Vermunt Pass

Overview

Vermunt Pass is a Category 1 ascent in Switzerland that runs 28.3 km from a valley floor at 1,158 m up to a summit at 2,233 m. On paper the numbers read as a long, steady drag: a net elevation gain of 1,075 m spread across nearly thirty kilometres. That framing is honest about the distance and the top-line altitude, but it undersells what your legs will actually register on the way up.

The gap between net gain and total work is the story here. While you only rise 1,075 m from bottom to top, the road forces 2,447 m of total ascent — meaning roughly 1,372 m of descent is stitched into the climb. Every metre you give back is a metre you have to reclaim. This undulation inflates the true effort well beyond what a simple start-to-summit subtraction suggests, so treat the climb as harder than its category and net gain imply.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 3.8% average gradient is the most misleading figure on the card. An average that gentle is only possible because the descents and flat sections drag it down; the climbing pitches themselves are considerably steeper, topping out at 22.47%. Riding to the average will leave you either coasting the flats or blown apart on the ramps.

• Flatter and downhill recovery sections that pull the average down and let you eat and drink
• Repeated short climbs that reset your legs again and again rather than one continuous wall
• A steepest ramp reaching 22.47% — plan to be in your lowest gear well before it

Pacing Notes

Forget even speed on Vermunt Pass; the undulation makes it impossible to hold. Chase a constant pace and you will overshoot your ceiling on every ramp and freewheel through every dip. Instead, pace by even effort: hold a steady, controllable sustainable power output and let your speed rise and fall with the terrain. Push a little on the false flats where it is cheap, and refuse to redline the short 22.47% pitches — surging there costs far more than it saves. If you do not know your threshold, run the numbers through our FTP estimator first so your target is grounded in data, not feel.

Gearing

The steepest gradient governs your setup, and 22.47% is steep enough to break undergeared riders. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you a bailout low gear for the sharpest ramps without stalling. Check your chainrings and cassette before the ride, not at the bottom of the first wall.

Summary

• Length: 28.3 km
• Average gradient: 3.8%
• Maximum gradient: 22.47%
• Net elevation gain: 1,075 m
• Total ascent: 2,447 m
• Category: 1

Vermunt Pass is a climb that hides its difficulty in its averages. Respect the undulation, pace by effort, gear low, and the 1,075 m net gain becomes a manageable day rather than a surprise.