Genna Artulu

Overview

Genna Artulu is a category 1 climb that packs a serious punch into a compact profile. Over 9.2 km you gain 615 m of elevation, rising from a start point at 164 m to a summit at 779 m. The average gradient of 6.67% already tells you this is no warm-up spinner, and the 15.74% maximum confirms it: there are ramps here steep enough to force you out of the saddle or straight into your easiest gear. With 602 m of total ascent, the road climbs almost relentlessly from bottom to top, giving you very little in the way of respite along the way.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 6.67% average across 9.2 km is a demanding but honest number — it means the climb rarely lets up. The gap between the 6.67% average and the 15.74% maximum is the key story here: expect long stretches that sit near the average, punctuated by sharper pitches that spike well above it. Those steep sections are where the climb bites, dragging your speed down and spiking your effort. Because total ascent (602 m) sits just below net gain (615 m), the road is essentially all uphill with almost no downhill or flat give-back. In practical terms, you climb continuously and pay for every one of those 9.2 km.

Pacing Notes

The smart way to ride Genna Artulu is to treat it as a sustained tempo-to-threshold effort. Anchor your pacing to your FTP: on a climb this long, riding just above threshold early will cost you badly on the steep ramps later. Aim to hold a steady effort at or slightly below FTP on the average-gradient sections, then absorb the pitches toward the 15.74% maximum by shifting down and keeping your cadence alive rather than mashing. If you do not know your threshold number yet, use the FTP estimator to get a working figure before you plan your climb. With 615 m to gain, patience in the first third pays dividends in the final kilometres.

Gearing

For a climb averaging 6.67% and spiking to 15.74% over 9.2 km, gear low and give yourself margin. A compact chainring paired with a wide-range cassette is the right call. A 34×32 setup will get most fit riders up the sustained sections comfortably, but on the steepest ramps near the 15.74% maximum you will be grateful for anything easier. If you have the option, a 34×34 is the safer choice — that extra sprocket keeps your cadence in a sustainable range when the road kicks up hardest, protecting your legs across the full 615 m of gain rather than blowing them on a single pitch.

Summary

Genna Artulu is a genuine category 1 test: 9.2 km of near-continuous climbing at a 6.67% average, with a 15.74% maximum that rewards conservative pacing and honest gearing. Ride it at your threshold, gear down early, and respect the 615 m still to be won.

Length: 9.2 km
Average gradient: 6.67%
Max gradient: 15.74%
Start: 164 m
Summit: 779 m
Net gain: 615 m
Total ascent: 602 m
Category: 1