Rothenfluh Passhöhe

Overview

The Rothenfluh Passhöhe is a 10 km category 3 ascent that trades brute steepness for length. From a start elevation of 339 m it climbs to a 658 m summit, a net gain of 319 m at an average gradient of just 3.2%. On paper that number reads as gentle, and for much of the road it is — but the 13.68% maximum tells you the climb hides its teeth somewhere. This is a rhythm climb, the kind you can ride steadily once you understand where the effort actually lives.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 3.2% average across 10 km means most of the road sits at a grade you can hold in the saddle without much drama. But averages flatten reality. With a maximum of 13.68%, the climb clearly stacks its difficulty into short, sharp ramps rather than spreading the load evenly. Between those pitches sit shallower sections — some barely tilting upward, a few possibly kicking back down, which is why the recorded total ascent of 298 m falls short of the 319 m net figure by 21 m. Expect a stair-step profile: cruise, brace for a ramp, recover, repeat. Reading the road ahead matters more here than raw power.

Pacing Notes

Because the climb is long and mostly moderate, the temptation is to attack the easy grades and then blow apart on the 13.68% ramps. Resist it. Anchor your effort to your sustainable threshold and let the gradient dictate cadence, not ego. A useful target is to ride the shallow majority at or just below your FTP, then absorb the steep pitches as brief surges you can recover from within a minute or two. If you're unsure what number to hold across a 10 km effort, run your recent data through the FTP estimator before you go — pacing a category 3 climb well is far easier when the ceiling isn't a guess.

Gearing

For a climb averaging 3.2%, a standard compact setup handles the bulk of the road comfortably. The decision point is the 13.68% maximum. A compact chainring paired with a 34×32 bottom gear is enough for most trained riders to spin the steep ramps without grinding to a stall. If you climb at a lower cadence, carry fatigue from earlier in a ride, or simply want insurance on those pitches, step up to a 34×34. The extra sprocket costs you nothing on the shallow sections and buys real breathing room where the gradient bites — on a climb this long, protecting your legs early pays off at the top.

Summary

Rothenfluh Passhöhe rewards patience over aggression: 10 km of mostly moderate climbing punctuated by a genuinely steep maximum. Pace to threshold, gear for the ramps, and the 319 m of vertical arrives without ever feeling desperate.

Length: 10 km
Average gradient: 3.2%
Max gradient: 13.68%
Start: 339 m
Summit: 658 m
Net gain: 319 m
Total ascent: 298 m
Category: 3