Rokujurigoe

Overview

Rokujurigoe is a Category 3 climb in Japan, running 8.1 km from a start elevation of 437 m to a summit at 813 m. On paper the numbers are modest: a net elevation gain of 376 m at an average gradient of 4.67%. That places it firmly in the middle-distance bracket — long enough to demand a real pacing plan, short enough that a well-judged effort keeps it under control.

The headline figure to watch is the gap between net gain and total work. You climb 376 m in net terms, but the total ascent is 826 m — roughly 450 m of extra climbing swallowed by descents and re-climbs along the way. That undulation means your legs do far more work than the net profile suggests, and every metre you give back on a descent has to be won again. Treat this as an 826 m day of vertical, not a 376 m one.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.67% average is an illusion of comfort. With a maximum gradient of 23.6%, this road hides brutal spikes inside a gentle-looking mean, and the descents baked into the total ascent drag the average down further than the hard sections deserve.

Expect the profile to behave like this:

• Flatter and downhill recovery sections that pull the average toward 4.67% but force you to re-climb what you lose.
• Repeated short climbs stacked back to back, the source of the 450 m of extra ascent.
• A savage steepest ramp touching 23.6% — a wall that will spike your power and drain your legs if you hit it unprepared.

Pacing Notes

On a smoothly graded climb, even-effort and even-speed converge. Here they diverge sharply because of the undulation. Chasing an even speed means burning matches on every steep re-climb and coasting on the descents — a fast track to blowing up before the summit.

Pace to even effort instead. Hold a steady, sustainable power output through the ramps, accept a slower crawl on the 23.6% wall, and spin the flatter and downhill sections rather than surging. If you don't know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator first and set your target below it, leaving headroom for the punchy pitches.

Gearing

The steepest gradient governs your setup, and 23.6% is steep enough to strand a road-race drivetrain. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you the low gear to keep cadence up the wall without grinding to a stall. Check your chainset and cassette before you ride; discovering you're over-geared on a 23.6% ramp is a walk, not a climb.

Summary

• Length: 8.1 km
• Average gradient: 4.67%
• Maximum gradient: 23.6%
• Net elevation gain: 376 m
• Total ascent: 826 m
• Category: 3

Rokujurigoe rewards riders who read past the average. The gentle 4.67% mean masks a 23.6% wall and 450 m of hidden re-climbing, so pace to effort, gear low, and respect the total ascent rather than the net gain.