Iselsberg Pass

Overview

Iselsberg Pass is a Category 1 climb that packs a serious punch into a short distance. Over just 6.3 km it averages a lung-searing 8.72%, lifting you from a start elevation of 655 m to a summit at 1206 m. That is a net gain of 551 m and a total ascent of 541 m — numbers that tell you almost every metre of this road tilts upward. There are no long false flats to hide behind here. With a maximum gradient of 19.93%, the climb has a genuine sting in its steepest sections, and the sustained average means it rarely lets you recover.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think of Iselsberg less as a climb with distinct phases and more as one continuous effort. An 8.72% average across 6.3 km is uniformly demanding, so the story is really about where the road pitches above that mean. The gap between the 8.72% average and the 19.93% maximum is roughly 11%, and those ramps are what define your day. When the gradient bites toward 19.93%, your speed drops sharply and your power spikes; when it eases back toward the average, that "easier" pitch still sits near 8.72%. The 551 m of net gain arrive quickly precisely because the road refuses to flatten — a total ascent of 541 m over 6.3 km leaves little margin for coasting.

Pacing Notes

The single biggest mistake on a climb like this is starting too hard. Anchor your effort to your FTP rather than to how fresh your legs feel in the first few hundred metres. On a 6.3 km climb at 8.72% you will likely be climbing for a sustained block of time, so ride the shallower sections just under threshold and accept that the ramps toward 19.93% will push you over it briefly — that is unavoidable and fine, provided you settle back down afterward. If you do not know your threshold number, run the FTP estimator before your attempt so you can set realistic pacing targets. The discipline is simple: hold something sustainable through the steep spikes, and never chase back time you think you lost on a ramp.

Gearing

With an 8.72% average and a 19.93% maximum, gearing is not a luxury on Iselsberg — it is the difference between spinning and grinding to a stop. For most riders a compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get many strong climbers up the sustained pitches, but on the ramps approaching 19.93% you will be pushing a heavy load at low cadence. If you have any doubt, or if you are carrying fatigue or luggage, fit a 34×34. That extra sprocket buys you a lower cadence floor exactly where the 19.93% sections demand it, keeping your knees and your composure intact. Easier gearing here is not weakness; it is what lets you hold power over the full 6.3 km.

Summary

Iselsberg Pass is short, steep, and honest — a Category 1 test that rewards patient pacing and forgiving gears. Respect the 8.72% average, brace for the 19.93% spikes, and you will arrive at 1206 m with something left in the tank.

Length: 6.3 km
Average gradient: 8.72%
Max gradient: 19.93%
Start: 655 m
Summit: 1206 m
Net gain: 551 m
Total ascent: 541 m
Category: 1