Port d'Envalira

Overview

Port d'Envalira is a Category 2 climb in Andorra (AD), running 8.5 km from a start elevation of 1,837 m to a summit of 2,413 m. Its net elevation gain is 576 m, placing the top well above 2,400 m — high enough that thinner air will nibble at your power on the upper slopes. The headline average gradient is 6.78%, which reads as a steady, honest mid-mountain effort.

That headline hides something, though. The total ascent over the climb is 922 m, against a net gain of only 576 m. That 346 m mismatch means the road undulates: it climbs, gives some of it back, then climbs again. You are doing meaningfully more vertical work than the net figure suggests, and the descents in between break your rhythm rather than resting your legs.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 6.78% average across an undulating profile is misleading. The false flats and dips drag the mean down, which means the climbing sections are steeper than 6.78% — and the steepest ramp bites at 15.72%. Expect the effort to arrive in pulses rather than as one long, even grind.

• Flatter or slightly descending recovery sections where the road gives back part of your gain.
• Repeated short climbs stacked between those dips, each demanding a fresh surge.
• A steepest ramp of 15.72% that will spike your power well above your climbing average.

Pacing Notes

On a smooth climb you pace to even effort. Here, the undulation forces a choice. Chasing even speed over the dips and false flats will blow your effort apart on the pitches; hold your sustainable power output instead and accept that your speed will swing with the terrain. Let the descents be genuine recovery — coast or soft-pedal rather than hammering to "save time." Because total ascent (922 m) far exceeds net gain (576 m), you are pacing 922 m of real climbing, not 576 m. Set your target from the FTP estimator and cap your surges on the steep ramp.

Gearing

The 15.72% steepest ramp governs your gear choice, not the 6.78% average. At that gradient, near 2,400 m, you want a low bailout gear to spin rather than grind. Run a compact (50/34) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 low gear keeps your cadence up on the steep ramp and protects your legs for the repeated climbs that follow. Check your setup before the ride; you do not want to discover you are over-geared halfway up.

Summary

• Length: 8.5 km
• Average gradient: 6.78%
• Maximum gradient: 15.72%
• Net elevation gain: 576 m
• Total ascent: 922 m
• Category: 2

Port d'Envalira rewards riders who respect the gap between its net gain and its total ascent. Pace to power, gear for the 15.72% ramp, and treat the dips as recovery — do that, and the undulation works with you rather than against you.