Collado de Solana

Overview

Collado de Solana is a long, patient climb: 15.2 km from a start elevation of 70 m to a summit at 580 m. That's 510 m of net gain over a distance that lets you settle into a rhythm rather than fight for survival. The 3.35% average gradient reads as gentle on paper, and for much of the road it genuinely is — this is a climb you can ride in the drops, holding tempo, watching the kilometres tick by. It carries a category-3 rating, the mildest of the numbered categories below the hors catégorie monsters. But that average hides a sting: a maximum pitch of 18.19% that turns one section from a spin into a grind.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The defining feature of Collado de Solana is the gap between its average and its maximum. At 3.35% overall, the climb spends long stretches well below that figure — the kind of shallow drag where you can carry speed and keep your heart rate in check. But to average 3.35% across 15.2 km while touching 18.19%, the road has to swing hard in places. Expect the profile to be uneven: false flats and easy ramps that bank time, punctuated by short, steep kicks. The single hardest pitch at 18.19% is more than five times the average gradient, so it will feel disproportionately savage after so much gentle riding. Note too that the total ascent of 498 m sits just below the 510 m net gain, telling you the road climbs almost continuously with very little descending to give back.

Pacing Notes

On a climb this long and this variable, pacing is everything. Ride the shallow sections at a sustainable effort — comfortably below your threshold — and save your matches for the steep kicks, where holding FTP briefly is fine but redlining is not. The danger is burning too much on the 18.19% ramp and blowing your rhythm for the kilometres that follow. If you don't know your sustainable power, run the numbers through the FTP estimator before you go, then target the flatter portions at roughly 85–90% of that figure and let the steep bits spike naturally.

Gearing

Because the average is only 3.35%, most riders won't need bailout gearing for the bulk of the climb — but the 18.19% maximum changes the calculation. A compact 34-tooth chainring paired with a 34×32 cassette gives most fit riders enough range to spin the steepest ramp without cross-chaining into a grind. If you climb seated, prefer a higher cadence, or expect fatigue late in the 15.2 km, step up to a 34×34 for extra insurance on that 18.19% pitch. The goal is to keep your cadence up and your knees happy — there's no medal for muscling a big gear over the top.

Summary

Collado de Solana rewards patience: a long, mostly gentle 15.2 km ascent with one genuinely steep sting in its tail. Pace the shallow kilometres, respect the 18.19% ramp, and gear conservatively.

Length: 15.2 km
Average gradient: 3.35%
Max gradient: 18.19%
Start: 70 m
Summit: 580 m
Net gain: 510 m
Total ascent: 498 m
Category: 3