Alto de los Patos

Alto de los Patos cycling climb profile

Alto de los Patos is the kind of climb where the headline average can understate the real demand. On paper, it is 50 km at 3.66%, starting at 1,224 m and topping out at 3,052 m. That makes it a long Category 1 ascent with 1,828 m of net elevation gain and 1,824 m of listed total ascent.

The key number is not just the average gradient. It is the gap between that 3.66% average and the 13.11% maximum. A climb does not reach a double-digit maximum while riding like a smooth false flat from bottom to summit. The practical read is that Alto de los Patos asks for patience on the easier gradients, then enough gearing and discipline to absorb the steeper ramps without turning them into race-ending efforts.

How the gradient rides

From the lower slopes at 1,224 m, the climb is defined first by length. A 50 km ascent rewards riders who settle early, keep pressure on the pedals, and avoid treating the gentler sections as free speed. The average gradient suggests much of the climb can feel rideable, but that is exactly where the pacing trap sits. If the effort drifts too high because the road feels manageable, the later elevation gain becomes much more expensive.

The maximum gradient of 13.11% changes the way you should think about the profile. Those steepest ramps are not the whole climb, but they are the parts that decide whether the long average remains controlled or turns into accumulated damage. The best approach is to ride the shallow terrain economically, then let the steep sections lift effort only as much as necessary.

Pacing and gearing notes

Use a pacing plan based on sustainable climbing power, not the apparent ease of the average gradient. If you ride by /glossary/ftp, the goal is to stay under control early enough that the steep ramps can be handled without repeated spikes. On a climb this long, every unnecessary surge has time to compound.

Gearing should be chosen for the 13.11% maximum, not the 3.66% average. If your easiest gear only feels comfortable on the gentler grades, it is too optimistic for this climb. A lower climbing gear lets you stay seated longer, keep cadence from collapsing, and avoid grinding through the steepest pitches with unnecessary muscular cost.

The cleanest way to ride Alto de los Patos is simple: respect the distance, manage the ramps, and do not let the modest average gradient talk you into overcommitting before the climb has fully revealed itself.