Cuesta de Lo Prado

Overview

Cuesta de Lo Prado is a Category 1 climb that packs serious punishment into a compact 6.5 km. From a base at 222 m, the road claws its way up to a 796 m summit, delivering 574 m of net elevation gain along the way. That works out to an 8.85% average gradient — the kind of number that never lets you settle. This is not a climb of long, rolling drags; it is a sustained wall where the road tips up early and stays leaning against you almost the entire way to the top.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature here is relentlessness. With an 8.85% average packed into just 6.5 km, there is very little flat road to hide in, and the total ascent of 551 m sits close to the 574 m net figure — a sign that this climb goes up and keeps going up, with almost no descending to recover the height you have earned. The sting in the tail is a maximum gradient of 23%, a pitch severe enough to force even strong climbers out of the saddle. Expect the grade to hover well into double digits for long stretches, with the steepest ramps arriving as sharp, leg-breaking spikes rather than gentle transitions. Read the road ahead and you will see the pattern: brief lulls that briefly dip toward the average, then walls that punch far above it.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this short, pacing is everything. The temptation is to attack the lower slopes, but at 8.85% average you will pay dearly for early enthusiasm. Ride the opening kilometres just under your FTP, holding a controlled effort so you have something left for the 23% ramps that will spike your power far above threshold whether you like it or not. If you do not know your threshold power, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go — it will tell you how many watts per kilo you can realistically sustain across 6.5 km of climbing. Meter the effort, breathe into the steep pitches, and treat each spike as a surge to survive rather than a place to make gains.

Gearing

Do not undergear this climb. With sustained slopes near 8.85% and maximum pitches of 23%, you want a wide, forgiving range. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with at least a 34×32 cassette is a sensible baseline for fit riders, but on a climb with ramps this severe, 34×34 is the smarter choice for most people — that extra sprocket buys you the cadence to keep spinning when the road hits its steepest. Anything taller and you risk grinding to a near-stall on the 23% sections. Prioritise a low bailout gear over top-end speed; you will never regret having one more easy gear on a wall like this.

Summary

Cuesta de Lo Prado is short but savage — 6.5 km that earn every metre of their 574 m net gain and their Category 1 rating. Pace it with discipline, gear it low, and respect the 23% ramps, and you will crest the 796 m summit having conquered one of the most concentrated efforts in the region.

Length: 6.5 km
Average gradient: 8.85%
Max gradient: 23%
Start: 222 m
Summit: 796 m
Net gain: 574 m
Total ascent: 551 m
Category: 1