Evelyn Pass

Evelyn Pass cycling climb profile

Evelyn Pass is not a climb that rewards optimism. On the listed profile, it runs for 9.9 km from 1203 m to 2830 m, with a net elevation gain of 1627 m and an average gradient of 16.36 percent. That combination makes the climb's logic very simple: the difficulty is not a late wall or a single named sector, but the fact that the whole effort sits at a gradient where normal road-climb pacing stops working.

The category is HC, and the numbers support that classification. A climb can be long, or it can be steep, and still leave space for rhythm. Evelyn Pass compresses a large amount of vertical gain into under 10 km, which means the rider is dealing with high torque almost immediately and for a long time.

How the gradient unfolds

The available profile does not provide intermediate ramps or a maximum gradient, so the safest reading is to treat Evelyn Pass as a continuously severe climb from bottom to summit rather than a route with predictable recovery shelves. With a 16.36 percent average across the full 9.9 km, any easier ground that exists would have to be paid back elsewhere. That matters for pacing: do not wait for the climb to settle down, because the headline number already tells you the settled gradient is hard.

The elevation change is also worth reading carefully. The listed start is 1203 m and the summit is 2830 m, giving 1627 m of net elevation gain. The supplied total ascent figure is 1571 m, which is lower than the net gain, so the cleanest practical takeaway is not to over-interpret micro-shape from the dataset. The macro-shape is clear enough: this is a steep, sustained ascent with very little margin for a bad opening effort.

Pacing and gearing notes

Ride the first section below what feels natural. On a climb averaging 16.36 percent, perceived effort can lag behind actual muscular cost because cadence drops, torque rises, and each small surge becomes expensive. The correct opening is controlled, even if it feels too conservative.

Gearing should be chosen for survival cadence, not pride. If your easiest gear is something you would normally reserve for emergency gradients, it is probably the gear you will use for much of this climb. A lower gear helps protect cadence and reduces the repeated high-force pedal strokes that can push the effort above sustainable threshold early. For riders pacing by power, this is the kind of ascent where keeping the effort close to /glossary/ftp may still feel brutally slow, but repeated spikes above it will be punished before the summit.

The key is discipline: keep seated when possible, stand only to reset pressure, and avoid chasing speed changes. Evelyn Pass is short enough to tempt aggression, but steep enough that aggression compounds quickly. The rider who makes the best time will usually be the one who accepts the climb's arithmetic early and manages torque all the way to 2830 m.