Paso de Álamo cycling climb profile
Paso de Álamo is a compact category 4 climb in MX: 3.2 km long, rising from 72 m to 210 m for a net elevation gain of 138 m. With an average gradient of 4.3% and a maximum gradient of 6.07%, the numbers point to a climb that is more about rhythm than survival.
This is not the kind of ascent that forces an immediate reset of expectations at the bottom. The opening meters should feel manageable if you resist the urge to treat the low elevation and modest average gradient as permission to over-ride. The key detail is the gap between the average gradient and the maximum gradient. A max of 6.07% means the climb can bite, but it does not contain the kind of severe ramps that demand emergency gearing or repeated out-of-saddle surges.
How the gradient unfolds
From bottom to summit, Paso de Álamo gains height steadily rather than dramatically. The profile starts at 72 m and finishes at 210 m, which means the climb’s workload is compressed into a short distance without ever becoming especially steep. At 4.3% average, most riders will be able to stay seated and keep pressure on the pedals without drifting into a stop-start climbing style.
The maximum gradient of 6.07% is the practical ceiling to respect. Any steeper-feeling section is still, by the profile, within a controlled range. That makes the climb tactically simple but physiologically honest: if you go too hard early, there is not enough gradient variation to give you a natural recovery. The road may ease, but the climb’s overall character still asks for continuous output.
Pacing and gearing notes
Treat Paso de Álamo as a steady aerobic climb with a short threshold risk. The mistake is not being under-geared, it is being overconfident. A 3.2 km climb at 4.3% can invite a fast start, but the better approach is to settle immediately into a sustainable cadence, then lift only once the summit is clearly within reach.
Practical ride strategy:
- Start one gear easier than instinct suggests, especially if arriving from flatter terrain.
- Stay seated through the main body of the climb to avoid spiking power unnecessarily.
- Use the 6.07% maximum gradient as the cue to keep cadence protected rather than forcing a big gear.
- If riding by power, aim for a controlled effort relative to /glossary/ftp rather than chasing speed changes caused by small gradient shifts.
- Save any standing acceleration for the final part of the climb, not the first steepening.
Because the climb is short and moderate, it is well suited to riders practicing pacing discipline. The fastest way up is likely not a dramatic attack from the base, but a clean, even effort that avoids early lactate buildup and lets the final section come to you.