Alto de la Granadilla

Alto de la Granadilla cycling climb profile

Alto de la Granadilla is a short, manageable climb on paper, but its profile still asks for discipline. At 2.3 km with an average gradient of 5.94%, it sits firmly in the category 4 range: long enough to punish a sloppy opening, short enough that strong riders will be tempted to treat it like an extended threshold effort.

The climb starts at 428 m and tops out at 566 m, gaining 138 m by elevation difference. That tells the basic story: this is not a high-mountain test, but it is a sustained rise where momentum matters. The listed maximum gradient of 8.07% is the key detail for pacing. A climb averaging just under 6% but touching above 8% is unlikely to feel completely uniform. Even without needing a dramatic wall, that steeper section changes the effort because it can push riders above their sustainable rhythm if they arrive overgeared or already breathing hard.

How the gradient rides

The most important feature is the relationship between the average and maximum gradients. A 5.94% average is steady enough that you can stay seated for most of the climb, but the 8.07% maximum means there is enough bite to interrupt a smooth tempo. That makes Alto de la Granadilla more tactical than its 2.3 km length suggests.

For riders chasing a time, the danger is the first minute. Because the climb is short, it is easy to start too hard and convince yourself the summit will arrive quickly. But 2.3 km is still long enough for an early anaerobic surge to come back as heavy legs before the top. The better approach is to settle just under hard tempo early, let the gradient reveal itself, then lift the effort once the summit is clearly within reach.

Pacing and gearing notes

Use a gear that lets cadence stay fluid when the road moves toward the listed maximum gradient. If you are forced into a low-cadence grind on the steeper pitch, the climb becomes more muscular than necessary, and the final portion will feel longer than the distance suggests.

Practical pacing:

• Start controlled for the opening phase, even if the gradient feels inviting.
• Ride the middle as a steady aerobic-to-threshold effort, not a series of accelerations.
• Save the harder push for the final part, when the risk of blowing up is lower.
• Shift before the steeper section bites, rather than waiting until cadence has already dropped.

For training, Alto de la Granadilla is well suited to short threshold intervals or controlled climbing repeats. Its length makes it useful for practicing pacing discipline: hard enough to require focus, but not so long that the effort becomes purely about endurance. Riders using power should think in terms of a measured effort relative to /glossary/ftp rather than chasing speed, since small gradient changes will distort pace more than they appear to on a short climb.