Sella Sud del Monte Varagna

Overview

Sella Sud del Monte Varagna is not a climb you ease into. Rated HC — hors catégorie, the hardest classification above categories 1 through 4 — it stretches 14 km from a valley floor at just 66 m to a summit of 1741 m. That is 1675 m of net elevation gain packed into a single relentless effort. The average gradient reads 11.95%, a figure high enough that there is nowhere on this road to genuinely recover. When a full-length climb averages nearly 12%, the "easy" sections are still steep, and the hard sections cross into terrain most riders rarely see.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think about what an 11.95% average over 14 km actually demands. With a maximum pitch of 24.97%, this climb doubles its own average at its cruelest moments — a wall steep enough that staying upright and turning the pedals becomes the entire objective. The gap between the 11.95% average and the 24.97% max tells you the road is not uniform: there are ramps that spike well into the twenties, balanced by stretches that merely sit in the low double digits. There is no flat reprieve. Every kilometre contributes to that 1675 m of vertical, and the total ascent of 1650 m confirms the road climbs almost continuously from bottom to top with barely a metre given back.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep and this long, pacing is survival, not strategy. Ride the opening kilometres well below what feels sustainable, because a 14 km effort at 11.95% will expose any early overreach. Anchor your effort to your FTP: sitting a touch under threshold on the steady sections gives you headroom for the 24.97% ramps, where power will surge whether you want it to or not. If you do not know your threshold precisely, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go — climbing 1675 m blind is a recipe for blowing apart halfway up. Break the 14 km into segments and treat each steep ramp as a discrete surge to be absorbed, then settled from.

Gearing

Gear for the walls, not the average. On a climb touching 24.97%, a compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 cassette is the minimum most strong riders should consider, and even then the steepest pitches will have you grinding at very low cadence. For most riders — and anyone not racing — a 34×34 is the smarter choice, buying you the cadence to keep the 1675 m of gain manageable rather than muscling every ramp. If your setup allows an even easier ratio, this is the climb to use it. Spinning a low gear at 1741 m of accumulated altitude beats grinding yourself empty on the first steep section.

Summary

Sella Sud del Monte Varagna is a genuine HC test: 14 km, 11.95% average, ramps to 24.97%, and 1675 m of climbing from 66 m to 1741 m. Pace it conservatively, gear it generously, and respect it from the first metre.

Length: 14 km
Average gradient: 11.95%
Max gradient: 24.97%
Start: 66 m
Summit: 1741 m
Net gain: 1675 m
Total ascent: 1650 m
Category: HC