Paso de San Antonio

Paso de San Antonio cycling climb profile

Paso de San Antonio is a compact, controlled effort rather than a climb that asks for repeated accelerations. The supplied profile gives it as 1.8 km at an average gradient of 5.43%, rising from 1069 m to 1169 m for 100 m of net elevation gain. It is listed as a category 4 climb, which fits the feel of the numbers: short enough to ride with intent, but steep enough that poor pacing will still cost speed near the top.

How the gradient unfolds

The defining feature is consistency. The maximum gradient is 5.49%, only fractionally higher than the 5.43% average, so the available data points to a climb with almost no meaningful ramping. This is not a profile where the road softens for long stretches and then bites back with a wall. It is much more likely to feel like one continuous, moderate drag from bottom to summit.

That shape changes the tactical demand. On a climb with sharp pitches, the limiting factor is often how well you absorb changes in torque. Here, the limiter is steadiness. Because the gradient does not appear to vary much, any surge over your sustainable climbing power has to be paid back without the help of an obvious recovery section.

Pacing notes

Treat Paso de San Antonio as a sustained aerobic-to-threshold effort, depending on how hard you want to ride it. The climb is short, but not so short that a full gas start is free. If you attack the lower section too hard, the constant gradient gives you nowhere to reset.

A clean pacing strategy is simple:

• Settle immediately into a rhythm rather than sprinting onto the slope.
• Hold a pressure you can maintain to the summit, especially if riding by /glossary/ftp.
• Increase effort late only when the top is clearly within reach.

For training, this is a good climb for controlled repeats because the gradient is stable enough to make power and perceived exertion easy to compare from one attempt to the next.

Gearing notes

Because the climb sits just above a steady moderate gradient and does not show steep spikes, gearing should prioritise cadence stability over emergency bailout capacity. Choose a gear that lets you stay seated and keep the pedals moving smoothly. If you are grinding early, the issue is not the climb changing character - it is the setup or the pacing.

The fastest ride here will usually come from restraint at the bottom, rhythm through the middle, and a measured lift near the summit.