Passo del Giovà

Overview

Passo del Giovà is a long, serious ascent — 22 km of continuous climbing that lifts you from 262 m at the base to a 1492 m summit. That is 1230 m of net elevation gain, and because the road pitches and dips along the way, your legs actually swallow 1357 m of total ascent before you top out. The average gradient of 5.6% sounds civilised, but averages lie on a climb this long: hidden inside is a 18.92% ramp that will have you out of the saddle and reaching for every last cog. Rated category 1 — one rung below hors catégorie — this is a climb that rewards patience and punishes anyone who lights the match too early.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline number is 5.6%, but the story is in the spread. Over 22 km, a climb that merely averaged 5.6% would be metronomic; instead, the presence of an 18.92% maximum tells you the gradient swings hard around its mean. Expect stretches that sit comfortably below the average, offering a chance to recover rhythm, punctuated by pitches that spike well into double digits. The gap between the 1230 m net gain and the 1357 m of total ascent — 127 m of extra climbing — confirms the profile is not a clean ramp: there are false flats and small descents that force you to re-accelerate a heavy, tiring body. Ride the shallow sections smoothly and brace mentally for the steep bursts, because that is where the climb decides who reaches the top fresh.

Pacing Notes

On a 22 km effort, discipline beats bravado. Anchor your pacing to your FTP and hold a sustainable percentage of it through the shallower kilometres so you have headroom left for the 18.92% wall and the pitches that ride above the 5.6% average. Going into the red early on a climb this length is the classic mistake — 1230 m of vertical is a long time to suffer if you blow up. If you are not sure what power you can hold for this duration, run the numbers through the FTP estimator first, then set a ceiling and refuse to exceed it until the summit is genuinely in reach. Treat the steep ramps as brief over-efforts, not new baselines, and let your heart rate settle again on the easier gradients.

Gearing

For a 22 km climb averaging 5.6% with an 18.92% maximum, gear low and gear early. A compact 34-tooth inner ring is the sensible starting point. Pairing it with a 34×32 will get most fit riders up the sustained sections, but given the max gradient and the sheer length, a 34×34 is the smarter insurance — that extra sprocket keeps your cadence spinning on the steepest wall so you protect your legs across the full 1357 m of ascent. If your setup allows an even wider range, take it; you will never regret having one more low gear on a climb that keeps taking.

Summary

Passo del Giovà is a patience climb: long, uneven, and topped by a brutal ramp. Pace it off your FTP, gear low, and respect the 22 km ahead of you.

Length: 22 km
Average gradient: 5.6%
Max gradient: 18.92%
Start: 262 m
Summit: 1492 m
Net gain: 1230 m
Total ascent: 1357 m
Category: 1