Passo del Monte Trebbio

Overview

Passo del Monte Trebbio is a category 2 climb that packs a genuine day's worth of ascending into a compact 8 km. From a start elevation of 140 m it lifts you to a summit at 571 m, a net gain of 431 m at an average gradient of 5.39%. That average is the kind of number that reads friendly on paper and feels a good deal steeper under load, because a 5.39% mean is rarely delivered evenly. With a max gradient of 13.02%, this is a climb of real contrast: long stretches you can settle into, punctuated by ramps that force a decision every time they arrive.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline figures tell a clear story. An 8 km climb averaging 5.39% would gain around 431 m if the road held a single constant pitch — and that is exactly the net gain here. But the total ascent of 410 m sits below the net gain, which means the road is not relentlessly upward: there are pauses, shallow sections, perhaps a brief flattening where you can breathe before the next lift. That gap between 431 m of net gain and 410 m of measured ascent is the climb's personality in a single detail.

Because the mean is 5.39% while the max touches 13.02%, the hardest ramp is well over double the average. Expect the difficulty to be front-loaded or clustered rather than smeared across all 8 km. The steep 13.02% pitches are where the climb is won or lost.

Pacing Notes

The trap on a climb like this is spending too much matching the steep ramps and arriving at the summit hollowed out. Anchor your effort to your FTP rather than to the gradient in front of you. On the 5.39% sections, ride just under threshold and bank a little; on the 13.02% ramps, let your power spike briefly but keep it controlled — short surges are fine, sustained over-efforts are not. Over 8 km, a steady tempo that respects your ceiling will beat a burst-and-fade pattern every time.

If you are not sure where your threshold sits, use the FTP estimator to get a working number before you tackle the steep pitches.

Gearing

For a category 2 climb topping out at 13.02%, give yourself margin. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 cassette will cover most riders comfortably on the 5.39% average and keep you spinning through the steeper ramps. If you climb at lower cadence, carry extra weight, or simply want to protect your legs on the 13.02% max, step up to a 34×34 — the extra range costs nothing on the flatter sections and buys you a great deal on the hardest metres.

Summary

Passo del Monte Trebbio is a short, honest climb with a serious top-end sting: manageable on average, demanding where it steepens. Pace it to your threshold, gear for the max, and let the flatter sections do the recovering for you.

Length: 8 km
Average gradient: 5.39%
Max gradient: 13.02%
Start: 140 m
Summit: 571 m
Net gain: 431 m
Total ascent: 410 m
Category: 2