Collado de las Palomas

Overview

Collado de las Palomas is a Category 3 climb in Spain, running 9.9 km from a start elevation of 1145 m to a summit at 1513 m. On paper the numbers look modest: a net elevation gain of 368 m across nearly ten kilometres, for an average gradient of 3.7%. That average places it firmly in the tempo-not-threshold bracket for most riders, and its start already sits high, so you begin the effort with thinner air than a valley-floor climb.

But the net figure is misleading. Total ascent is 902 m — 534 m more than the net gain. That gap is undulation: the road climbs, gives some of it back, then climbs again. You are not riding a steady 3.7% ramp for 9.9 km; you are climbing more than twice the height the summit-minus-start math suggests, with descents in between resetting your rhythm. Plan for the effort of a 900 m day, not a 368 m one.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 3.7% average hides both the recovery and the punch. Because more than half the vertical comes from repeated ups rather than one sustained grade, the profile is lumpy — and the maximum gradient hits 25.22%, a wall far steeper than anything the average implies.

• Flatter and descending sections where the road gives back elevation — use them to recover, not to hammer.
• Repeated short climbs stacked back-to-back, each resetting your cadence and breathing.
• At least one very steep ramp approaching 25% — the moment that dictates your gearing and can force you out of the saddle.

Pacing Notes

Even-effort beats even-speed on a climb this lumpy. Chasing a constant speed means over-cooking the steep ramps and coasting the descents — exactly the wrong energy distribution. Instead, anchor your pacing to sustainable power output and hold a steady percentage of it through the climbs, easing back on the descents and false flats.

Let your speed swing while your power stays honest. If you do not know your number, run the FTP estimator before you go, then cap your surges over the steep pitches so the 25% ramp does not blow your legs for the kilometres that follow.

Gearing

The steepest gradient governs your setup, and at over 25% that ramp is the deciding factor. Even strong riders should treat this as a low-gear climb. Fit a compact (34-tooth inner) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 at minimum, and 34×34 if you have it. That combination keeps your cadence turning and your knees intact when the road kicks up. Check your chainring and cassette before the ride; discovering you are under-geared halfway up a 25% wall is not the place to find out.

Summary

• Length: 9.9 km
• Average gradient: 3.7%
• Maximum gradient: 25.22%
• Net elevation gain: 368 m
• Total ascent: 902 m
• Category: 3

Collado de las Palomas rewards riders who read the profile rather than the average. Come geared for the wall, pace to your power, and treat the descents as free recovery — the climb has more in it than the net gain admits.