Collado de Andrés Sáez

Overview

The Collado de Andrés Sáez is a long, deceptively gentle category-2 climb that rewards patience over power. Over 20.1 km it lifts you from a start elevation of 476 m to a summit of 1140 m, a net gain of 664 m. The average gradient reads just 3.3%, which on paper looks like a warm-up rather than a mountain. But length is its own kind of difficulty: two hours of continuous climbing at any tempo taxes the legs, and the 20.1 km distance means there is nowhere to hide once you commit.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Do not let the 3.3% average lull you. That figure is an average across the full 20.1 km, and a max gradient of 9.35% tells you the road is far from uniform. Expect the climb to breathe — long shallow drags where you can turn a big gear and hold speed, punctuated by short pitches that nearly triple the average. The gap between the 3.3% mean and the 9.35% ceiling is where the climb is won or lost. On the flatter sections you bank rhythm; on the steeper ramps you spend it. With a net gain of 664 m spread over such a distance, the overall shape is a steady staircase rather than a wall, but each individual step upward can bite harder than the numbers suggest.

Pacing Notes

This is a climb to ride to a number, not to a feeling. Because the average is a modest 3.3%, it is tempting to push above threshold on every rise, but 20.1 km is far too long to sustain that. Aim to hold a steady effort at or just below your FTP on the drags, and allow yourself to drift toward it only on the 9.35% pitches. If you do not know your sustainable power, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you start — pacing a 20.1 km effort blind is a fast route to blowing up in the final third. The key is treating the whole 664 m of climbing as one continuous effort, metering yourself so that the last few kilometres to 1140 m feel controlled rather than survival.

Gearing

Because the sustained gradient sits low, most riders will spend the bulk of the 20.1 km in the middle of the cassette, spinning a comfortable cadence. The complication is the max of 9.35%: you want a bailout gear for those ramps after your legs have already absorbed hundreds of metres of climbing. A compact chainset paired with a 34×32 is the sensible baseline and will handle the steep pitches without forcing you out of the saddle. If you climb light or prefer a higher cadence, a 34×34 buys you extra insurance for the harder ramps late on, keeping your legs fresh across the full 664 m of ascent.

Summary

The Collado de Andrés Sáez is a test of rhythm and pacing more than raw climbing muscle — a long category-2 ascent where discipline beats aggression. Ride to a steady number, keep a comfortable gear turning, and save something for the 9.35% ramps that break up the 3.3% average.

Length: 20.1 km
Average gradient: 3.3%
Max gradient: 9.35%
Start: 476 m
Summit: 1140 m
Net gain: 664 m
Total ascent: 650 m
Category: 2