Colle Lazoney cycling climb profile
Colle Lazoney is a category 1 climb in Italy that asks for patience more than aggression. On paper, the headline figure is manageable: 21.8 km at an average gradient of 5.62%. But that average is not the full story. With a listed maximum gradient of 20.23%, this is not a simple tempo climb where one gear and one power number will carry you cleanly from bottom to top.
The climb starts at 326 m and rises to 1552 m, gaining 1226 m from start to summit. That vertical spread matters because the effort is long enough for pacing mistakes to compound. A rider who treats the opening as a standard mid-gradient climb can pay heavily later if the steepest ramps arrive after fatigue has already started to bite.
How the gradient rides
The available profile points to a climb with two competing personalities. The average gradient suggests a long, aerobic ascent, the kind that rewards steady pressure near sustainable climbing power. The maximum gradient tells you there are sections steep enough to force a change in rhythm, cadence, and torque.
That gap between 5.62% average and 20.23% maximum is the key tactical detail. The climb cannot be paced purely by feel if feel is being shaped by the easier parts. A rider may settle into a comfortable tempo on the more moderate gradients, only to meet a ramp that demands a short, high-torque effort. Those accelerations are costly because they sit on top of a long climb rather than replacing it.
The safest interpretation is to ride Colle Lazoney as an endurance climb with anaerobic interruptions. The baseline effort should feel controlled, but the gearing and pacing plan need to leave room for the steepest gradients.
Pacing and gearing notes
Do not anchor your target effort to the average gradient alone. A 5.62% average over 21.8 km can tempt a rider into riding close to threshold early, especially if the road feels manageable. The better approach is to hold something below your true climbing limit and preserve the ability to absorb the steeper sections without standing on the pedals too often.
Use /glossary/ftp as the pacing reference, but keep the execution practical:
- Start conservatively, especially if riding by power. Long climbs punish small early overshoots.
- Keep cadence comfortable on the moderate gradients rather than chasing speed.
- Shift before the steep ramps, not during them, because gradients above 20% leave little margin for a missed gear.
- Choose gearing with the maximum gradient in mind, not the average. If your easiest gear only works for steady 6% climbing, it is not enough for Colle Lazoney.
- Save seated climbing strength for the upper part of the climb, where fatigue makes every steep pitch more expensive.
What matters most
Colle Lazoney is a climb where the average gradient understates the risk. The length creates the aerobic load, while the maximum gradient creates the tactical problem. Ride it like a long threshold-adjacent effort with enough restraint to handle sharp spikes, and the climb becomes manageable. Ride it like a steady 5.62% ascent from the first kilometre, and the 20.23% sections can turn the final third into damage control.