Reußenkreuz

Overview

Reußenkreuz is a category 4 climb in Germany, running 8.4 km from a start elevation of 241 m to a summit at 523 m. On paper that is a net elevation gain of 282 m, and with an average gradient of 3.35% it reads as a moderate, approachable ascent — the kind of climb you can ride tempo from bottom to top without ever redlining.

The paper version is misleading. Total ascent is 461 m, well above the 282 m net gain, which means roughly 179 m of climbing is offset by descent along the way. Reußenkreuz is not a steady drag; it undulates. You pay for gradient, give some back on downhills, then climb again. That mismatch is the defining feature of the effort: your legs do more work than the net numbers suggest, and rhythm matters more than raw fitness.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 3.35% average is a blend, not a description of any single stretch. Averaging in the descents and flat sections drags the headline number well below what the climbing pitches actually demand. The steepest ramp hits 13.23% — nearly four times the average — so there are moments here that force you well out of tempo.

Expect the profile to break down roughly like this:

• Flatter and recovery sections where the road eases or tips downhill, letting you spin and reset
• Repeated short climbs rather than one continuous wall, stacked across the 8.4 km
• A steepest ramp at 13.23%, short but sharp enough to spike your effort

Pacing Notes

On a rolling climb like this, chasing even speed is a trap — you'll surge on the descents and blow up on the 13.23% pitches. Pace to even effort instead. Hold your sustainable power output through the steep ramps, and let your speed rise naturally on the flatter and downhill sections rather than pushing to hold a target pace there.

If you don't know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you go. Knowing that number turns "ride hard" into a repeatable target you can hold across every kicker without cracking on the last one.

Gearing

The 13.23% maximum is what should dictate your setup, not the gentle average. On pitches that steep, an under-geared bike forces you to grind at low cadence and burn matches you'll want later. Run a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you a bailout gear that keeps your cadence up on the steepest ramp. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; there is no fixing gearing mid-climb.

Summary

• Length: 8.4 km
• Average gradient: 3.35%
• Maximum gradient: 13.23%
• Net elevation gain: 282 m
• Total ascent: 461 m
• Category: 4

Reußenkreuz rewards riders who read the profile rather than the average. Pace to effort, gear for the 13.23% ramp, and treat the 461 m of total ascent — not the 282 m net — as the real measure of the day.