El Cargadero

Overview

El Cargadero is a category 3 ascent that covers 5.8 km at an average gradient of 4.28%. It starts high, at 1102 m, and tops out at 1349 m, which puts the whole effort firmly in thin-air territory even though the vertical stats are modest. The net elevation gain is 247 m, while the total ascent measured along the road is 230 m — the small difference tells you the climb is almost entirely uphill, with very little dead ground or false-flat descending to break the rhythm.

At a shade over 4%, this is a climb you can ride in a big gear and a steady rhythm, but the 8.21% maximum gradient means it is not perfectly uniform. Expect a sustained, honest grind rather than a wall.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The maths here is instructive. A 4.28% average across 5.8 km, with a peak of 8.21%, means the ramps that touch 8% are balanced out by long stretches sitting comfortably below the average. In practice, that produces a climb with a clear "hard third" and a more forgiving remainder.

Because the total ascent (230 m) sits just under the net gain (247 m), there is essentially no respite built into the profile — no descending kicker, no flat plateau to spin out and recover. You climb, and you keep climbing. The steepest pitches, up near 8.21%, are where you will spend most of your matches; the rest is about holding tempo and not letting the gradient bleed your momentum away.

Pacing Notes

This is a climb best ridden by numbers. Because the average is moderate but the peak nearly doubles it, target a power close to your threshold on the shallow sections and simply absorb the steep ramps a touch above it. Anchoring your effort to your FTP keeps you from over-committing on the early gradient and blowing up before the 8.21% pitches.

If you do not have a current threshold figure, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first, then set a ceiling you can hold for the roughly 15-to-20 minute duration this 5.8 km climb demands. Ride the flatter portions at or just under that ceiling; let the steep ramps push you slightly over, knowing they are short and the average pulls back down.

Gearing

For a 4.28% average with 8.21% spikes, most riders will be comfortable on a compact setup. A 34×32 gives you enough range to spin the flatter sections and still turn the pedals cleanly when the road tilts toward 8%. If you carry endurance weight, ride at altitude, or simply prefer to sit and spin, a 34×34 buys you extra insurance on the steepest pitches without any real downside on a climb this length.

Neither ratio is overkill here. The 247 m of gain is quickly dispatched, but having a bailout cog means you finish the last steep ramps with your cadence intact rather than grinding to a crawl.

Summary

El Cargadero rewards steady pacing and honest gearing: a high-altitude category 3 effort with a gentle average, a single genuinely steep band near 8.21%, and almost no relief across its 5.8 km. Ride it to your threshold, gear conservatively, and the 247 m of climbing passes smoothly.

Length: 5.8 km
Average gradient: 4.28%
Max gradient: 8.21%
Start: 1102 m
Summit: 1349 m
Net gain: 247 m
Total ascent: 230 m
Category: 3