Col de Beixalis

Overview

The Col de Beixalis sits in Andorra and earns its Category 1 rating honestly. At 10 km long with an average gradient of 8.69% and 871 m of net elevation gain, it demands sustained output from the first pedal stroke. The total ascent figure of 1,091 m — higher than the net gain — signals that the road is not a clean ramp; there are undulations along the route that force you to recover elevation you have already lost, compounding the overall workload.

Gradient Profile

The average of 8.69% over 10 km is already at the upper end of what qualifies as a serious climb. What makes Beixalis genuinely brutal is the recorded maximum gradient of 75.86% — an extreme figure that likely reflects a very short, localized ramp rather than a sustained wall, but it warns you that the road contains at least one pitch severe enough to stop riders who arrive in the wrong gear or who have burned too many matches earlier on.

Expect the climb to feel roughly manageable in its opening kilometers while the legs are fresh, but plan for the gradient to bite harder as you work upward from the start elevation of 953 m toward the summit at 1,824 m. That 871 m of net gain does not arrive evenly — any section where the road kicks sharply upward needs to be treated as a micro-climb within the climb.

Pacing Strategy

At 8.69% average, most riders will need to operate well below threshold to survive the full 10 km. A useful reference point: if you know your FTP, target somewhere between 75–85% of it for the bulk of the ascent. Going harder on the lower slopes almost always results in a blown effort in the final third.

Key pacing principles for Beixalis:

• Start conservatively. The average gradient means there is no easy section where you can recover significant fatigue — every kilometer costs.
• Protect yourself before the steep ramps. With a maximum gradient as extreme as the recorded figure here, hitting any sharp pitch already in oxygen debt is a fast route to walking.
• Monitor total ascent, not just distance. The 1,091 m of total ascent versus 871 m net gain means the body is doing more work than a straight elevation chart implies — factor that into your energy budget.

Gearing Notes

For a 10 km climb averaging 8.69% with at least one extreme pitch in the profile, compact gearing is not optional — it is a prerequisite. A 34-tooth chainring paired with a 32- or 34-tooth rear sprocket gives you somewhere to go when the road suddenly steepens. Riders on standard double chainsets who have not scouted the gradient spikes risk finding themselves out of gears at the worst possible moment.

If you are unsure how your current gearing translates to sustainable cadence on steep terrain, run your numbers through the FTP estimator and compare against the demands of a Category 1 effort at this length and average pitch.

What to Expect on the Day

Beixalis is not a climb that rewards improvisation. The combination of sustained average gradient, significant total ascent, and at least one savage steep section means preparation — both physical and mechanical — determines how the ride goes. Ride within yourself, choose the right gear before the gradient forces your hand, and treat the total ascent number as the honest measure of the day's work.