Passo Clopacà

Overview

Passo Clopacà is an hors catégorie monster, the hardest rung on the climbing ladder before you run out of categories entirely. Over 30.2 km it drags you from a valley floor at 445 m all the way to a summit at 2733 m — a net elevation gain of 2288 m. Factor in the rolling dips and recoveries and your legs actually do 2315 m of total ascent, a touch more than the point-to-point difference suggests. The headline number is the average gradient: 7.57% sustained across the entire climb. That is not a wall you sprint at once and forget; it is a grade you have to make peace with for well over an hour, and often much longer.

How the Gradient Unfolds

At 30.2 km, Clopacà is long enough that no single pitch defines it — the sum is what breaks you. A 7.57% average over that distance means there is very little genuine flat to hide in. Because total ascent (2315 m) sits slightly above net gain (2288 m), there are short reprieves and false flats scattered through the climb, roughly 27 m of give-back that you then have to reclaim. That texture matters: the easier ramps tempt you to surge, and the steeper ones — inevitably above the 7.57% mean — punish anyone who spent too much on the flatter stretches. Treat the average as your budget, not your target. The high summit at 2733 m also means thinning air in the final kilometres, so effort that felt sustainable low down quietly costs more up top.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, pacing is everything. Anchor your effort to your FTP and hold a percentage of it you can defend for the full 30.2 km rather than a hero number you can only touch for ten minutes. If you do not know your threshold, run your numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a target power. A good rule for an hors catégorie effort of this length is to sit just below threshold on the average-grade sections and let power drift up only on the steepest ramps, never spiking. With 2288 m of gain ahead of you, the cost of going out too hard is not a bad kilometre — it is a collapsed final third.

Gearing

Do not under-gear this one. A 7.57% average sustained for 30.2 km, climbing into thin air at 2733 m, chews through legs that are turning too big a gear. For most riders a compact 34-tooth inner paired with a wide cassette is the sensible floor: a 34×32 gives you a workable spin on the average grades, but on a climb this long many riders will be grateful for the extra range of a 34×34 when fatigue stacks up over the final kilometres. Err toward the easier ratio — cadence preserves your legs across 2315 m of ascent far better than grinding does.

Summary

Passo Clopacà is a genuine hors catégorie challenge: long, high, and relentlessly steep from bottom to top. Respect the 7.57% average, gear low, pace to your threshold, and let the mountain come to you.

Length: 30.2 km
Average gradient: 7.57%
Max gradient: n/a
Start: 445 m
Summit: 2733 m
Net gain: 2288 m
Total ascent: 2315 m
Category: HC