Puerto de Haza del Lino

Overview

Puerto de Haza del Lino is a Category 1 climb in Spain (ES), rising from a start elevation of 388 m to a summit of 1242 m. Over its 9.9 km it delivers a net elevation gain of 854 m at an average gradient of 8.64%. On the numbers alone this is a serious climb: near-nine-percent averages held for the better part of ten kilometres put it firmly in the territory where pacing and gearing decide your day.

The average tells only part of the story. Total ascent registers at 1371 m against a net gain of just 854 m, which means roughly 517 m of climbing is spent regaining ground you gave back on descents and dips along the way. That undulation matters: you are not grinding one steady wall but repeatedly resetting your rhythm, and every metre of recovered descent is extra work that does not show up in the net figure.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An 8.64% average masks how uneven this climb is. With 517 m of descending folded into the profile, the true climbing pitches must sit well above the average to compensate — expect ramps that punch into double digits while flatter and downhill stretches drop the number back down.

• Flatter or descending sections that offer brief recovery but reset your cadence
• Repeated short climbs stacked back to back rather than one continuous grade
• The steepest ramps well into double-digit gradients, far above the 8.64% average

Read the road ahead rather than the number on your head unit — the average will lie to you here.

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-speed pacing is a trap: holding a fixed pace over the steep ramps forces surges that torch your reserves. Pace to even effort instead. Anchor your climb to a sustainable power output and let your speed rise and fall with the terrain — faster on the dips, slower on the walls, but the effort steady throughout.

If you do not know your ceiling, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go. On a climb with 517 m of hidden descending, knowing your sustainable number is the difference between a controlled ride and blowing up two-thirds of the way to 1242 m.

Gearing

The steep ramps govern your setup. With pitches climbing well into double digits on a Category 1 climb, come equipped with a compact or sub-compact chainset paired to a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 to keep your cadence up when the road kicks. Under-gearing here means grinding at low rpm on the ramps, which drains your legs fast. Check your chainset and cassette before you ride; it is not a fix you can make on the mountain.

Summary

• Length: 9.9 km
• Average gradient: 8.64%
• Maximum gradient: 23.68%
• Net elevation gain: 854 m
• Total ascent: 1371 m
• Category: 1

Puerto de Haza del Lino rewards riders who respect its undulation. Pace to effort, gear for the walls, and treat the 8.64% average as a floor rather than a promise — the ramps and the hidden 517 m of climbing are where this one is won or lost.