Port d'Urets

Port d'Urets cycling climb profile

Port d'Urets is an HC climb that earns the label through duration as much as steepness. The headline is 25.7 km at 7.66%, starting at 566 m and topping out at 2537 m. That gives it 1971 m of net elevation gain, with 2012 m of total ascent, which tells you the ride is overwhelmingly upward rather than a climb broken up by meaningful descents or long flat resets.

That matters for pacing. On a climb this long, the average gradient is not just a number for comparison - it is the baseline load you have to absorb for a sustained effort. A 7.66% average over 25.7 km means there is very little room to recover if you ride the opening section too hard. The max gradient of 29.15% also changes the gearing calculation. Even if those steepest pitches are short, they are sharp enough to force a major torque spike if you arrive overgeared or already above threshold.

How the gradient rides

The profile should be treated as a long, high-cost climb with severe interruptions rather than a smooth tempo ascent. The gap between the average gradient and the 29.15% maximum suggests the climb is not uniform. The main workload is a sustained climbing rhythm, but the hardest sections will punish riders who pace it like a constant-gradient time trial.

The small difference between net elevation gain and total ascent - 1971 m versus 2012 m - is also important. It implies the climb keeps gaining elevation with only minor losses along the way. In practical terms, do not expect the road to give back much. Any easier gradients should be used to settle breathing, fuel, and keep cadence under control, not to surge.

Pacing and gearing notes

Start below the effort you think you can hold. On a 25.7 km HC climb, early enthusiasm has a long time to compound, and the upper section will feel heavier simply because the total vertical load is so large. If you pace by power, anchor the first part under your sustainable climbing output rather than chasing speed. For reference, riders using power should know their /glossary/ftp before treating this as a threshold effort.

Gearing should be chosen for the maximum gradient, not the average. A setup that feels fine at 7.66% can become unmanageable when the road kicks toward 29.15%. Prioritize a low enough bottom gear to keep turning the pedals on the steepest ramps, especially late in the climb when fatigue makes high-torque efforts much more expensive.

The cleanest strategy is conservative, simple, and disciplined: ride the first long section as controlled endurance-to-tempo, keep something in reserve for the steepest pitches, and only lift the effort once the summit at 2537 m is realistically within reach.