La Bassa

Overview

La Bassa is an hors catégorie (HC) climb — the hardest rung on the cycling ladder before the numbers stop making sense. It runs 19 km from a start elevation of 398 m to a summit at 1832 m, stacking up 1434 m of net elevation gain along the way. The average gradient sits at 7.57%, which sounds manageable until you remember that an average this steep, held for 19 km, gives your legs no genuine rest. This is a climb you settle into for the long haul, not one you attack.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline number for La Bassa's shape is the spread between its average and its maximum. With a 7.57% average and a 25.17% max gradient, the difference — nearly 18 percentage points — tells you the road is far from uniform. Sustained stretches near the average are punctuated by pitches that ramp toward that brutal 25.17% ceiling. Those steep ramps are where the climb bites: they force surges in effort that spike your heart rate and drain your reserves faster than the average alone would suggest. Note too that the total ascent of 1420 m is slightly less than the 1434 m of net gain, meaning the route is almost relentlessly upward — there are no meaningful descents to recover on. Every metre you gain, you keep.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long and this steep, pacing is everything. The single biggest mistake is going out too hard on the lower slopes and blowing before the summit. Anchor your effort to your FTP and aim to ride the sustained sections just below threshold, saving headroom for the steep ramps toward 25.17% where you'll be forced above it whether you like it or not. If you don't know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first — a 19 km, 7.57% effort is unforgiving of a badly guessed target. Break the climb into mental blocks and treat each steep pitch as a temporary tax, not a new baseline. Ride your own number, not the wheel in front.

Gearing

Gearing is not optional insurance on La Bassa — it's the difference between spinning and grinding to a halt. For a 19 km climb averaging 7.57% with ramps to 25.17%, most riders will want the widest range they can fit. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 cassette is a sensible baseline for strong climbers, but on the steepest ramps even that can leave your cadence in the mud. If you have any doubt about your climbing legs, go to a 34×34 — that extra sprocket buys you a lower gear and a higher cadence precisely where the 25.17% pitches try to stall you. Better to carry one gear too many than to be caught out of range on a wall.

Summary

La Bassa earns its HC label honestly: 19 km, a 7.57% average, and a 25.17% max, climbing 1434 m from valley to summit with virtually no respite. Pace it patiently, gear it generously, and it becomes an epic rather than a disaster.

Length: 19 km
Average gradient: 7.57%
Max gradient: 25.17%
Start: 398 m
Summit: 1832 m
Net gain: 1434 m
Total ascent: 1420 m
Category: HC