels Maçaners is sharp enough that your gearing choice is not optional. Run a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you the low gear needed to keep cadence up and spin through the steep pitches rather than grinding them. On a climb with this much repeated vertical, a bailout gear protects your legs across the whole effort, not just the single hardest ramp. Check your setup before the ride, not at the bottom of the climb.

Summary

• Length: 13.8 km
• Average gradient: 5.37%
• Maximum gradient: 39.37%
• Net elevation gain: 741 m
• Total ascent: 1,618 m
• Category: 2

Collada dels Maçaners is a climb where the average tells a gentler story than the road. Pace it by effort, gear it for the steepest ramp, and respect the 1,618 m of total work hiding behind a 741 m net gain.