Tyoax Pass

Tyoax Pass cycling climb profile

Tyoax Pass is a category 2 climb in Canada that rewards patience more than bravado. On paper, 13.3 km at 5.14% looks manageable for a trained rider, but the 20.42% maximum gradient changes the way this climb should be ridden. This is not a climb to judge only by its average.

The pass starts at 1567 m and tops out at 2251 m, with a net elevation gain of 684 m. That vertical spread over 13.3 km gives the climb its moderate headline gradient, but the presence of a ramp above 20% means the effort is likely to feel uneven. The average tells you the overall energy cost. The maximum gradient tells you where the climb can punish poor pacing, poor gearing, or both.

How the gradient rides

With only the overall profile data available, the key point is that the gradient cannot be treated as a steady 5.14% tempo climb. A climb with this average and a 20.42% maximum will include sections that ride far harder than the headline number suggests, balanced by easier ground elsewhere.

That makes Tyoax Pass a pacing problem. If you ride the lower slopes as though the climb is only a mid-single-digit gradient, the steeper pitches can force you above threshold later, especially if they arrive after fatigue has accumulated. The correct mental model is not a smooth diesel effort from bottom to summit. It is a sustained aerobic climb with at least one very steep interruption that demands torque, composure, and enough reserve to keep the pedals turning.

Pacing and gearing notes

Start conservatively. For the opening kilometres, the goal should be controlled pressure rather than chasing speed. Settle below /glossary/ftp if riding by power, or at a breathing rhythm that leaves room for sharper gradients. The climb is long enough that early overpacing has a real cost, and steep enough at its maximum to expose any mistake.

Gearing matters here. A 20.42% maximum gradient is not just a harder section of road - it is the kind of pitch where cadence can collapse if the low gear is too ambitious. Riders who prefer climbing seated should bring enough range to keep traction and rhythm when the road tilts sharply. If you are forced into repeated low-cadence grinding, the muscular cost will rise quickly, even if the average gradient looks moderate.

The best approach is to ride the 5.14% average with respect, but gear and pace for the 20.42% maximum. Tyoax Pass is not defined by one number. It is defined by the gap between its manageable average and its severe steepest ramp.