Degollada de las Lajas

Overview

The Degollada de las Lajas is a long-haul category 1 climb that trades brute steepness for sheer duration. Over 25.6 km it lifts you from a low start of 78 m to a summit at 1228 m, a net gain of 1150 m. The headline average gradient of 4.49% sounds gentle, and for long stretches it is — but that number hides both the total workload and the sharp teeth buried in the profile. With a total ascent of 1356 m recorded across its length, you climb noticeably more than the net figure suggests, a sign the road rolls and dips rather than rising in one clean ramp.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Do not let the 4.49% average lull you. On a climb this long, an average that modest means the effort is defined by its extremes rather than its middle. The maximum gradient of 21.76% is the number that matters most here — a wall nearly five times steeper than the average, the kind of pitch that forces you out of the saddle and empties your reserves in seconds. Because the total ascent (1356 m) exceeds the net gain (1150 m) by 206 m, expect false flats and short descents that break rhythm and add hidden climbing. The pattern is a long, low-percentage base giving way to steeper ramps as you gain altitude, so the hardest kilometres tend to arrive when your legs are already deep into the 1150 m of vertical.

Pacing Notes

On a 25.6 km climb, discipline beats ambition. Anchor your effort to your FTP and treat the early low-gradient kilometres as a chance to bank time without spiking your power. If you are unsure of your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pace. The trap on a climb like this is burning matches on the 21.76% ramps — hit those already redlined and you will pay for it across the remaining distance. Hold a steady sub-threshold effort on the shallow sections, accept that the steep pitches will briefly push you over, and settle back down immediately afterward. With over an hour of climbing likely, negative-split thinking wins.

Gearing

Long plus steep is the combination that punishes tall gearing, and 25.6 km with pitches touching 21.76% is exactly that. A compact 34-tooth chainring is the sensible front, and the question is what you pair it with at the back. A 34×32 gives most riders enough range to keep a survivable cadence through the low-4% majority of the climb, but on the near-22% wall a 34×32 can leave you grinding at a knee-straining cadence. If you have any doubt about your climbing legs, fit a 34×34 — that extra sprocket buys you the spin you need to keep the 21.76% pitches turning rather than lurching. For most riders tackling this for the first time, 34×34 is the safer call.

Summary

The Degollada de las Lajas rewards patience and honest gearing. It is a category 1 test built on distance and a savage maximum ramp rather than a relentless average, so pace conservatively, save something for the steep upper slopes, and gear low enough to keep spinning when the road bites.

Length: 25.6 km
Average gradient: 4.49%
Max gradient: 21.76%
Start: 78 m
Summit: 1228 m
Net gain: 1150 m
Total ascent: 1356 m
Category: 1