Forcella Forada

Overview

Forcella Forada is a long, sustained Category 1 climb that asks for patience before it asks for power. From the base at 811 m it runs 18.5 km to a summit of 1979 m, an ascent that stacks up 1168 m of net elevation. The average gradient sits at 6.31%, which sounds civil on paper but hides a max pitch of 15.25% — more than double the mean. The total ascent of 1213 m tells you the road is not a clean monotonic ramp: there are 45 m of rolling relief where the profile dips and climbs again, small recoveries that arrive too rarely to feel generous. This is a climb of duration, not of a single brutal wall.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think of the profile as a broad staircase rather than a straight incline. Across 18.5 km, holding a 6.31% average while total ascent exceeds net gain by 45 m means the road undulates: sections steeper than average are paid back by short false-flats and shallow descents. The 15.25% max is the sting — a spike roughly nine points above the average that will punch well beyond your steady-state effort. Expect the hardest ramps to sit in the middle and upper third, where the accumulated fatigue of already climbing several hundred metres compounds each steep pitch. The final stretch toward 1979 m is where the thin recoveries matter most.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, discipline beats aggression. Anchor your effort to your FTP and treat the average 6.31% as your metronome, not the 15.25% spikes. Ride the steep ramps a touch under threshold and let the shallow undulations be genuine recovery rather than a cue to surge. Over 18.5 km and 1168 m of gain, a pace you can hold at the base must still be holdable near 1979 m — front-loading here is punished by the upper ramps. If you are unsure what number to target, run your figures through the FTP estimator and set a ceiling you can defend for the full hour-plus this climb will likely demand.

Gearing

With sustained 6.31% grades and a 15.25% maximum stretched over 18.5 km, gearing is about protecting your cadence across the whole ascent, not just surviving one ramp. A compact 34-tooth inner paired with a 32-tooth largest cog (34×32) is a sensible baseline for strong climbers who want to spin the steep pitches rather than grind them. If your threshold sits lower, or you simply want margin for the 15.25% sections after 1168 m of climbing has drained your legs, step up to 34×34 for a meaningfully easier bailout gear. On a climb of this length, the extra range costs nothing and buys you a smoother, more sustainable rhythm.

Summary

Forcella Forada rewards riders who respect its length: 18.5 km of steady 6.31% grades, punctuated by a 15.25% max and topping out at nearly two thousand metres. Pace it to the average, gear for the spikes, and let the summit come to you.

Length: 18.5 km
Average gradient: 6.31%
Max gradient: 15.25%
Start: 811 m
Summit: 1979 m
Net gain: 1168 m
Total ascent: 1213 m
Category: 1