Passo dei tre Re

Overview

Passo dei tre Re is a category 1 climb that packs a genuine day's worth of effort into 14.2 km. From a low start at just 8 m, the road hauls you up to a 776 m summit — a net gain of 768 m and a total ascent of 758 m once the small dips along the way are counted. The average gradient reads 5.42%, which sounds moderate on paper, but averages hide the story here. With a maximum pitch of 19.14%, this climb has real teeth, and the flatter sections are what soften that overall number.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think of the 5.42% average as a blend rather than a constant. Over 14.2 km, a climb that gains 768 m has to concentrate its steepness somewhere, and the 19.14% maximum tells you exactly how sharp that concentration can get — roughly three and a half times the average. Expect the profile to swing between easier stretches where you can breathe and ramps where the road kicks up hard. The gap between the 768 m net gain and the 758 m of total ascent is small, meaning there is very little descending mixed in; almost every metre you climb is a metre you keep. That makes it a relentless ascent rather than a rolling one, and the steep pitches arrive without the relief of a downhill to recover on.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long, discipline pays. Hold a steady effort near your threshold on the shallower grades and save something for the 19.14% wall — surging early on a 14.2 km climb is the fastest way to blow up before the summit. A useful anchor is your FTP: ride the sustained sections at a controlled percentage of it, then accept that the steepest ramps will spike you well above that number for short bursts. If you don't know your threshold yet, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pacing plan. The goal is to arrive at the 776 m summit having spent evenly across all 14.2 km rather than emptying the tank on the first hard pitch.

Gearing

For a 5.42% average that hides a 19.14% maximum, gear low and be glad you did. A compact chainring with a wide-range cassette is the sensible baseline: a 34×32 will handle most of the climb comfortably, but for that steepest ramp — and for the fatigue that sets in over 768 m of climbing — a 34×34 gives you the extra spin to keep cadence up instead of grinding. If your legs are fresh you may rarely need the biggest sprocket, but on a long category 1 ascent it is far better to carry it and not use it than to run out of gears at 19.14%.

Summary

Passo dei tre Re is a long, honest category 1 climb: 14.2 km, 768 m of net elevation gain, and a summit at 776 m that you earn one steep pitch at a time. Pace it by your threshold, gear it for the 19.14% wall, and respect the distance.

Length: 14.2 km
Average gradient: 5.42%
Max gradient: 19.14%
Start: 8 m
Summit: 776 m
Net gain: 768 m
Total ascent: 758 m
Category: 1