Passo del Mucchione

Overview

Passo del Mucchione is a short, ferociously steep climb that packs its punishment into just 5.4 km. From a base at 186 m, the road claws its way up to a summit of 646 m, delivering a net gain of 460 m over that distance. The average gradient of 8.52% tells you most of the story: there is no easing-in ramp here, no gentle valley approach to spin the legs loose. You are working almost from the first pedal stroke.

Rated category 2, it sits comfortably in the range where a well-prepared rider can hold a rhythm, but the numbers leave no room for complacency. With 435 m of total ascent packed against 460 m of net gain, this is a climb that goes almost entirely up — very little of the road gives anything back.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature is consistency at a high level. An 8.52% average across 5.4 km means the road rarely dips below a serious grade, and the 14.53% maximum marks where it bites hardest. That is a difference of roughly 6% between the average and the steepest ramp — enough to break your cadence if you arrive at the wall in the wrong gear.

Because net gain (460 m) sits so close to total ascent (435 m), the profile is essentially monotonic: you climb, and you keep climbing. Expect the steepest sections to stack in the middle-to-upper reaches, where a climb of this shape typically concentrates its double-digit pitches before relenting slightly toward the 646 m summit.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this short, pacing is about restraint early. The temptation is to attack the lower slopes while the legs feel fresh, but at 8.52% average you will pay for every premature effort long before the top. Anchor your effort to a sustainable percentage of your FTP and treat the 14.53% pitches as brief surges to absorb, not battles to win.

If you are not sure what wattage that corresponds to, run your numbers through the FTP estimator first, then hold that ceiling through the steep middle. The climb is short enough — 5.4 km — that a disciplined, even effort will beat a heroic start every time.

Gearing

Gradients that average 8.52% and spike to 14.53% demand real climbing gears. For most riders a compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette is the right call. A 34×32 will get you up if your climbing legs are strong and your cadence holds, but on the 14.53% ramps it can feel marginal.

If you have any doubt about the steep sections, go with 34×34. That extra sprocket buys you the cadence to keep spinning rather than grinding, which protects your legs across the relentless 460 m of gain. On a climb this uniformly steep, the smaller gear is rarely a mistake.

Summary

Passo del Mucchione is a compact, uncompromising category 2 test: short enough to attack, steep enough to punish. Respect the average, prepare for the 14.53% max, and pace to your ceiling from the bottom.

Length: 5.4 km
Average gradient: 8.52%
Max gradient: 14.53%
Start: 186 m
Summit: 646 m
Net gain: 460 m
Total ascent: 435 m
Category: 2