Urraki mendatea

Overview

Urraki mendatea is a category 1 climb that packs a serious amount of vertical into a short distance. Over just 7.5 km the road hauls you from a start elevation of 88 m to a summit at 669 m, a net gain of 581 m at an unrelenting average gradient of 7.78%. The total ascent registers 557 m, confirming this is a climb that goes up and stays up — there is almost no respite built into its shape. With a maximum gradient of 10.94%, it earns its category 1 billing and sits just one rung below hors catégorie on the difficulty ladder.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Urraki is consistency of effort. An average of 7.78% across 7.5 km means there are very few places to recover, and the gap between the 7.78% mean and the 10.94% maximum is only a little over 3 percentage points. That tells you the hardest ramps are not wild outliers — they are only slightly steeper than what you are already grinding out for most of the climb. The near-identical figures for net gain (581 m) and total ascent (557 m) reveal a road that climbs almost monotonically, with barely any flat or downhill sections to break the rhythm. Expect a wall that leans on you from bottom to top rather than a series of distinct pitches.

Pacing Notes

Because the gradient is so even, Urraki rewards a steady, disciplined effort over heroics. Pick a power target you can hold for the full 7.5 km and resist the urge to surge on the 10.94% ramps — at this steepness, spikes are expensive and hard to recover from. A good rule of thumb is to ride the average sections just under your FTP and let your effort drift up only on the steepest pitches, keeping your overall output smooth. If you do not know your threshold yet, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you commit to a pacing plan. On a 581 m net-gain climb, going out too hard in the first third is the classic mistake — the summit at 669 m is a long way up.

Gearing

At 7.78% average with ramps to 10.94%, gearing is where many riders get caught out on Urraki. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring is the sensible starting point. Pair it with at least a 34×32 for the sustained gradient, which gives you a low enough ratio to spin rather than mash through the bulk of the climb. If you are not a strong climber, carrying extra weight, or simply want insurance for the 10.94% sections near the top, step up to a 34×34. That extra sprocket keeps your cadence alive when fatigue sets in over the back half of the 7.5 km, and there is no prize for over-gearing a climb this relentless.

Summary

Urraki mendatea is a short, brutally consistent category 1 ascent — 7.5 km of near-continuous climbing with almost no place to hide. Respect the average, save something for the steepest ramps, and gear low enough to keep spinning to the top.

Length: 7.5 km
Average gradient: 7.78%
Max gradient: 10.94%
Start: 88 m
Summit: 669 m
Net gain: 581 m
Total ascent: 557 m
Category: 1