Passo Streccione

Overview

Passo Streccione is a short, savage category 1 ascent that packs a full day's suffering into a single sustained effort. Over just 6.5 km it climbs 681 m of net elevation, lifting you from a start at 466 m to a summit at 1147 m. That works out to a brutal 10.48% average gradient — a figure that would be a wall on almost any climb and here is simply the baseline. With total ascent measured at 634 m, there is very little false flat or recovery hiding inside those kilometres. What you see on the profile is what your legs get: relentless upward pressure from the moment the road tips up.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Streccione is consistency, not variety. A 10.48% average across 6.5 km means there are no soft opening kilometres to ease into and no long plateau to catch your breath. The steepest ramp hits 15.47%, and the gap between that maximum and the average is smaller than on most climbs — roughly 4.99 percentage points — which tells you the hard sections are not isolated spikes but part of a continuous grind. Expect the gradient to hover stubbornly in double digits, with the steepest pitches punching close to 15% before easing only slightly. The 681 m of net gain packed into 6.5 km leaves nowhere to soft-pedal.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this uniform, pacing is everything. Because the gradient barely dips, you cannot rely on flatter stretches to recover, so the smart approach is to settle into an effort you can hold from bottom to top rather than attacking early. Anchor your target to your FTP: riding the lower slopes just under threshold leaves headroom for the 15.47% ramps without blowing up. If you are not sure where your threshold sits, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pace. At 10.48% average, even a small over-effort in the first kilometre compounds badly over the remaining 681 m of climbing. Ride the number, not the emotion.

Gearing

Steep and sustained is exactly the profile that punishes tall gearing. For a 6.5 km climb averaging 10.48% and touching 15.47%, most riders will want the widest cassette they can fit. A compact chainring paired with a 34×32 is a sensible floor, giving you a spin-friendly ratio for the double-digit stretches. But on the steepest ramps a 34×34 is the safer choice, keeping your cadence up and your knees intact when the road hits its maximum. If your bike accepts an even larger sprocket, take it — nobody has ever regretted an extra gear on a wall like this.

Summary

Passo Streccione is a compact, uncompromising category 1 climb: short enough to attempt fresh, steep enough to leave a mark. Pace it to your threshold, gear low, and respect the 15.47% pitches.

Length: 6.5 km
Average gradient: 10.48%
Max gradient: 15.47%
Start: 466 m
Summit: 1147 m
Net gain: 681 m
Total ascent: 634 m
Category: 1