Bidania mendatea

Overview

Bidania mendatea is a 6.4 km category 2 climb that starts at 83 m and tops out at 514 m, a net gain of 431 m. That works out to a 6.72% average gradient, which places it firmly in the "sustained but honest" bracket: steep enough to hurt if you overcook the opening, but never so brutal that a fit rider is forced out of the saddle for long stretches. The steepest recorded pitch touches 9.64%, so there is a genuine wall in here to plan around. With a total ascent of 409 m against 431 m of net gain, the profile climbs almost the entire way with only trivial relief, meaning there is very little free-wheeling to reset your legs before the finish.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The maths tell the story. A 6.72% mean across 6.4 km means the road rarely eases, and because total ascent (409 m) sits just below net gain (431 m), you can expect a climb that trends upward continuously rather than stepping through flats and rollers. The gap between the 6.72% average and the 9.64% maximum is under three percentage points, which signals a fairly even-tempered profile: the hard sections are concentrated, not scattered, and there are no long false-flats hiding the true difficulty. Treat any pitch approaching 9.64% as the crux and everything around the average as the rhythm you should be settling into.

Pacing Notes

Ride this one by feel and numbers, not ego. On a climb this steep and this sustained, holding just under your threshold from the base is the surest way to arrive at 514 m with something left. Your FTP is the number that matters here: aim to sit a touch below it on the 6.72% stretches and accept a short spike over threshold only when the gradient rears toward 9.64%. If you do not have a current figure, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go, then set a ceiling wattage you refuse to exceed in the opening two kilometres. The riders who blow up here are the ones who attack the lower slopes; the 431 m of gain does not forgive early enthusiasm.

Gearing

For a 6.4 km climb averaging 6.72% with a 9.64% maximum, prioritise a low enough bailout gear to keep your cadence spinning rather than grinding. A compact 34-tooth inner chainring paired with a 34×32 cassette is a sensible baseline for strong climbers, giving you a workable ratio for the sustained sections. If you are carrying fatigue, riding at a lower FTP, or simply want to protect your knees on the 9.64% pitch, step up to a 34×34 — that extra sprocket buys you crucial cadence when the road bites hardest near the top. Either way, err toward the easier setup; spinning up a category 2 climb always beats muscling it.

Summary

Bidania mendatea rewards a patient, threshold-disciplined effort over 6.4 km of near-continuous climbing. Respect the 9.64% crux, hold the 6.72% rhythm, and gear low enough to keep spinning to the 514 m summit.

Length: 6.4 km
Average gradient: 6.72%
Max gradient: 9.64%
Start: 83 m
Summit: 514 m
Net gain: 431 m
Total ascent: 409 m
Category: 2