Paso del Hoyo

Overview

Paso del Hoyo is a hors catégorie monster, the kind of climb that earns its HC rating not through savage steepness but through sheer, unrelenting length. Over 36.5 km the road lifts you from a start elevation of 1292 m to a summit of 3061 m, a net gain of 1769 m. The average gradient reads a deceptively mild 4.85%, but that number hides the real story: at this altitude, over this distance, there is nowhere to truly recover. The total ascent of 1802 m confirms the road is not a smooth ramp — those extra 33 m over the net gain mean the profile pitches, dips, and climbs again before it lets you go.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An average of 4.85% across 36.5 km tells you the effort is sustained rather than explosive. But the max gradient of 11.47% is more than double the average, so the climb is far from uniform. Expect long, grinding sections that sit near the mean, punctuated by sharper ramps that spike toward that 11.47% ceiling. The gap between the 1769 m net gain and the 1802 m total ascent — a difference of 33 m — signals brief false flats or short descents where the road gives back a little elevation before demanding it again. These are the moments to reset your cadence, not to attack. On a climb this long, the middle is where riders unravel, drifting into the red on ramps they should have soft-pedalled.

Pacing Notes

Discipline wins here. With 36.5 km ahead of you, going out hard is the single fastest way to blow apart before the summit at 3061 m. Anchor your effort to your FTP and hold something comfortably below it on the sustained sections, saving headroom for the ramps that climb toward 11.47%. If you are unsure of your current threshold, run the numbers first with the FTP estimator so your target power reflects reality, not optimism. As you gain altitude toward 3061 m, thinning air will quietly shave watts off your ceiling — plan for it. Treat the 4.85% average as a metronome and let the steeper pitches cost you time, not your race.

Gearing

Length plus altitude plus an 11.47% max gradient is a strong argument for gearing well below what the 4.85% average suggests. A compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will handle the sustained sections comfortably, but on a climb of 36.5 km with 1769 m of gain, fatigue turns moderate ramps into hard ones — so a 34×34 is the smarter insurance. That extra sprocket lets you spin rather than grind when the road tilts toward 11.47%, protecting your legs across the full 1802 m of ascent. Err toward the easier setup; you will never regret a spare gear on an HC climb.

Summary

Paso del Hoyo is a test of patience and pacing more than raw power. Respect its length, gear low, ride within yourself, and the summit at 3061 m becomes a matter of persistence rather than heroics.

Length: 36.5 km
Average gradient: 4.85%
Max gradient: 11.47%
Start: 1292 m
Summit: 3061 m
Net gain: 1769 m
Total ascent: 1802 m
Category: HC