Haselrast

Overview

Haselrast is a Category 3 road climb in Austria, running 7.8 km from a valley base to its summit. It starts at 477 m and tops out at 784 m, for a net elevation gain of 307 m. On paper that is a modest, mid-length climb, the kind of ascent that reads as manageable in a route preview and rarely earns a headline.

The paper version is not the whole story. While the net gain is 307 m, the total ascent is 523 m — a 216 m gap. That difference is undulation: dips, false flats, and short descents you have to re-climb. Every metre you give back is a metre you pay for again, so the true climbing workload is well above what the point-to-point elevation difference suggests. Plan for the 523 m, not the 307 m.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 3.96% average is an accounting figure, not a riding experience. It blends steep ramps with flat and downhill sections into a single soft number that you will feel almost nowhere on the road. The defining feature is the 19.25% maximum — a wall roughly five times steeper than the average.

Across the profile, expect:

• Flatter and recovery sections, including short descents, that drag the average down
• Repeated short climbs where you regain elevation you just lost
• A steepest ramp near 19.25% that demands a hard, deliberate effort

Pacing Notes

Because Haselrast undulates, chasing an even speed is a trap: holding pace up the 19.25% ramp would spike your effort into the red, while coasting the descents wastes free ground. Pace by effort instead. Anchor your climbing to a sustainable power output and hold that target through the steep pitches, letting your speed rise and fall with the gradient.

On the flatter and downhill sections, keep pedalling rather than freewheeling — with 523 m of total ascent, momentum carried into each re-climb is momentum you do not have to make with your legs. If you are unsure of your ceiling, run the FTP estimator before you set your target.

Gearing

The 19.25% ramp governs your gearing choice, not the gentle average. Gearing for 3.96% and then meeting a near-20% wall means grinding at low cadence, which burns matches fast. Fit a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — something like 34×32 or 34×34 — so you keep a spinnable gear on the steepest section. Check your chainset and cassette before the ride; discovering you are over-geared halfway up the ramp is not the place to find out.

Summary

• Length: 7.8 km
• Average gradient: 3.96%
• Maximum gradient: 19.25%
• Net elevation gain: 307 m
• Total ascent: 523 m
• Category: 3

Haselrast is a Category 3 climb that punches above its average. Respect the 523 m of real ascent and the 19.25% ramp, pace by effort, gear low, and it rewards you with a varied, honest day of climbing.