Croce d'Aune

Overview

Croce d'Aune is a Category 1 ascent in Italy that asks for patience and honest legs. Over 13 km you gain 799 m of net elevation, rising from a start at 243 m to a summit at 1042 m. The average gradient sits at 6.14%, which is the kind of number that looks manageable on paper and feels relentless in the saddle. This is not a wall you sprint at and forget; it is a sustained effort where the climb slowly reveals whether your early pace was wishful thinking or well judged. With a total ascent of 780 m recorded along the road, the profile carries you upward almost without pause.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline average of 6.14% hides the real story. The road spikes to a maximum of 17.03%, more than double the average, so the climb is built from contrast rather than metronomic steadiness. Where you find sections near or below the 6.14% mean, you can settle into rhythm and recover a little. But the ramps toward that 17.03% max are where the climb bites, forcing you out of the saddle or deep into your easiest gears. Because the elevation gain of 799 m is packed into just 13 km, there is nowhere the road truly flattens to give you a genuine breather. Read the gradient as a series of surges: ease when it eases, brace when it kicks.

Pacing Notes

Pace Croce d'Aune off your sustainable power, not your ego. The 13 km length means this is a threshold-style effort, so anchor your intensity to a percentage of your FTP rather than chasing wheels early. A sensible target is to ride the 6.14% average sections just below threshold, then accept that the ramps toward 17.03% will spike you above it briefly — that is fine, so long as you recover on the shallower pitches. If you do not know your current threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a plan. The single biggest mistake here is treating the gentle opening as license to burn matches you will desperately want back near the 1042 m summit.

Gearing

Given the 17.03% max and a sustained 6.14% average across 799 m of climbing, gear low and protect your cadence. A compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette is the smart baseline. A 34×32 will get most fit riders up the steadier stretches while keeping your legs turning, but on the steepest ramps toward 17.03% a 34×34 gives you the extra margin to spin instead of grind. If you tend to fade on long climbs or you are carrying fatigue, choose the 34×34 and thank yourself on the wall. Preserving cadence over 13 km is worth far more than a marginally lighter drivetrain.

Summary

Croce d'Aune is an honest Category 1 test: 13 km of climbing, a 6.14% average softened nowhere and sharpened by a 17.03% max, delivering you to a 1042 m summit. Pace it off your threshold, gear low, and let the steady stretches restore what the ramps take.

Length: 13 km
Average gradient: 6.14%
Max gradient: 17.03%
Start: 243 m
Summit: 1042 m
Net gain: 799 m
Total ascent: 780 m
Category: 1