Collado de los Albercones

Overview

Collado de los Albercones is a long, patient climb — 24.7 km of road that lifts you from 477 m at its base to 1279 m at the summit. On paper the numbers look gentle: a 3.24% average gradient rarely gets pulses racing, and the category 2 label sits comfortably below the truly savage HC and category 1 monsters. But length changes everything. Over nearly 25 km, that modest percentage still adds up to 802 m of net elevation gain, and a climb this long asks for discipline rather than heroics. This is an endurance effort, not a fireworks show.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature here is the gap between the 3.24% average and the 9.59% maximum. That spread tells you the road is not uniform — it undulates. A 3.24% average over 24.7 km means long stretches must sit well below that figure to balance out the pitches that spike toward 9.59%. Expect false flats, shallow drags, and the occasional ramp that briefly triples the effort before easing again. Note too that the total ascent of 773 m sits just below the 802 m net gain — a sign the road climbs steadily without meaningful descents to give back altitude. What you gain, you keep. The challenge is rhythm: reading the road, staying seated on the flats, and metering out effort so the steeper kicks don't shred your legs before the top.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, pacing is the whole game. Anchor your effort to your FTP and hold something sustainable — well below threshold on the shallow sections so you have headroom for the ramps toward 9.59%. If you don't know your threshold power, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go. The single biggest mistake on a 24.7 km climb averaging 3.24% is treating the easy gradient as an invitation to push; the road will punish over-eagerness in its final third. Ride the flats efficiently, spin the steep bits, and let the summit come to you.

Gearing

Because the sustained gradient is modest, you don't need extreme gearing to survive — but the length and the 9.59% pitches make a forgiving low end worth having. A compact 34-tooth inner ring paired with a wide-range cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get most riders up comfortably, spinning rather than grinding through the steeper ramps. If you tire late, run less power-to-weight, or simply prefer to keep cadence high across 24.7 km, step up to a 34×34 for extra insurance. On a climb this long, a slightly easier gear you never fully use beats a hard gear that grinds you down.

Summary

Collado de los Albercones rewards patience over power. It's a long, steady category 2 ascent where managing effort across 24.7 km matters far more than any single steep pitch. Pace it well, gear it kindly, and the 802 m of climbing unfolds smoothly beneath you.

Length: 24.7 km
Average gradient: 3.24%
Max gradient: 9.59%
Start: 477 m
Summit: 1279 m
Net gain: 802 m
Total ascent: 773 m
Category: 2