Kanmuriyama Pass

Overview

Kanmuriyama Pass is a Category 2 climb in Japan, running 16.2 km from a start elevation of 389 m to a summit at 1,041 m. On paper it looks moderate: 652 m of net elevation gain over that distance, which averages out to a gradient any fit rider can turn over without alarm.

The averages lie, though. Against 652 m of net gain, the road actually climbs 1,624 m of total ascent — meaning it also sheds roughly 972 m along the way. That gap between net and total is the whole story of this climb. You are not grinding up one continuous slope; you are repeatedly climbing and giving elevation back, and every metre descended has to be reclaimed. The undulation makes the effort meaningfully harder than the tidy 4.04% average suggests.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.04% average gradient hides both the descents that drag it down and the pitches that spike well above it. With 1,624 m of ascent packed into a road that only nets 652 m, the steep sections are frequent and short rather than long and steady. Expect the climbing to arrive in bursts, separated by flat or downhill relief.

• Flatter and recovery sections where the road gives back elevation — use them, don't attack them
• Repeated short climbs that reset your rhythm again and again
• Sharp ramps that sit far steeper than the 4.04% average, demanding brief hard efforts

Pacing Notes

On a smooth climb you can hold even speed and even effort at once. Here you can't. Chasing even speed over the undulations means burying yourself on every ramp and coasting on every dip — a fast way to blow up. Instead, pace to even effort: hold your sustainable power output through the steep pitches, and let speed rise and fall with the terrain. Soft-pedal the descents to recover rather than hammering to hold a number.

If you don't know your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you go and anchor your target watts a notch below it, since the repeated surges will cost you more than the average implies.

Gearing

The steep ramps here dictate your setup, not the gentle average. Fit a compact (34-tooth inner) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 low gear keeps your cadence up when the road kicks. That spare gear is what lets you spin the short steep pitches at sustainable effort instead of mashing. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; discovering you're over-geared halfway up is not the place to find out.

Summary

• Length: 16.2 km
• Average gradient: 4.04%
• Net elevation gain: 652 m
• Total ascent: 1,624 m
• Category: 2

Kanmuriyama Pass rewards riders who respect the gap between its net and total climbing. Pace to effort, gear for the ramps, and treat the descents as recovery — the numbers will take care of themselves.