Puerto del Rebanillo

Overview

Puerto del Rebanillo is a Category 2 climb in Spain, running 9.2 km from a start elevation of 367 m to a summit at 817 m. Over that distance it delivers a net elevation gain of 450 m at an average gradient of 4.9%. On paper that is a steady, mid-tempo ascent — long enough to matter, not so steep that it forces you out of the saddle from the base.

The average, though, undersells the work. Total ascent on the road is 564 m, which is 114 m more than the 450 m of net gain. That gap is undulation: the road gives back roughly 114 m of descent across the climb, and every metre lost is a metre you have to reclaim. Practically, you climb the equivalent of the summit plus a bonus, so pace to the total ascent, not the net figure on the sign.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 4.9% average hides both easier valleys and sharper ramps. With 114 m of descent baked in, the profile is stepped rather than uniform: expect stretches where the gradient sags or briefly points down, then re-steepens. The steepest measured pitch reaches 10.71%, more than double the average, so the hardest efforts are concentrated in short ramps rather than smeared evenly across the 9.2 km.

• Flatter and mild-descent sections where you can recover and roll
• Repeated short climbs that regain the elevation you just gave back
• A steepest ramp near 10.71% that demands your lowest gear

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, chasing an even speed is a trap — you would overspend on the 10.71% ramps and coast the descents, spiking your effort exactly where it costs most. Ride to an even effort instead: hold a steady sustainable power output and let your speed rise on the shallow bits and fall on the ramps. Keep some ceiling for the steep pitches so they do not blow your pacing apart. If you are unsure what number to target, run the FTP estimator first and anchor your climb to a percentage of that.

Gearing

The 10.71% ramp governs your gearing choice. A compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 — lets you hold a comfortable cadence through the steepest section without grinding. That headroom also protects your even-effort pacing on every short re-climb after the descents. Confirm your chainring and cassette combination before the ride; discovering you are one gear short at 10.71% is not a mid-climb problem you can fix.

Summary

• Length: 9.2 km
• Average gradient: 4.9%
• Maximum gradient: 10.71%
• Net elevation gain: 450 m
• Total ascent: 564 m
• Category: 2

Puerto del Rebanillo is a manageable Category 2 climb whose real difficulty lives in its undulation. Pace to the 564 m of total ascent, gear for the 10.71% ramp, and the 450 m net gain to the 817 m summit will come steadily.