Moose Basin Divide cycling climb profile
Moose Basin Divide is a category 1 climb in the US that asks for sustained climbing rather than opportunistic surging. The headline numbers are clean enough to define the ride: 10 km from 2198 m to 2962 m, with 764 m of net elevation gain, an average gradient of 7.62%, and a maximum gradient of 17.2%.
That average is the important part. A climb of this length at 7.62% is long enough that going above threshold early is expensive, but steep enough that there are few truly easy places to recover. The 17.2% maximum gradient is the warning label. Even if the climb feels controlled for long stretches, the steepest pitch is severe enough to punish an overgeared setup or an early effort that has already pushed lactate high.
How the gradient should be read
Without detailed kilometre-by-kilometre split data, the safest way to interpret Moose Basin Divide is as a sustained high-altitude climb with at least one very sharp ramp. The start elevation of 2198 m already puts the effort in thinner air, and the summit at 2962 m means the final portion is unlikely to feel easier even if the gradient briefly relaxes.
The practical implication is simple: ride the average, respect the maximum. A 7.62% average over 10 km is not a climb to attack from the base unless the goal is a maximal test. The 17.2% section changes the pacing equation because it can force a power spike even when the rider is trying to stay controlled. If that spike comes after an overambitious opening, the final kilometres become damage limitation rather than climbing.
Pacing and gearing notes
Use a climbing gear that lets you stay seated on sustained 7% to 8% terrain while still having a bailout option for the 17.2% maximum. If cadence drops too far on the steepest ramp, torque demand rises quickly, which is exactly when the altitude and accumulated fatigue make recovery harder.
For pacing, anchor the first part below target climbing effort, then build only once the rhythm is established. Riders using /glossary/ftp should avoid treating the lower slopes as a place to bank time. On this profile, banking time usually means borrowing from the summit.
A sensible approach:
- Start controlled and let the climb come to you.
- Keep cadence smooth before the steepest ramp arrives.
- Avoid repeated standing accelerations unless necessary for traction or gear management.
- Save the hardest sustained effort for the upper section, where the elevation and accumulated load make every extra watt more costly.
Moose Basin Divide is not defined by complexity. It is defined by duration, gradient, and altitude. Get the gearing right, keep the early power disciplined, and the climb becomes a steady threshold-style effort with one major tactical requirement: never let the 17.2% pitch arrive when the legs are already overdrawn.