Degollada del Sargento

Overview

Degollada del Sargento is a hors catégorie (HC) climb, the hardest classification on the scale that runs HC, 1, 2, 3, 4. Over 15 km it lifts you from a start elevation of 75 m to a summit at 1185 m, a net gain of 1110 m. Factor in the small dips and recoveries along the way and the total ascent comes to 1120 m. The average gradient of 7.39% tells only part of the story: with pitches touching 20.43%, this is a climb where the mean masks the menace. There is nowhere to hide across these 15 km, and the length alone puts it in the company of the sport's genuine tests.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 7.39% average sustained for 15 km is punishing on its own, but the defining feature here is the spread between that average and the 20.43% maximum. That 13.04-percentage-point gap means the road is anything but uniform. Expect long stretches sitting close to the average, punctuated by ramps that rear up steeply enough to force you out of the saddle. The 1110 m of net gain is delivered without a genuine plateau — the climb simply keeps rising, trading brief eases for sharper kicks. Because the steepest 20.43% pitches can arrive when your legs are already loaded, the shape rewards riders who meter their effort early rather than chasing the first hard ramp.

Pacing Notes

The single most useful number you can bring to Degollada del Sargento is your FTP. At an average of 7.39% over 15 km, this is a sustained-power effort measured in tens of minutes, not seconds, so ride it as a percentage of threshold rather than by feel. Hold something in reserve for the 20.43% ramps — surging into them at full gas is the fastest way to blow apart your pacing across the back half. Aim to keep your steady sections just under threshold so the steep pitches can spike you above it without cracking you. If you don't know your threshold yet, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a target, then divide the 15 km into consistent blocks and hold your discipline through each one.

Gearing

With a 7.39% average and 20.43% maximum over 1120 m of total ascent, gear for the ramps, not the average. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring is the sensible baseline. Pairing 34 with a 32-tooth cassette sprocket — 34×32 — gives most riders enough range to spin the steady sections, but on a climb spiking to 20.43% you will be grateful for more. If your derailleur allows it, 34×34 buys you crucial extra relief on the steepest pitches and lets you protect your cadence rather than grinding. Over 15 km, a gear too tall becomes a slow, muscular tax; err toward the easier 34×34 and keep your legs turning.

Summary

Degollada del Sargento earns its HC billing through sheer sustained difficulty: 15 km at 7.39%, with 20.43% ramps and 1120 m of climbing from base to summit. Pace it by threshold, gear it for the steep, and respect the full 1110 m of net gain from the first pedal stroke.

Length: 15 km
Average gradient: 7.39%
Max gradient: 20.43%
Start: 75 m
Summit: 1185 m
Net gain: 1110 m
Total ascent: 1120 m
Category: HC