Colle della Crocetta (Alpi Liguri)

Overview

Colle della Crocetta sits in the Alpi Liguri of northwestern Italy, a category 2 ascent that runs 11.8 km from a valley start at 458 m to a summit at 975 m. On paper that is a net elevation gain of 517 m, spread across nearly twelve kilometres — numbers that suggest a moderate, steady grind rather than a savage test.

The paper version lies. While the net gain is 517 m, the total ascent is 900 m. That 383 m difference is climbing you do twice: the road repeatedly kicks up, gives some height back, then climbs again. Every metre of that undulation is paid for with pedalling, so the effort this climb demands is meaningfully larger than the net profile implies. Treat it as a 900 m day, not a 517 m one.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.37% average is an accounting artefact of that undulation — flat and downhill stretches drag the mean down, masking the pitches that actually hurt. The real climb lives in the spikes, topping out at a savage 20.22% maximum that will force you out of the saddle regardless of how you paced the approach.

• Flatter and false-flat sections that offer recovery but also blunt your rhythm
• Repeated short climbs separated by dips, so momentum resets again and again
• A single brutal ramp reaching 20.22% — the pitch that dictates your gearing

Pacing Notes

Do not chase an even speed here. On the flatter stretches, holding a fixed pace costs little; on the 20.22% ramp it would blow you apart. Instead, pace to an even effort — hold a steady, sustainable power output and let your speed rise and fall with the terrain. Push a touch above threshold on the steepest ramps only if you can recover on the dips that follow. If you do not know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you go, then ride the day just under it so the 383 m of hidden climbing does not empty you before the summit.

Gearing

Gear for the steepest gradient, not the average. A 20.22% ramp on tiring legs demands a compact (34-tooth inner) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or, better, a 34×34 to keep your cadence turning on that pitch. Check your actual setup before the ride: confirm the cassette and chainring you think you have are the ones on the bike. Undergearing here means grinding the ramp at a cadence that cooks your legs.

Summary

• Length: 11.8 km
• Average gradient: 4.37%
• Maximum gradient: 20.22%
• Net elevation gain: 517 m
• Total ascent: 900 m
• Category: 2

Crocetta rewards riders who read past the 4.37% average. Respect the 383 m of hidden climbing, gear for the 20.22% ramp, and pace to effort — do that, and this category 2 climb will feel controlled rather than cruel.