Passo delle Tre Croci

Overview

Passo delle Tre Croci is a category 1 climb that asks for real commitment. Over 11.2 km the road lifts you from a start elevation of 791 m to a summit at 1542 m, a net gain of 751 m at an average gradient of 6.68%. That average alone tells you this is no gentle drag — sustained mid-single-digit slopes for the better part of an hour, with a max gradient of 15.13% waiting to sting your legs where the road pitches up. It sits one rung below hors catégorie, and it earns that ranking honestly: long enough to matter, steep enough to hurt.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline number is the 6.68% average, but averages hide the story. With a max gradient of 15.13%, the difference between the steepest ramps and the mean is more than 8 percentage points — proof that the gradient is not delivered in one even, metronomic slope. Expect the pitch to breathe: stretches that hover near the average, punctuated by sharper kicks that spike toward that 15.13% ceiling. On a climb of this shape, the danger is over-committing on the milder sections and blowing up when the road rears. Respect the ramps, and let the flatter passages be genuine recovery rather than an invitation to attack. Across the full 11.2 km the total ascent registers at 722 m, so the vertical work is relentless from bottom to top.

Pacing Notes

The smartest way to survive Tre Croci is to pace to power, not ego. Your FTP is the anchor: on an 11.2 km effort at 6.68% average, target a percentage of FTP you can genuinely sustain for the full duration rather than the first few kilometres. If you don't have a recent number, run the FTP estimator before you go, then hold steady on the shallower sections and allow your power to rise only briefly over the 15.13% ramps. Getting to the summit at 1542 m fresh enough to keep pedalling is the goal — negative-splitting a climb like this beats fading in the final third every time.

Gearing

With an average of 6.68% and pitches to 15.13%, gearing is your friend. A compact 34-tooth inner ring paired with a wide cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get most riders up the sustained gradient, but on the 15.13% ramps — especially with fatigue accumulating over 11.2 km — a 34×34 gives you a lower cadence-preserving bailout that keeps your knees and your morale intact. Choose the 34×34 if you value spinning over grinding; the extra range costs you nothing on the easier stretches and buys you real insurance on the steep ones.

Summary

Passo delle Tre Croci is a proper category 1 test: long, sustained, and spiked with genuinely steep ramps. Pace to power, gear generously, and you'll crest the top rewarded rather than wrecked.

Length: 11.2 km
Average gradient: 6.68%
Max gradient: 15.13%
Start: 791 m
Summit: 1542 m
Net gain: 751 m
Total ascent: 722 m
Category: 1