Forester Pass

Forester Pass cycling climb profile

Forester Pass is not a climb to measure by its average gradient alone. The headline is already severe: 30 km at 8.72%, rising from 1202 m to 3814 m, with 2612 m of net elevation gain and 2687 m of total ascent. That combination puts it firmly in HC territory, but the real difficulty is how those numbers stack together. This is long, steep, and high, which means the pacing cost compounds from bottom to summit.

What the gradient tells you

An 8.72% average over 30 km means Forester Pass should be approached as a sustained climbing effort, not a rolling approach with a hard finale. The total ascent is only slightly higher than the net elevation gain, so the profile is defined by upward pressure rather than meaningful downhill recovery. Any easing in the road is not something to spend. It is where you keep the system under control.

The maximum gradient of 17.8% changes the gearing and pacing equation. A climb with this average and that peak gradient is unlikely to reward a narrow, race-style gear choice unless the rider is exceptionally strong. The steepest ramps are the danger points, because they force torque up when fatigue is already accumulating. If you arrive at those ramps over threshold, the effort can become anaerobic fast, and on a climb this long that debt is expensive.

How to pace it

The most efficient ride is conservative early, controlled through the middle, and only aggressive near the top if the legs are still responding. With 2612 m of net gain, the climb is too large to chase every change in pitch. The right target is a sustainable power or perceived effort that sits below your limit for the first part of the climb, especially because the summit sits at 3814 m and the upper slopes will not feel the same as the lower ones.

Use the average gradient as the anchor: if 8.72% already requires a serious climbing gear, the 17.8% sections demand a bailout option. Choose gearing that lets you stay seated and keep cadence alive on the steepest pitches rather than grinding. If you are pacing by power, keep the spikes short and deliberate. If you are pacing by feel, the early effort should feel almost too restrained.

For riders using /glossary/ftp as a pacing reference, Forester Pass is a classic example of why the number is a ceiling, not a target. The climb is long enough that disciplined sub-threshold riding beats repeated surges. The rider who saves torque, protects cadence, and treats the steep ramps as obstacles rather than invitations will usually have the stronger final kilometers.