Tentsuji Pass

Overview

Tentsuji Pass is a Category 3 climb in Japan (JP) that runs 8.8 km from base to summit. It starts at 414 m and tops out at 806 m, for a net elevation gain of 392 m. On paper that gives an average gradient of 4.45% — a figure that reads as steady tempo work rather than a leg-breaker.

The average is misleading here. The total ascent over the climb is 815 m, well above the 392 m net gain. That 423 m difference is climbing you do and then give back — the road rises, dips, and rises again rather than pointing uniformly uphill. Undulation like this taxes the legs more than the net numbers suggest, because every recovered descent is a section you have to re-climb, often out of the saddle after you've already spun down.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 4.45% average on this profile is an accounting artifact, not a description of the road. With a maximum gradient of 22.28%, the steep punches are far harsher than the mean, and the descents in between are what drag the average back down. Ride to the number and the ramps will catch you cold.

• Flatter and downhill recovery sections that pull the average below what your legs actually feel
• Repeated short climbs stacked back to back, each one asking for a fresh surge
• A steepest ramp near 22% that demands your lowest gear and a change of rhythm

Pacing Notes

On a uniform climb, even-effort and even-speed pacing nearly converge. On Tentsuji Pass they diverge sharply. Chase an even speed and you will overcook the 22% ramp, spiking well above your sustainable power output and paying for it on the next pitch. Pace by effort instead: let speed rise on the recovery dips, and accept slow, controlled grinding on the ramps rather than fighting to hold a number.

Anchor that effort to a known ceiling. If you have not tested recently, run the FTP estimator and set a target you can hold through the repeated punches — the undulation means you will brush that ceiling many times, so leave headroom.

Gearing

The steepest gradient, not the average, decides your setup. At 22.28% you want a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 — so you can keep cadence up instead of mashing a stalling gear. On repeated short ramps, spinning a low gear protects your legs for the climbs still to come. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; discovering you are one sprocket short happens at the worst possible moment, mid-ramp.

Summary

• Length: 8.8 km
• Average gradient: 4.45%
• Maximum gradient: 22.28%
• Net elevation gain: 392 m
• Total ascent: 815 m
• Category: 3

Treat Tentsuji Pass as a rhythm-and-gearing test, not a steady tempo climb. The gentle average hides a 22% ramp and 423 m of ascent you re-earn along the way. Pace by effort, gear low, and the climb rewards you.