Les Pontins

Overview

Les Pontins is a category 2 climb in Switzerland, running 7.3 km from a start elevation of 709 m to a summit at 1106 m. The net elevation gain is 397 m, which sets the tone: this is a mid-length ascent that asks for a sustained effort rather than a single brutal wall. On paper it reads as a steady grind at just over 5%.

The paper lies a little. Total ascent over the climb is 583 m, but the net gain is only 397 m — a 186 m gap. That difference is undulation: sections where the road dips or flattens and then climbs again, forcing you to re-accelerate against gravity more than once. You will pay for those extra metres in the legs. Treat the 583 m of total ascent, not the 397 m of net gain, as the real workload you are pacing against.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 5.46% average is a blend, not a constant. With 186 m of hidden re-climbing folded in, the true climbing pitches run steeper than the average, offset by flatter recovery stretches that drag the number down. The headline figure is the 23.01% maximum gradient — a genuinely severe ramp that will spike your power and can force a rider on the wrong gearing to a standstill.

• Flatter and false-flat recovery sections where the road eases and lets you spin
• Repeated short climbs that stack up to the 583 m total ascent
• A single steepest ramp reaching 23.01% that demands your lowest gear

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like Les Pontins, chase even effort, not even speed. Holding a constant speed means over-cooking the steep pitches and coasting the flats — the worst of both worlds. Instead, anchor your climb to a target sustainable power output and let your speed rise and fall with the terrain. Ride slightly under threshold on the flatter recovery sections so you have headroom for the 23.01% ramp, then settle back once it relents. If you do not know your number, run the FTP estimator before you go, so your target on the day is grounded in real data rather than feel.

Gearing

The 23.01% maximum gradient governs your setup. On a pitch that steep, an under-geared bike turns a hard climb into a walk. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset and pair it with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or, better on this ramp, a 34×34 — so you keep a workable cadence when the road kicks up. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; the top of that ramp is the wrong place to discover you are one sprocket short.

Summary

• Length: 7.3 km
• Average gradient: 5.46%
• Maximum gradient: 23.01%
• Net elevation gain: 397 m
• Total ascent: 583 m
• Category: 2

Les Pontins rewards riders who respect the gap between its numbers. Pace it by effort, gear for the 23% ramp, and let the 583 m of total ascent set your expectations — do that, and the summit at 1106 m arrives with something left in the tank.