Alto del Lun

Alto del Lun cycling climb profile

Alto del Lun is a compact Category 3 climb that asks for discipline more than drama. At 5.2 km and an average gradient of 6.09%, it is long enough to punish an impatient start, but not so long that it requires a full mountain-stage survival strategy. The key number is the relationship between the average gradient and the maximum gradient. With the steepest pitch listed at 7.91%, the climb looks relatively controlled rather than violently irregular.

That matters tactically. A climb that averages just over 6% and never goes far beyond 8% is typically decided by pacing accuracy, not by brute-force responses to extreme ramps. The rider who settles early into a sustainable rhythm is likely to lose less time than the rider who treats the opening kilometre like a short hill repeat and then spends the rest of the ascent trying to recover.

How the gradient unfolds

The profile rises from 412 m to 729 m, gaining 317 m from start to summit. Across 5.2 km, that makes Alto del Lun a steady aerobic effort with enough resistance to keep you under pressure almost the whole way.

Because the maximum gradient is only modestly above the average, the practical takeaway is simple: expect a climb that keeps asking for torque, but does not appear to offer many decisive walls. There may be small changes in slope, but the supplied numbers point to a climb where the main challenge is holding power and cadence as fatigue accumulates.

This is the kind of ascent where the middle section can feel harder than the numbers suggest. Not because the gradient is especially steep, but because there is limited opportunity to reset. On a climb like this, the absence of severe ramps can be deceptive: riders often overpace because nothing feels urgent early, then discover that 5.2 km at a steady 6% still carries a real physiological cost.

Pacing and gearing notes

Ride Alto del Lun like a sustained threshold-adjacent effort rather than a punchy climb. If you use power, avoid chasing the opening sensation of freshness. Settle near a number you can hold to the summit, then lift only if the final section still feels controlled. For riders working from feel, breathing should be firm but stable early, not ragged.

Gearing should prioritise cadence stability. Since the gradient tops out at 7.91%, most riders will not need ultra-low climbing gears purely for gradient survival, but having one easier gear in reserve is still useful. That reserve matters if the road surface, wind, fatigue, or accumulated training load makes the final kilometres bite harder than the profile suggests.

For training, Alto del Lun is well suited to controlled climbing intervals, pacing practice, and testing how evenly you can distribute effort over a moderate ascent. If you are estimating intensity from power, anchor the effort around your current /glossary/ftp rather than the average gradient alone. The climb is not defined by one savage section. It is defined by whether you can avoid wasting energy before the summit.