Passo Popj

Overview

Passo Popj is a long category-1 climb that rewards patience over punch. At 24.4 km with an average gradient of 4.82%, it is the kind of ascent where the distance does the damage rather than any single wall. You start at 138 m and finish at 1316 m, a net elevation gain of 1178 m, while the total ascent of 1169 m tells you there is barely a breath of downhill along the way — this road climbs almost continuously from bottom to top. That combination of length and relentlessness is exactly what earns it its category-1 rating: not quite hors catégorie, but a genuinely serious day's climbing.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline average of 4.82% is friendly on paper, but averages hide the story on a climb this long. With a maximum gradient of 16.5%, there are clearly ramps far steeper than the mean, and on a 24.4 km climb those pitches arrive when your legs are already deep into the effort. Expect the road to breathe: shallower drags where you can settle into a rhythm, punctuated by sharper kicks that force you out of the saddle. The gap between the 4.82% average and the 16.5% maximum is the number that matters most here — it means you cannot simply set one power figure and ride it to the top. Read the road ahead and let the steeper sections come to you rather than chasing them.

Pacing Notes

On a climb of this duration, discipline beats bravado. Anchor your effort to your FTP and aim to ride the flatter stretches slightly below it, banking the headroom you will need for the 16.5% ramps. Climbing 1178 m at an average of 4.82% is a sustained aerobic effort, so blowing up early on a steep pitch costs you far more time than easing across it. If you are not sure what number to hold, run your recent data through the FTP estimator and set realistic power ceilings for the whole 24.4 km before you start. Fuel and drink steadily from the base — 138 m to 1316 m is a long time in the red if you get it wrong.

Gearing

Gear for the steep pitches, not the average. With a maximum gradient of 16.5% on a climb this long, most riders will want a compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette. A 34×32 is the sensible baseline, giving you a bailout for the sharper ramps while keeping your cadence up over the many kilometres at gentler gradients. If you climb at lower power, prefer higher cadence, or simply want insurance for the 16.5% sections late in the climb, step up to 34×34. The extra sprocket costs almost nothing and buys you a great deal of comfort across 24.4 km of near-continuous climbing.

Summary

Passo Popj is a test of sustained effort: long, steady, and just steep enough in places to catch out anyone who paces it carelessly. Gear conservatively, ride within your limits early, and let the 1178 m of climbing come to you.

Length: 24.4 km
Average gradient: 4.82%
Max gradient: 16.5%
Start: 138 m
Summit: 1316 m
Net gain: 1178 m
Total ascent: 1169 m
Category: 1