Col du Pré de l'Haut

Overview

Col du Pré de l'Haut is a long, steady Swiss ascent that rewards patience over explosiveness. Over 18.6 km the road lifts you from a valley floor at 491 m to a summit of 1307 m, a net gain of 816 m. The average gradient reads a modest 4.39%, which tells you immediately what kind of day this is: not a wall to be attacked, but a sustained effort where rhythm and discipline decide how you feel at the top. With a Category 2 rating, it sits in the meaty middle of the difficulty scale — harder than the short Cat 3 and 4 rollers, but a step below the Cat 1 and hors catégorie monsters.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The headline 4.39% average hides real variation. Total ascent comes to 815 m across the 18.6 km, so almost every kilometre is contributing upward. The defining feature is the spread between the gentle average and a max gradient of 11.78% — that gap of over seven points means there are ramps here far steeper than the mean suggests. Expect stretches that drape near-flat while you recover, punctuated by pitches that bite hard toward that 11.78% peak. Because the climb is long and mostly moderate, those steep sections feel disproportionately punishing when they arrive deep into the effort. Read the road ahead and save something for them.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this length, pacing is everything. The smartest approach is to anchor your effort to a percentage of your FTP rather than chasing a fixed speed — the varied gradient will wreck any attempt to hold constant pace. Aim to sit comfortably below threshold on the shallow 4.39% sections, banking energy so you can absorb the surges toward 11.78% without blowing up. If you're not sure what your threshold actually is, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you ride so your targets are grounded in real data. The 816 m of gain means the clock is long; a rider who starts one gear too hard will pay across all 18.6 km.

Gearing

For a 18.6 km climb topping out near 11.78%, give yourself range. A compact chainring paired with a 34×32 low gear is the sensible baseline for most riders here — enough spin to keep cadence up on the steeper ramps without grinding. If you carry less climbing power, or simply want insurance for those pitches late in the effort, step down to a 34×34. That extra sprocket costs nothing on the gentle 4.39% stretches and buys you a much friendlier cadence when the road kicks toward its maximum. On a climb defined by its length rather than raw steepness, the goal is to protect your legs, not prove them.

Summary

Col du Pré de l'Haut is a rhythm climb: long, mostly moderate, but with enough sharp ramps to catch out anyone who ignores the numbers. Pace it to your threshold, gear it generously, and let the 4.39% average do the quiet work while you manage the spikes toward 11.78%.

Length: 18.6 km
Average gradient: 4.39%
Max gradient: 11.78%
Start: 491 m
Summit: 1307 m
Net gain: 816 m
Total ascent: 815 m
Category: 2