Praderadego pass

Overview

Praderadego pass is a long, deceptively gentle-sounding category 2 climb that runs for 21.1 km from a start elevation of 143 m up to a summit at 923 m. On paper its average gradient of 3.69% reads like a warm-up, but that number tells only half the story. Over the full climb you gain 780 m of net elevation, and because the road rolls rather than climbing in a single clean line, the total ascent adds up to 821 m — 41 m more than the net figure. That gap is your first clue: this is not a steady drag but a climb with dips and recoveries baked in.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Praderadego is the spread between its 3.69% average and its 19.62% maximum. A climb that averages under 4% but spikes near 20% is, by definition, uneven. Long shallow sections do the quiet work of carrying you from 143 m toward the 923 m summit, but they are interrupted by short ramps far steeper than the average suggests. With 821 m of total ascent against 780 m of net gain, roughly 41 m of climbing is "given back" on descents or flats along the way — which means every metre you regain on the steep pitches has to be earned twice. Treat the average as a lie you tell yourself on the flat parts, and the max as the honest number you meet on the ramps.

Pacing Notes

Over 21.1 km, discipline beats bravado. The trap on a low-average climb is burning matches on the steep ramps as if they define the whole effort — they don't. Anchor your pacing to your FTP: settle into a sustainable percentage of it on the shallow gradients, then allow short, controlled surges over the 19.62% pitches rather than trying to hold a fixed speed. Let your speed sag on the ramps and recover it on the gentler sections. If you don't know your threshold power, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go, then build a target that you can hold for the full 780 m of climbing without blowing up on a single ramp.

Gearing

Do not let the 3.69% average fool you into under-gearing. The 19.62% max is where compact gearing pays off. A 34×32 bottom gear is the sensible baseline for most riders tackling the steep ramps here, giving you room to spin rather than grind when the road kicks up. If you carry any fatigue from the 21.1 km of accumulated climbing, or you simply prefer a lower cadence insurance policy, size up to a 34×34 — the extra range costs you nothing on the shallow sections and keeps your knees intact on the 19.62% pitches near the top.

Summary

Praderadego pass rewards patience: a long category 2 effort where the modest average hides genuinely steep ramps, and where reading the road matters as much as raw fitness.

Length: 21.1 km
Average gradient: 3.69%
Max gradient: 19.62%
Start: 143 m
Summit: 923 m
Net gain: 780 m
Total ascent: 821 m
Category: 2