Fohrenbühl

Overview

Fohrenbühl is a Category 2 climb in Germany, running 8.8 km from a start elevation of 311 m to a summit at 784 m. Over that distance you gain 473 m of net elevation at an average gradient of 5.38%. On paper this reads as a moderate, steady effort — a mid-length climb that never crosses into brutal territory but demands sustained work from bottom to top.

The number that reshapes the ride is total ascent: 628 m, against just 473 m of net gain. That 155 m gap means the road does not climb cleanly. Somewhere on the profile you are descending or riding false flat, then clawing that height back. Undulation like this punishes riders who treat the average as the whole story, because the climbing pitches are steeper than 5.38% to compensate for the sections that give elevation away.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 5.38% average is a blend, not a constant. With 155 m of hidden descent baked into the total ascent, the true climbing ramps sit well above the headline figure, spiking toward the 14.71% maximum where the road pitches up hardest. Expect the effort to arrive in bursts rather than one long, even grind.

• Flatter or descending sections that break the rhythm and reset your legs
• Repeated short climbs that stack up to the 628 m total ascent
• A steepest ramp near 14.71% that forces you out of your comfortable gear

Pacing Notes

On a clean climb you can hold even effort and let speed vary. Fohrenbühl's undulation complicates that. Chasing even speed here means burning matches on every ramp and coasting the descents — a recipe for blowing up before the summit. Anchor your pacing to sustainable power output instead: hold a steady wattage on the climbing pitches, and accept that you will be faster on the flatter and descending sections. Do not spike well over threshold just to keep your speed constant through the 14.71% ramp. If you do not know your numbers, run the FTP estimator before the ride so you have a target to hold on the steep sections.

Gearing

The steepest gradient governs your gearing choice, and at 14.71% you need range. A compact (50/34) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette will keep your cadence alive when the road bites. A 34×32 is the sensible floor; 34×34 gives you more margin on the max ramp and on the repeated short climbs that build the 628 m total ascent. Check your setup before the ride — confirm your chainset and cassette, and that your rear derailleur can handle the largest sprocket. Discovering you are undergeared halfway up a 14.71% pitch is not the time to find out.

Summary

• Length: 8.8 km
• Average gradient: 5.38%
• Maximum gradient: 14.71%
• Net elevation gain: 473 m
• Total ascent: 628 m
• Category: 2

Fohrenbühl rewards riders who read past the average. Pace to power, gear for the steepest ramp, and treat the 155 m of hidden descent as part of the workload rather than free rest, and the Category 2 label will feel fair by the summit.