Degollada del Roque

Overview

Degollada del Roque is a full-blooded hors catégorie climb that starts almost at the waterline — just 4 m above sea level — and drags you up to a 1110 m summit over 14.9 km. That is a net gain of 1106 m in a single, unbroken effort, with 1096 m of total ascent packed into the ride up. The average gradient of 7.42% already puts it in serious HC territory, but averages hide the truth here: buried in those numbers is a max pitch of 34.5%, one of the steepest ramps you will ever try to turn a pedal against. This is a climb defined less by its length than by its violence.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Do the arithmetic and the shape becomes clear. A 7.42% average across 14.9 km is relentless on its own — there is no long false-flat to hide in, because the elevation profile has to climb 1106 m net with only 1096 m of total ascent, meaning almost every metre gained is a metre kept. There is very little descending to recover on. The defining feature is the gap between average and maximum: 7.42% versus 34.5%. A wall that steep is more than four times the average pitch, so the climb clearly stacks its difficulty into concentrated ramps that spike hard above the mean before easing back toward it. Expect stretches where the road sits near or above 10% while the profile "saves up" for those brutal double-digit-and-beyond kicks.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long and this steep, discipline wins. The 34.5% max ramp will blow apart anyone who arrives at it already redlined, so ride the shallower kilometres well within yourself. Your FTP is the number that matters most on an HC effort of nearly a quarter of an hour of climbing — meter your power against it and treat the average 7.42% as your steady zone, keeping something in reserve for the spikes. If you do not know your threshold, run your recent data through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pacing plan. A good rule: on the walls, drop your cadence target rather than your effort, and let the steep sections come to you instead of chasing them.

Gearing

Do not undergear this one. The 34.5% max pitch is beyond what most riders can grind in a road-standard setup without wrecking their legs early. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide-range cassette is the minimum sensible choice. A 34×32 will get most fit riders up the sustained 7.42% sections, but for the steepest ramps you will want the extra bail-out of a 34×34 — that lowest gear is what keeps your cadence survivable when the road tilts toward 34.5%. If your bike can take it, go one-by or wider still; on an HC climb like this, gearing you never use beats gearing you desperately wish you had.

Summary

Degollada del Roque is a sea-to-summit HC monster: 14.9 km of climbing, an average that never relents, and a max ramp that borders on the absurd. Come with low gears, a paced plan, and respect.

Length: 14.9 km
Average gradient: 7.42%
Max gradient: 34.5%
Start: 4 m
Summit: 1110 m
Net gain: 1106 m
Total ascent: 1096 m
Category: HC