Galilea

Overview

Galilea is a category 3 ascent that packs a genuine effort into a compact 5.4 km. From a low start at 16 m it climbs to a summit of 337 m, a net gain of 321 m over its length. The average gradient of 5.92% sits squarely in the range where a climb stops being a warm-up and starts asking real questions, and with a maximum pitch of 10.16% it has enough bite to reward riders who pace it well and punish those who go out too hard.

At this length and gradient, Galilea is the kind of climb you can attack fully — it is short enough to hold a strong tempo the whole way, but steep enough that mistakes cost you. Expect to be working from the first few hundred metres.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline figures tell a clear story. Over 5.4 km the road lifts 321 m in net terms, which is exactly what a 5.92% average delivers. That the total ascent comes in at 282 m — below the net figure — points to a climb that trends relentlessly upward, with little to no false-flat or descending relief to break the rhythm. In practice this is a good thing: what you see on the profile is what you pedal.

The gap between the 5.92% average and the 10.16% maximum is where the climb's character lives. Ramps toward that steeper end will spike your effort well above threshold, so the climb rewards riders who can absorb a short, sharp pitch and then settle straight back into a sustainable cadence rather than blowing apart on the steep sections.

Pacing Notes

Treat Galilea as a sustained tempo-to-threshold effort. At 5.4 km, most riders will spend somewhere between fifteen and thirty minutes on the slopes, which places the climb firmly in your FTP territory — long enough that going anaerobic early will cost you dearly before the top.

Aim to hold a steady power just under threshold on the 5.92% sections, and allow your effort to rise briefly over the steep ramps toward 10.16% rather than trying to hold constant speed. If you are unsure what power you can sustain, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first and set a target you can defend all the way to 337 m.

Gearing

For a climb averaging 5.92% with pitches to 10.16%, most riders will want a compact setup with a wide-range cassette. A 34×32 is the sensible baseline here — it gives you a low enough gear to spin the steeper ramps without grinding, while still leaving cadence in hand on the more moderate stretches.

If you favour a higher cadence, carry more fatigue into the climb, or simply prefer to spin, step up to a 34×34. That extra sprocket keeps your legs turning over on the 10.16% pitches and protects your knees across the full 5.4 km. Neither gear is overkill on a climb with this much sustained gradient.

Summary

Galilea is a short but honest category 3 climb: steady, upward, and steep enough in places to demand respect. Pace it to your FTP, gear it for the ramps, and it rewards you with a clean, sustained effort from bottom to top.

Length: 5.4 km
Average gradient: 5.92%
Max gradient: 10.16%
Start: 16 m
Summit: 337 m
Net gain: 321 m
Total ascent: 282 m
Category: 3