Port de Pailhères

Overview

Port de Pailhères is a genuine mountain test: 15 km of climbing that lifts you from a start elevation of 977 m to a summit at 2002 m. That is 1025 m of net elevation gain packed into a single sustained ascent, at an average gradient of 6.84%. It carries a Category 1 rating — one rung below hors catégorie, and firmly in the territory that separates strong climbers from the merely willing.

The average alone undersells the effort. Because the total ascent registers at 1724 m — well beyond the 1025 m of net gain — the road clearly rolls and dips on its way up rather than climbing a single clean gradient. Every metre you give back you pay for again, which is why the real workload here is bigger than the summit-minus-start math suggests.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Averaging 6.84% over 15 km means there is nowhere to truly hide, but the gap between the 1025 m of net gain and the 1724 m of total ascent tells the more honest story. That extra elevation is the sign of a climb that pitches up, eases, and pitches up again — false flats and short descents scattered through the ascent that reset your rhythm whether you want them to or not.

Treat the 6.84% figure as a baseline, not a promise. On a profile like this the steeper ramps sit noticeably above average, balanced by the shallower recovery sections that follow. Reading the road ahead matters: carry momentum through the gentler pitches so the steep ones cost you less.

Pacing Notes

On a 15 km effort, discipline early is everything. The most common mistake is chasing the shallow opening slopes and arriving at the steeper middle already over the line. Anchor your pacing to a percentage of your FTP and hold it — a sustainable target for a climb of this length sits comfortably below threshold, leaving headroom for the pitches that exceed 6.84%.

If you are unsure what your threshold actually is, run the numbers first with the FTP estimator. Knowing that figure turns pacing from a guess into a plan: you can budget your effort across all 1025 m of net gain instead of blowing up on the third steep ramp. On the rolling sections, resist the urge to surge — spend those metres recovering, not attacking.

Gearing

For a Category 1 climb averaging 6.84% over 15 km, gear for the pitches, not the average. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring paired with a wide-range cassette is the sensible baseline. A 34×32 will get most fit riders over the summit, but on a climb with this much total ascent — 1724 m of accumulated climbing — a 34×34 is the smarter insurance.

The lower gear does not make you slower; it lets you hold a higher, more efficient cadence on the steep ramps and protects your legs across the full 2002 m summit push. If your cassette allows even more range, take it. Nobody regrets an easy gear on a climb this long.

Summary

Port de Pailhères is a sustained, honest Category 1 effort: 15 km at 6.84%, with the gap between net gain and total ascent revealing a rolling profile that punishes poor pacing. Ride within your threshold, gear low, and let the summit come to you.

Length: 15 km
Average gradient: 6.84%
Max gradient: n/a
Start: 977 m
Summit: 2002 m
Net gain: 1025 m
Total ascent: 1724 m
Category: 1