Passo Fedaia

Overview

Passo Fedaia is a long, uneven Category 1 climb that stretches 24.5 km from a valley floor at 763 m up to a summit at 2058 m. On paper the average gradient of 5.29% sounds almost gentle, and over its full length that is honest math — 1295 m of net elevation gain spread across nearly twenty-five kilometres. But averages lie on a climb shaped like this one. Buried inside that moderate mean is a maximum pitch of 20.9%, more than three times the average, which tells you everything about how the effort is distributed. This is a climb of two personalities: long shallow drags that let you settle into rhythm, and short vicious walls that shatter it.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think of Fedaia as a slow build with a sting. With a total ascent of 1286 m against a net gain of 1295 m, the profile is almost entirely upward — there is virtually no descending or flat relief to reset your legs. The gap between the 5.29% average and the 20.9% maximum is the whole story: for long stretches you will roll along well below the average, banking a false sense of comfort, before the road tilts into double digits and briefly toward that 20.9% ceiling. Those ramps are where the climb is won or lost. Because the summit sits at 2058 m, the final kilometres also come with thinning air, so the steep sections late in the climb hit harder than their raw percentage suggests.

Pacing Notes

The trap on Fedaia is spending too much on the early gentle grades. Because the climb runs 24.5 km, discipline early pays off late. Anchor your effort to your FTP and treat the shallow sections as recovery, not opportunity — hold power comfortably below threshold there so you have a reserve for the 20.9% pitches. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go. On the steepest ramps, accept that you will briefly punch above threshold; the goal is to keep those surges short and return to a sustainable rhythm rather than letting them cascade into a blow-up. Over 1295 m of climbing, a steady 5.29%-adjacent effort will always beat a series of ragged accelerations.

Gearing

Gear for the walls, not the average. The 5.29% mean is irrelevant when the road hits 20.9% — that is where your cassette earns its keep. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 low is the sensible baseline for most riders, giving you room to spin the steep pitches without grinding to a stall. If you carry endurance weight, ride at threshold power that is on the lower side, or simply want insurance on that 20.9% ramp near 2058 m of altitude, step up to a 34×34. The extra teeth cost nothing on the shallow drags and buy real survival on the pitches that define this climb.

Summary

Passo Fedaia rewards patience and punishes ego. Save your matches for the walls, gear low, and let the long shallow kilometres carry you to the top.

Length: 24.5 km
Average gradient: 5.29%
Max gradient: 20.9%
Start: 763 m
Summit: 2058 m
Net gain: 1295 m
Total ascent: 1286 m
Category: 1