Island Saddle

Island Saddle cycling climb profile

Island Saddle is a compact, high-cost climb: 5.6 km long, rising from 802 m to 1320 m, with a net elevation gain of 518 m. That shape matters. This is not a long alpine grind where the difficulty comes from duration alone. It is a Category 1 climb because the gradient is already severe on average, and the road still finds room to pitch much harder than that.

The headline number is the 9.18% average gradient. On a climb this short, that tells you the effort will settle quickly near threshold if ridden well, and above it if ridden emotionally. The 16.83% maximum gradient is the real warning sign. Even if that steepest section is brief, it changes the pacing logic because every surge above sustainable power carries a cost that is hard to recover from while the road remains steep.

How the gradient unfolds

The available profile data does not give kilometre-by-kilometre splits, so the exact location of the steepest ramp should not be guessed. What can be said from the numbers is that Island Saddle starts from 802 m and has to gain 518 m before the summit at 1320 m in only 5.6 km. That means the climb needs respect from the bottom, not a relaxed opening followed by a late adjustment.

A 9.18% average across the full distance implies the road is consistently demanding. The presence of a 16.83% maximum gradient suggests the climb is not just a metronomic steady ascent. There are likely moments where cadence is forced down and torque demand rises sharply. Those moments are where the climb can become disproportionately expensive, especially for riders who arrive overgeared or try to punch through the steepest pitch rather than absorb it.

Pacing and gearing

Treat Island Saddle as a controlled climbing effort from the first pedal stroke. The right target is not the power you can produce for one steep ramp, but the power you can keep producing after that ramp has already taken something out of you. If you ride by /glossary/ftp, the opening should feel disciplined, with enough headroom to handle the maximum-gradient sections without turning them into repeated anaerobic efforts.

Gearing should be chosen for the 16.83% maximum, not the 9.18% average. That distinction matters. A gear that feels acceptable on a steady nine-percent road can become a liability when the pitch lifts into the mid-teens, forcing low cadence and muscular strain. If cadence collapses, the climb becomes less about aerobic control and more about grinding torque, which is rarely the fastest way to finish a climb this steep.

The best ride here is patient and unspectacular: settle early, avoid chasing speed when the road briefly eases, and keep something available for the steepest sections. On Island Saddle, the rider who limits the damage on the hardest pitches will usually climb better than the rider who tries to win the climb in the first few minutes.