Passo Cornuggia

Overview

Passo Cornuggia is a category 2 climb that runs for 14.2 km and gains 622 m of net elevation, lifting you from a valley floor at 314 m to a summit at 936 m. On paper the 4.39% average gradient reads as gentle, and for long stretches it is. But the headline number hides the climb's real character: a maximum pitch of 15.69% that turns an otherwise steady grind into something you have to respect. With a total ascent of 601 m recorded over the profile, the small difference against the 622 m net gain tells you the road climbs almost relentlessly upward, with very little false-flat or descending to break the rhythm.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.39% average is an honest summary of the middle of the climb, but averages flatten the story. Over 14.2 km, a climb that gains 622 m never sits far from that mean for long — yet the 15.69% maximum means at least one ramp roughly three and a half times steeper than the average. That gap, more than 11 percentage points between the mean and the peak, is where the climb bites. Expect the shallower kilometres to lull you into a comfortable cadence before a sharper wall forces a hard, sudden effort. Because total ascent (601 m) sits just below net gain (622 m), the road offers almost no recovery downhill — what goes up, stays up. Treat every gentle section as the place to bank energy, not spend it.

Pacing Notes

At 14.2 km this is a sustained effort, so pace it by power rather than pride. A good rule is to hold the shallow sections just under your threshold and reserve headroom for the 15.69% ramp, where your effort will spike well above your steady number. Anchor your target to your FTP: riding the bulk of the climb at a percentage of that figure keeps you from redlining before the steep pitch arrives. If you don't have a current threshold number, run the FTP estimator first, then set your climbing zones from the result. On a 622 m ascent, going out too hard in the first few kilometres is the classic error — the steep ramp punishes anyone already in the red.

Gearing

The 4.39% average does not demand exotic gearing, but the 15.69% maximum does. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 32-tooth cassette sprocket — a 34×32 — is the sensible baseline for most riders here, giving enough spin to keep cadence on the wall without grinding. If you climb at a lower cadence, carry extra weight, or simply want insurance against a 15.69% ramp near the end of a 14.2 km effort, step up to a 34×34. That single extra tooth buys meaningful relief on the steepest pitch and lets you ride the climb seated and steady rather than lurching out of the saddle.

Summary

Passo Cornuggia rewards patience: a long, mostly steady climb whose 4.39% average is punctuated by a punishing 15.69% wall. Pace by power, gear for the steep pitch, and let the gentle kilometres do the recovering.

Length: 14.2 km
Average gradient: 4.39%
Max gradient: 15.69%
Start: 314 m
Summit: 936 m
Net gain: 622 m
Total ascent: 601 m
Category: 2