Paso de Pino Hachado cycling climb profile
Paso de Pino Hachado is a category 3 climb in Argentina that rewards restraint more than aggression. On paper, the headline is approachable: 10.6 km at an average gradient of 3.78%. But the climb still gains 402 m from a start elevation of 1404 m to a summit elevation of 1806 m, so it is long enough to punish a rider who treats it like a false flat.
The key number is the spread between the average gradient and the maximum gradient. An average of 3.78% says the climb is mostly manageable at steady endurance or tempo intensity. A maximum of 8.21% says there are sections steep enough to break that rhythm if you arrive over-geared or already riding too close to threshold.
How the gradient rides
The available profile data does not place the steepest section at a specific point on the climb, so the safest way to read Paso de Pino Hachado is as a sustained, moderate ascent with sharper ramps embedded inside it. That matters tactically. A climb with this average gradient is not usually decided by one brutal wall. It is decided by whether you keep the flatter and moderate sections efficient, then absorb the steeper ramps without burning matches.
From the bottom, the 1404 m starting elevation means the effort is already taking place above lowland conditions. By the summit at 1806 m, the climb has accumulated enough vertical gain to make pacing discipline important. The gradient is not severe enough to force survival mode, but the duration implied by 10.6 km means small errors compound.
Pacing strategy
Ride this climb from the average, not from the maximum. The mistake is responding to every steeper pitch as if it is the climb-defining move. At 3.78% average, the fastest sustainable approach is to hold a controlled rhythm through the main body of the climb, then let power rise briefly when the road touches its steeper ramps.
If riding by power, anchor the effort below your limit early and avoid turning the 8.21% sections into full anaerobic surges. If riding by feel, the right sensation is firm pressure with controlled breathing, not the strained urgency of a short climb. For riders using /glossary/ftp as a pacing reference, this is the type of ascent where smoothness around threshold matters more than peak power.
Gearing notes
Paso de Pino Hachado does not demand extreme climbing gears based on its average gradient, but the 8.21% maximum argues for having at least one bailout option. A gear that feels comfortable at 3.78% can quickly become inefficient on the steeper ramps, especially after several kilometres of climbing.
Prioritise cadence control. Stay out of a gear that forces low-rpm grinding early, because the climb’s length gives that muscular fatigue time to build. Shift before the steeper sections bite, keep torque under control, and save the harder effort for the final part of the ascent rather than spending it in the opening kilometres.