Pas au Taureau

Overview

Pas au Taureau is a genuine hors catégorie monster, the hardest classification on the scale ahead of category 1, 2, 3, and 4. Over 13.9 km it averages a savage 12.29%, a figure that reads less like a mountain pass and more like a wall stood on its side. You begin at 667 m and finish at 2378 m, a net gain of 1711 m, with a total ascent of 1637 m once the minor undulations are accounted for. There is nowhere to hide: an average this steep across a distance this long means the road almost never relents.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining number here is the 12.29% average paired with a 32.54% maximum. That spread tells the story. A 12.29% mean sustained for 13.9 km implies there is very little easy road to dilute the hard sections, so when the gradient spikes toward 32.54% it does so from an already punishing baseline rather than a restful one. The 1711 m of net gain over 13.9 km confirms the relentlessness: the mountain simply keeps rising, section after section, with the steepest ramps demanding out-of-saddle efforts and the "flatter" stretches still sitting well into double digits. Treat every pitch as a place where the road can bite.

Pacing Notes

Discipline is everything on a climb averaging 12.29%. Anchor your effort to your FTP and resist the temptation to attack the early slopes, because with 13.9 km and 1711 m still to climb, an early overreach compounds into a long, ugly unravelling. On gradients this steep your speed is low and your power-to-weight ratio dominates, so pace by feel and by wattage rather than by the clock. If you are unsure of your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit, then hold a touch below threshold on the sustained sections and accept short, controlled surges over the ramps toward 32.54%. Consistency beats heroics here.

Gearing

Do not underestimate what a 12.29% average with 32.54% pitches demands from your drivetrain. This is a compact-and-then-some situation: a 34×32 is the sensible floor, giving you a bailout ratio just under 1:1 for the sustained steep work. But given how often the road approaches its 32.54% maximum, a 34×34 is the smarter choice for most riders, buying precious extra cadence when the wall arrives and you are already deep into the 1711 m of climbing. If your bike can take it, gear low and spin — grinding a big gear on an HC ascent this steep is how you blow up before the 2378 m summit.

Summary

Pas au Taureau is a pure test of climbing legs and sensible pacing: long, unbroken, and steep from bottom to top. Respect the average, fear the maximum, and gear generously.

Length: 13.9 km
Average gradient: 12.29%
Max gradient: 32.54%
Start: 667 m
Summit: 2378 m
Net gain: 1711 m
Total ascent: 1637 m
Category: HC