Puerto de las Abejas

Overview

Puerto de las Abejas is a 9.7 km category 2 climb that trades brute steepness for sustained, honest effort. From a base at 334 m, the road works its way up to a summit of 824 m, delivering 490 m of net elevation gain. The average gradient sits at a manageable-looking 5.04%, but averages flatter the truth on a climb like this: the ramp bites hardest at 8.88%, and the total ascent of 479 m confirms the road climbs almost continuously rather than in dramatic stair-steps. This is a rhythm climb — long enough to reward patience, steep enough to punish overexuberance.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Across 9.7 km, the road gains 490 m from bottom to top, so the terrain never lets you fully switch off. With an average of 5.04% and a maximum of 8.88%, the difference between the two tells the story: expect steady mid-single-digit slopes threaded with steeper pinches where the gradient nearly doubles. Because the total ascent (479 m) is only 11 m shy of the net gain (490 m), there is almost no false descent or recovery — what goes up stays up. Treat the 8.88% sections as brief tests rather than sustained walls, and let the flatter stretches around and below the 5.04% average become your genuine recovery zones.

Pacing Notes

Pace Puerto de las Abejas off your sustainable power, not your ego. A climb of 9.7 km at 5.04% average is squarely a threshold-length effort, so anchor your intensity to your FTP and hold something in reserve for the 8.88% pinches. If you do not have a recent number, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you plan your ride.

The trap here is the gentle opening: with 490 m still to climb after the first kilometres, riders who chase the early, shallower slopes pay for it when the gradient stiffens. Aim to arrive at the steeper ramps with your breathing controlled. On the harder sections, drop your cadence gracefully rather than surging — a steady effort across the full 9.7 km almost always beats a fast start and a crawling finish.

Gearing

For a 9.7 km climb averaging 5.04% with pitches to 8.88%, most riders will be well served by a compact setup. A 34×32 lowest gear is enough for steady tempo riders who spin comfortably and want to keep momentum on the 8.88% ramps. If you prefer a higher cadence, carry extra weight, or simply want insurance for a long day, a 34×34 gives you meaningful headroom to keep the pedals turning without grinding. Neither is overkill on a category 2 climb of this length — err toward the easier ratio if you are unsure, since a spare gear costs nothing but saves your legs.

Summary

Puerto de las Abejas is a fair, sustained category 2 test: long enough to demand pacing discipline, but never so steep that it becomes a survival exercise. Ride it to rhythm, respect the pinches, and the 490 m of climbing will pass under a steady tempo.

Length: 9.7 km
Average gradient: 5.04%
Max gradient: 8.88%
Start: 334 m
Summit: 824 m
Net gain: 490 m
Total ascent: 479 m
Category: 2