Degollada del Boquerón

Overview

Degollada del Boquerón is an hors catégorie climb that makes no attempt to ease you in. Across just 6.2 km it averages a brutal 11.68%, dragging you from a start elevation of 259 m up to a 982 m summit. That is 723 m of net elevation gain packed into a road barely six kilometres long, with a total ascent of 654 m once the minor undulations are accounted for. There is no HC climb where the numbers lie, and here they scream: this is one of the steepest sustained gradients you will find with a category label attached. If you have any doubt about your fitness, this climb will resolve it quickly.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An 11.68% average is punishing on its own, but averages hide the teeth. With a max gradient of 25.74%, the road more than doubles its mean pitch at its worst, meaning there are stretches steep enough to lift your front wheel if you shift your weight back too far. The shape here is relentless rather than rhythmic: when the average is this high, there are no true recovery sections, only ramps that are slightly less severe than the ones around them. Expect the climb to hover in the low-to-mid teens for long passages and then rear toward that 25.74% wall without warning. Spreading 723 m of gain across 6.2 km leaves nowhere to hide.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep, pacing is survival, not strategy. Ride the whole 6.2 km at or just below your FTP and treat the 25.74% ramps as brief over-efforts you claw back on the marginally shallower sections. Because the gradient never relents, going into the red early costs you far more here than on a gentler HC climb — there is no flat to soft-pedal and recover. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers first with the FTP estimator so you can set a realistic target power before you hit the base at 259 m. From there, meter your effort by feel and cadence, not ego. Reaching the 982 m summit intact is the only goal that matters.

Gearing

Do not under-gear this one. With an 11.68% average and pitches touching 25.74%, most riders should treat a 34×32 as the absolute minimum, and even then you will be grinding. If your legs or your event schedule give you any doubt, fit a 34×34 and thank yourself on the steepest ramps — that extra sprocket buys precious cadence exactly where the road tips past 25%. A compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette keeps you spinning rather than stamping, which protects your knees and lets you hold power across the full 723 m of climbing. On gradients like these, a low gear is not a weakness; it is the only sensible tool.

Summary

Degollada del Boquerón is a short, savage HC test that rewards patience, low gears, and honest pacing. Survive the ramps and the 982 m summit is yours.

Length: 6.2 km
Average gradient: 11.68%
Max gradient: 25.74%
Start: 259 m
Summit: 982 m
Net gain: 723 m
Total ascent: 654 m
Category: HC