Martinets pass

Martinets pass cycling climb profile

Martinets pass is a brutally concentrated climbing effort. The headline number is not just the 12.6 km length, but the way that distance is paired with a 13.32 percent average gradient. That combination changes the ride from a normal alpine tempo climb into a long resistance effort where cadence, gearing, and torque management matter from the first slopes.

The climb starts at 454 m and tops out at 2138 m, with 1684 m of net elevation gain. That vertical gain over only 12.6 km explains why the average gradient is so severe. There is no statistical basis here for assuming long recovery shelves or extended false flats. The practical read is simple: if the climb averages 13.32 percent, the easier sections, if they exist, are not doing much to soften the overall demand.

How the gradient rides

From bottom to summit, Martinets pass should be treated as a high-load climb rather than a rhythm climb. On a moderate pass, a rider can often settle into threshold, absorb steeper corners, and recover when the road opens. Here, the average gradient is already steep enough that the baseline effort sits close to the upper end of sustainable climbing for most riders.

The max gradient of 24.33 percent is the key tactical detail. A ramp that steep forces a shift from aerobic pacing into torque production, even for strong climbers. If you arrive at those pitches already overextended, the cost is not just a short spike. It can break cadence, force standing efforts, and push heart rate above the level you can clear while still climbing.

Because this is listed as HC, the difficulty is not just one hard wall. It is the accumulation: steep average gradient, major elevation gain, and a summit far above the start. The climb rewards restraint early and punishes riders who pace it like a shorter punchy ascent.

Pacing and gearing notes

The correct pacing strategy is conservative by default. Use the first part of the climb to find the lowest sustainable gear and keep the effort below the level that makes the 24.33 percent sections unmanageable. If you pace from /glossary/ftp, this is not a climb to ride at a neat steady number unless your gearing allows you to hold cadence on very steep gradients.

Gearing should be chosen for survival, not pride. A 13.32 percent average over 12.6 km means riders need enough range to keep seated pressure controlled for long periods. The danger is grinding too early, loading the legs, and losing the ability to respond when the road hits its maximum ramps.

A useful approach:

• Start easier than the gradient seems to demand
• Keep cadence as high as your gearing allows on the sustained sections
• Stand only to reset position or clear the steepest pitches
• Avoid big accelerations after any brief easing
• Save a final margin for the upper part, where fatigue will magnify every steep ramp

Martinets pass is the kind of climb where the numbers tell a clear story. At 12.6 km and 13.32 percent, with ramps to 24.33 percent, success comes from gearing low enough, pacing patiently enough, and refusing to turn the lower slopes into a debt you have to repay near the summit.