Forca Zouf di Fau Alto

Overview

Forca Zouf di Fau Alto is a long, serious category-1 climb that asks for 16.2 km of sustained effort. Over that distance the road lifts you from a start elevation of 309 m to a summit at 1421 m, a net gain of 1112 m. The average gradient reads 6.88%, which sounds honest and steady until you notice the maximum: a savage 23.87% pitch that turns one section into a genuine survival exercise. This is a climb with two personalities — mostly a rhythm test, occasionally a wall.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline average of 6.88% is a useful anchor, but it hides the story. Total ascent comes in at 1088 m across the 16.2 km, sitting just below the 1112 m net figure, which tells you the climb trends relentlessly upward with very little relief rolling in your favour. There are no long descents to reset your legs.

The defining feature is the spread between average and maximum. When a road that averages 6.88% throws a 23.87% ramp at you, the difference — roughly 17 points of gradient — has to be paid for somewhere. Expect the profile to sag toward gentler grades in places so that the punishing ramp can exist without dragging the whole average skyward. Ride it knowing the number on your head unit will swing wildly around that 6.88% mean.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, discipline beats bravado. Anchor your effort to your FTP and treat the 16.2 km as a paced time trial rather than a series of accelerations. The steady stretches near the 6.88% average are where you bank a sustainable rhythm; the 23.87% ramp is where you must accept a spike and simply survive it without blowing your legs for the kilometres that follow.

If you are unsure what wattage you can hold for a climb that could take well over an hour, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first. Knowing your ceiling lets you sit just under it on the sustained sections and ride the steep pitch out of the saddle without redlining. Get out of the saddle early on the wall, keep the front wheel weighted, and settle straight back into your seated tempo once the grade eases.

Gearing

With a 23.87% maximum and 1112 m of climbing to grind through, gearing is not the place to be brave. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get most fit riders over the majority of the climb, but that near-24% ramp is exactly the kind of pitch where 34×32 runs out of road. If your frame and derailleur allow it, fit a 34×34 — the extra sprocket buys you cadence and spares your knees on the steepest metres. On a 6.88% average climb this long, spinning a gear too easy costs you nothing; grinding one too hard costs you the summit.

Summary

Forca Zouf di Fau Alto rewards patience: pace the 16.2 km against your FTP, gear low for the wall, and let the 6.88% average do the honest work while you brace for the 23.87% spike. From 309 m to 1421 m, it is a category-1 haul worth the climb.

Length: 16.2 km
Average gradient: 6.88%
Max gradient: 23.87%
Start: 309 m
Summit: 1421 m
Net gain: 1112 m
Total ascent: 1088 m
Category: 1