Forcella Venegia

Overview

Forcella Venegia is an HC climb — hors catégorie, the hardest rating on the road — and the numbers explain why. Over 20.8 km the road lifts you from 634 m at the base to a 1996 m summit, a net gain of 1362 m with a total ascent of 1350 m once the small downhill kinks are counted. The average gradient of 6.55% sounds civil, but a climb this long turns "civil" into a war of attrition. Budget a serious block of time in the saddle and treat it as an endurance effort punctuated by sharp stresses, not a single steady push.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 6.55% average is the headline, but averages hide the story on a 20.8 km climb. With a maximum pitch of 16.42%, this road is not uniform — the difference between that spike and the mean tells you the gradient swings hard in both directions. Expect stretches that sit comfortably below the average, letting you settle into rhythm, punctuated by ramps that rear up toward that 16.42% wall. Because the total ascent (1350 m) is fractionally less than the net gain (1362 m) would suggest in a perfectly monotonic climb, there are brief false-flat or downhill recovery sections woven in. Read the road ahead: soft-pedal the shallow parts, and save something for the steep kicks that arrive without much warning.

Pacing Notes

On a climb of this length, pacing is everything — go out too hard on the first ramps and the final third of 20.8 km will unravel you. Anchor your effort to your FTP and hold the shallow sections a touch below threshold so you have headroom when the gradient bites toward 16.42%. If you don't know your current number, run it through the FTP estimator before you commit to a target. A useful mental model: ride the 6.55% average sections at a sustainable tempo, then accept short surges above threshold on the steep pitches, knowing the flatter stretches let you flush the effort back down. With 1362 m of vertical to absorb, consistency beats heroics every time.

Gearing

An HC climb with pitches near 16.42% demands compact, forgiving gearing — this is not the day for a tight cassette. A 34×32 is the sensible baseline for strong climbers who can hold cadence on the steep ramps at the end of 20.8 km. If you carry any fatigue, are climbing at altitude near the 1996 m summit, or simply want to spin rather than grind, step up to a 34×34. The extra range keeps your cadence alive on the 16.42% sections and protects your knees across all 1362 m of gain. When in doubt on a climb this long, choose the easier gear — you can always leave it in reserve.

Summary

Forcella Venegia is a full HC test: long, uneven, and topped by thin air. Pace it to your FTP, gear low, and respect the 20.8 km ahead of you before the gradient does the respecting for you.

Length: 20.8 km
Average gradient: 6.55%
Max gradient: 16.42%
Start: 634 m
Summit: 1996 m
Net gain: 1362 m
Total ascent: 1350 m
Category: HC