Colle Carrel cycling climb profile
The Colle Carrel cycling climb is not complicated on paper, which is exactly what makes it hard. It is 13 km long, averages 10.54%, and rises from 562 m to 1935 m. That combination tells you most of what you need to know: this is not a climb where the difficulty comes from one isolated wall or a late sting. The baseline is already severe.
Rated HC, Colle Carrel asks for controlled climbing from the first part of the effort. With 1373 m of net elevation gain across the climb, the average gradient is not being flattered by a few steep sections surrounded by recovery. The road is consistently demanding, and the maximum gradient of 24.81% means there are pitches where poor pacing will be punished immediately.
How the gradient shapes the ride
A 10.54% average over 13 km changes the tactical problem. On a shallower climb, a rider can often float slightly above target power, recover on flatter sections, and still keep the effort smooth. Here, the margin is smaller. If the climb averages double digits, the easier sections are unlikely to feel truly easy, and the steepest ramps demand torque even if you are already riding conservatively.
The key is to treat the opening as part of the summit effort, not as a place to test the legs. Going too hard early will not just cost a little freshness. On a climb this steep, fatigue shows up as cadence loss, forced standing, and repeated power spikes. Once that happens, the climb becomes reactive: every ramp dictates the effort instead of the rider controlling it.
Pacing notes
For most riders, the right approach is a firm but deliberately capped effort from the bottom. Use /glossary/ftp as the reference point, but do not ride the early kilometres as if the average gradient will ease meaningfully later. The smarter strategy is to stay just below the effort that feels sustainable, then reassess once the upper part of the climb is within reach.
On the ramps approaching the maximum gradient, accept that power will rise. The goal is not to keep the number perfectly flat. The goal is to avoid turning every steep pitch into a match burned. Stay seated when traction and cadence allow, shift early, and keep the upper body quiet. If standing is necessary, use it to preserve momentum and relieve muscle load, not to accelerate.
Gearing and execution
Bring the easiest climbing gear you have. A climb averaging 10.54% with a maximum of 24.81% is not the place to discover that your lowest ratio only works when you are fresh. The best setup is the one that lets you keep pressure on the pedals without grinding every steep section.
Colle Carrel is ultimately a pacing test disguised as a gradient test. The numbers are big enough that fitness matters, but the decisive skill is restraint. Ride the first half like the second half matters, because on this climb it absolutely does.