Paso de Mallin de Icalma

Paso de Mallin de Icalma cycling climb profile

Paso de Mallin de Icalma is short enough to invite overconfidence, but steep enough to punish it quickly. The climb is 2.9 km long, rises from 1165 m to 1408 m, and averages 8.32%. That combination makes it a compact, high-torque effort rather than a long aerobic grind.

The key number is not just the average gradient, but how close the maximum gradient sits to it. With a maximum of 9.72%, the climb does not appear, from the available stats, to hinge on one savage wall. Instead, the profile points toward a sustained climb where the road stays meaningfully steep from bottom to summit. There is not much room to recover if the pace goes too high early.

How the gradient rides

From the start elevation of 1165 m, the climb asks for climbing rhythm almost immediately. Over 2.9 km, the 243 m net elevation gain comes fast, so even small surges above threshold can become expensive. A rider who treats the opening as a launchpad will likely spend the middle section managing fatigue rather than building speed.

Because the listed average is 8.32% and the maximum is 9.72%, the practical feel is likely steady pressure rather than repeated accelerations. The road does not need to get dramatically steeper to hurt. At this length, the climb sits in the awkward zone where it is longer than a punchy hill but too short to settle into a purely conservative mountain tempo.

Pacing and gearing notes

Pace this as a controlled threshold to above-threshold effort, depending on your condition and the wider ride. If using /glossary/ftp as a guide, avoid spiking hard in the first minutes unless the goal is a maximal effort. The climb is short, but the gradient is high enough that early overpacing will show up before the summit.

Gearing should be chosen for cadence control, not pride. An average of 8.32% with a maximum of 9.72% means most riders will want a low enough gear to stay seated and smooth when the road bites. If cadence drops too far, the climb turns into a muscular grind, and that is rarely the fastest way to handle a steady 2.9 km ascent.

The best approach is simple: start measured, find the gear that lets you keep pressure on the pedals without fighting the bike, then lift the effort only once the summit at 1408 m is clearly within reach. On a climb this short and steep, patience is not passive - it is how you keep the final section from becoming damage control.