Foopass

Foopass cycling climb profile

Foopass is a big, sustained Swiss HC climb rather than a short test of punch. The headline figures tell you why: 23.8 km at an average gradient of 6.02%, rising from 504 m to 1938 m. That combination creates a climb where the main limiter is not one isolated steep section, but the cost of staying controlled for a long time while still having enough gear and torque available for the hardest ramps.

The maximum gradient of 14.06% is the key tactical detail. A climb averaging just over 6% can look manageable on paper, but a double-digit maximum means the gradient is not perfectly steady from bottom to summit. Even without a segment-by-segment breakdown, the gap between the average and the maximum tells you that Foopass will punish riders who pace only by feel. The early slopes can tempt you into treating it like a tempo climb, then the steeper pitches force repeated power spikes that compound over nearly 24 km.

How the gradient shapes the ride

From the start elevation of 504 m, the climb has to gain a large amount of height before reaching 1938 m. The reported net elevation gain is 1434 m, which fits the sense of a long, committing ascent. The practical implication is simple: the average gradient is meaningful here. Over this distance, 6.02% is not a recovery grade. It is the type of slope where aerodynamic benefit fades, seated climbing efficiency matters, and small pacing mistakes become expensive.

Because the maximum gradient reaches 14.06%, the steepest parts should be treated as controlled pressure, not attack points unless the effort is near the summit or the ride objective demands it. On a climb this long, every surge above sustainable power has to be repaid later. If you ride the early kilometers like the average is the whole story, the 14.06% ramps can turn the upper half into damage control.

Pacing and gearing notes

For most riders, Foopass should be paced from the bottom as a long threshold-adjacent endurance effort, not as a sequence of short climbs. Use your /glossary/ftp as an anchor, but leave room for the steepest sections and for the accumulated fatigue of 23.8 km.

Practical approach:

• Start below target effort until the climb has settled. The distance is long enough that patience is faster than aggression.
• Keep cadence protected with gearing suitable for gradients above 14%. If your easiest gear only works at the average gradient, it is not enough for the hardest ramps.
• Avoid standing too often early. Save those accelerations for brief relief or for the steepest pitches.
• Fuel before you feel the climb taking hold. At this length and elevation gain, waiting until the upper slopes is too late.

If you are using Foopass as a performance test, it is better suited to a sustained climbing benchmark than a pure maximal effort. Estimate the demand with /tools/ftp-estimator, then ride the climb with a negative-split mindset: controlled at the bottom, stable through the middle, and only fully committed once the summit is realistically close.