Passo San Udalrico

Overview

Passo San Udalrico is a category 2 climb that packs a genuine test into 9.5 km. From a low start at 99 m, the road hauls you up to a summit of 584 m, a net elevation gain of 485 m. The average gradient sits at a steady 5.11%, which reads as moderate on paper but hides real teeth: the steepest section bites at 11.47%. With a total ascent of 475 m across its length, this is a climb that rewards riders who respect its shape rather than attacking blindly from the bottom.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 5.11% average is the story's opening line, not its plot. A climb that gains 485 m over 9.5 km with a peak of 11.47% is not evenly pitched — that maximum is more than double the average, which tells you the slope stacks its difficulty into ramps rather than spreading it out. Expect stretches noticeably shallower than 5.11% that let you breathe, punctuated by pinches climbing toward that 11.47% wall. The gap between the 485 m net gain and the 475 m total ascent is small, meaning there is little to no descending mid-climb: once you start going up, you stay up. Read the road ahead and save something for the steep bites.

Pacing Notes

On a climb like this, the smartest currency is restraint. The 5.11% average makes it tempting to push a hard, uniform effort, but the ramps toward 11.47% will punish anyone who has spent their matches early. Anchor your effort to your FTP: aim to sit just below threshold on the shallower sections so you have headroom to absorb the steep pinches without redlining. Roughly 9.5 km of sustained climbing is long enough that a blown pacing plan in the first third costs you dearly near the 584 m summit. If you are unsure of your threshold number, run the FTP estimator before you ride so your power targets are grounded in real data rather than guesswork.

Gearing

For a 9.5 km climb averaging 5.11% with ramps up to 11.47%, gearing is about protecting your cadence on the steep bites. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring paired with a wide-range cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will handle the bulk of the climb comfortably and keep you spinning through the moderate gradients. But when the road tilts toward 11.47%, you will be grateful for one more sprocket — a 34×34 gives you that extra escape gear to hold a sustainable cadence instead of grinding out of the saddle. If your legs or your fitness leave any doubt, fit the 34×34 and enjoy the insurance across all 485 m of climbing.

Summary

Passo San Udalrico is a well-rounded category 2 test: long enough to demand pacing discipline, steep enough in places to demand real gears. Meter your effort, protect your cadence for the 11.47% ramps, and the 584 m summit will come to you.

Length: 9.5 km
Average gradient: 5.11%
Max gradient: 11.47%
Start: 99 m
Summit: 584 m
Net gain: 485 m
Total ascent: 475 m
Category: 2