Paso de Nogales (Loma de Magueyes)

Paso de Nogales (Loma de Magueyes) cycling climb profile

Paso de Nogales (Loma de Magueyes) is a Category 2 climb in Mexico that asks for controlled effort rather than heroics. The climb runs for 7.2 km, starts at 1049 m, and tops out at 1434 m. On paper, the key number is the 5.37% average gradient, which puts it in the range where a fit rider can stay seated and rhythm-based for most of the ascent.

The important qualifier is the 8.68% maximum gradient. This is not a pure diesel climb where the same gear works from bottom to summit. The average tells you the overall demand is moderate, but the maximum tells you there are steeper ramps that can push you above threshold if you chase speed too early.

How the gradient unfolds

With only the headline profile available, the most accurate way to read the climb is as a steady mid-gradient ascent with sharper sections embedded inside it. The start-to-summit rise is 385 m, while the listed total ascent is 363 m, so the broad character is uphill throughout rather than a rolling climb defined by repeated descents.

That matters tactically. On a 7.2 km climb at 5.37%, the danger is not one brutal wall. It is the accumulation of small over-threshold moments on the steeper pitches. If you ride the opening as though the average gradient is the hardest part of the climb, the 8.68% ramps will force repeated accelerations that cost more than they appear to in the moment.

Pacing and gearing notes

Treat the lower slopes as the place to set rhythm, not prove form. A sensible target is a sustainable climbing effort around your known /glossary/ftp range, leaving enough room to absorb the steeper gradients without standing every time the road tightens.

Gearing should be chosen for cadence protection. The average gradient does not demand extreme climbing gears, but the maximum gradient is steep enough that riders who prefer a high cadence will want a low enough option to stay smooth when the road pitches up. If you are forced into a grind on the steepest sections, you will likely pay for it near the summit.

The best way to ride Paso de Nogales is simple: keep the first part controlled, let the average gradient do the work, and spend your harder efforts only when the road reaches its steepest ramps. The climb is long enough to punish impatience, but not so long that a disciplined rider needs to fear it.