Urrullo gaina

Overview

Urrullo gaina is short on paper and savage in reality. Across just 3.1 km it averages 12.66%, a figure that leaves almost no room to recover once the road tilts up. You start at 31 m and finish at 429 m, a net gain of 398 m packed into barely three kilometres. With a maximum pitch of 17.49%, this is a climb defined by relentlessness rather than length, and its category 1 rating is fully earned — this sits one rung below hors catégorie, the hardest tier of all.

How the Gradient Unfolds

Think of Urrullo gaina as a single sustained effort rather than a climb with distinct phases. A 12.66% average over 3.1 km means there is no gentle valley-road approach and no false flat to hide in — the gradient is high from early on and stays high. The gap between the 12.66% average and the 17.49% maximum is under five percentage points, which tells you the steep sections are not brief outliers but part of the general texture of the road. When the pitch does bite hardest, near that 17.49% ceiling, it arrives on top of an effort that is already deep in the red. The 398 m of net gain and the 368 m of total ascent are almost identical, confirming there is little to no descending to break the rhythm: once you go up, you keep going up.

Pacing Notes

On a wall this steep, pacing is really about not blowing up. Ride the opening ramps well within yourself, because a 12.66% average punishes anyone who starts on adrenaline. Aim to hold a steady effort just around or slightly under your threshold — knowing your FTP makes this far easier to judge, since it lets you translate "hard but sustainable" into an actual power number. If you are not sure where your threshold sits, the FTP estimator gives you a starting figure to pace against. On a 3.1 km climb the whole effort may last only a handful of minutes for stronger riders, so treat it almost like an extended threshold interval: settle in, protect a little for the 17.49% pitches, and accept that your heart rate will keep drifting up all the way to 429 m.

Gearing

Gear for the maximum, not the average. A 12.66% mean with spikes to 17.49% demands the easiest ratios most riders own. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 is the sensible baseline here, and on a climb this steep many riders will be grateful for a 34×34 to keep cadence out of the grinding, knee-straining zone. If your bike can take an even larger cassette, use it — spinning a slightly lower gear over 3.1 km of double-digit gradient will always beat muscling a bigger one.

Summary

Urrullo gaina is a compact, uncompromising category 1 test: 3.1 km that never lets up, climbing 398 m from base to summit with pitches that touch 17.49%. Come with your easiest gearing and a disciplined pace, and it becomes a rewarding effort rather than a survival crawl.

Length: 3.1 km
Average gradient: 12.66%
Max gradient: 17.49%
Start: 31 m
Summit: 429 m
Net gain: 398 m
Total ascent: 368 m
Category: 1