Collado de Cieza

Overview

The Collado de Cieza is a short, uncompromising climb. Over just 3.5 km it drags you from 92 m at the base to 395 m at the top, a net gain of 303 m at an average gradient of 8.55%. That is a category 2 ascent that behaves like something harder, because the length never gives the numbers time to soften. There are no flat sections to hide inside and no long false-flat run-in to warm the legs. From the moment the road tips up, it stays up, and the total ascent of 288 m confirms there is almost no respite baked into the profile.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature here is consistency. An average of 8.55% across 3.5 km means the climb rarely dips into easy territory, and the ramp toward the 11.26% maximum tells you where the sting lives. On a climb this short, a max gradient that sits only 2.71 percentage points above the average signals a wall with a genuinely steep bite rather than a single freak pitch. Expect the hardest section to arrive somewhere in the body of the climb, where the road stiffens toward that 11.26% and the pace you set early either holds or unravels. Because the net gain of 303 m and the total ascent of 288 m are nearly identical, the road climbs almost the entire way with minimal recovery.

Pacing Notes

This is a climb you meter by feel and by power. On a sustained 8.55% effort lasting only a few kilometres, most riders will sit at or slightly above threshold the whole way, so knowing your FTP matters more here than on a longer, more variable pass. Set out just under threshold, then let the steeper mid-climb ramps toward 11.26% push you into the red rather than starting there and blowing up. If you do not have a recent number to anchor the effort, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first, then treat the top of the climb as the place to spend whatever you have left. The 303 m of vertical arrives fast, so a controlled, even effort beats heroics off the bottom.

Gearing

Gear for the average, not the summit, and you will suffer. At 8.55% average with pitches to 11.26%, a compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get most fit riders over the top while still allowing a rhythm on the steeper ramps, but if you climb better seated or carry any fatigue into the base, a 34×34 buys you crucial cadence when the gradient hits its 11.26% maximum. Given the climb is only 3.5 km, err toward the easier ratio: there is no long tempo section where a taller gear pays off.

Summary

Collado de Cieza is a compact category 2 test that punches above its length. Short enough to attack, steep enough to punish a bad pace, it rewards riders who respect the 8.55% average and hold something back for the 11.26% ramps.

Length: 3.5 km
Average gradient: 8.55%
Max gradient: 11.26%
Start: 92 m
Summit: 395 m
Net gain: 303 m
Total ascent: 288 m
Category: 2