Le Chalet-à-Gobet

Overview

Le Chalet-à-Gobet sits above the Swiss plateau near Lausanne — a Category 3 climb that looks straightforward on paper but rewards riders who read the road rather than the average. At 10.6 km with a net elevation gain of 338 m and an average gradient of 3.19%, the numbers suggest a comfortable tempo effort. The 12.34% maximum gradient tells a different story.

Total ascent across the full profile reaches 461 m — noticeably more than the net gain of 338 m — which confirms the road is not a clean, linear ramp. Expect at least some undulation: sections that flatten or briefly dip before the gradient reasserts itself. That gap between net gain and total ascent is worth keeping in mind when estimating how much the climb will cost you.

How the Gradient Unfolds

With a 3.19% average spread over 10.6 km, the majority of Le Chalet-à-Gobet is well within reach of most trained riders at a sustainable pace. The climb starts at 536 m and tops out at 874 m, a rise that feels measured rather than brutal through its gentler stretches.

The 12.34% maximum pitch is where discipline matters. That figure is nearly four times the average gradient, which means the sharp sections are localised — short punches rather than sustained walls. Riders who treat the entire climb as a uniform effort will likely go too hard when the road kicks and pay for it on the back half.

Key gradient characteristics:

• Average gradient: 3.19% — aerobic tempo territory for most riders
• Maximum gradient: 12.34% — brief but sharp; plan for it
• Total ascent vs. net gain: 461 m vs. 338 m — confirms rolling terrain with false flats or slight descents breaking the profile

Pacing Notes

Because the average gradient is low, there's a temptation to push well above threshold on the steeper pitches and recover on the easier sections. That strategy works if the hard ramps are genuinely short. Given the 10.6 km length, however, repeated surges accumulate fatigue quickly.

A better approach: target a power output around 90–95% of your functional threshold power as a ceiling on the steep pitches, and allow yourself to ride the gentler sections at 75–85%. This keeps lactate manageable across the full distance. Use the flat or descending segments — implied by the total ascent exceeding net gain — to recover actively rather than soft-pedal.

If you're unsure of your current FTP, the Neverchill FTP estimator can give you a working number before you head out.

Gearing Advice

For most road bikes, a standard or compact chainset handles 3.19% comfortably. The 12.34% maximum gradient changes the calculation. Riders with a compact (50/34) and an 11-32 cassette will have plenty of range. Those on a standard (53/39) should ensure their cassette goes to at least 28 or 30 teeth to avoid grinding through the steepest pitches at low cadence.

Spinning through the steep sections at 80–90 rpm is preferable to mashing at 60 rpm. Cadence consistency helps maintain cardiovascular steadiness when gradient spikes arrive without much warning.

Bottom Line

Le Chalet-à-Gobet is an accessible Category 3 climb — long enough to demand respect, average enough to invite overconfidence. Ride it at a controlled tempo, prepare for the sub-sections that hit close to 12%, and account for the extra vertical the undulating profile adds beyond the headline net gain.