Coll de Malrem

Overview

Coll de Malrem is a short climb only on paper. Over 5.1 km it averages a savage 13.34%, and it earns its hors catégorie (HC) rating not through length but through relentless, unbroken steepness. You start at 488 m and finish at 1174 m, a net gain of 686 m packed into barely five kilometres. With a maximum pitch of 26.54%, this is a climb that punishes any rider who treats it like a warm-up. There is nowhere to hide and almost nowhere to recover.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature here is the ratio of the numbers. A 13.34% average over 5.1 km means there is no gentle valley run-in eating into the figure — the road tilts up early and stays there. The gap between the 13.34% average and the 26.54% maximum tells you the story: expect the road to swing well into the twenties on its cruelest ramps, roughly double the average, before easing back toward that still-brutal baseline. The 686 m net gain almost matches the 658 m of total ascent, meaning this is essentially all up, with no meaningful descents to reset your legs. Every metre of elevation is bought with grinding effort.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this steep, pacing is survival. The temptation on the lower slopes is to attack while the legs feel fresh, but with an average of 13.34% you will pay for early ambition long before the summit at 1174 m. Anchor your effort to a sustainable power target rather than speed, which will crawl regardless. Keeping your effort just under threshold — a shade below your FTP — gives you the margin to absorb the 26.54% ramps without blowing apart. If you do not know your current number, run it through the FTP estimator before you ride so you can set a realistic ceiling. When the gradient spikes, let cadence drop and stay seated where traction allows; standing on the steepest pitches spikes power and drains you fast.

Gearing

Gear for the maximum, not the average. On sustained pitches of 13.34% climbing toward 26.54%, standard compact setups leave most riders over-geared and grinding at a knee-wrecking cadence. A 34×32 is the sensible floor here, and even that will feel tall on the worst ramps. If your legs or knees are anything short of pro-level, fit a 34×34 — the extra sprocket buys you cadence and keeps the effort aerobic rather than a series of standing lurches. On a 686 m wall this steep, the lowest gear you can bolt on is rarely a mistake.

Summary

Coll de Malrem is a genuine test: 5.1 km that never relents, averaging 13.34% and spiking to 26.54%, lifting you 686 m to a 1174 m summit. Respect the gradient, gear low, and pace to your threshold — and this HC wall becomes a climb you conquer rather than one that breaks you.

Length: 5.1 km
Average gradient: 13.34%
Max gradient: 26.54%
Start: 488 m
Summit: 1174 m
Net gain: 686 m
Total ascent: 658 m
Category: HC