Paso de las Maravillas cycling climb profile
Paso de las Maravillas is a long, measured Category 2 climb in MX: 20.9 km from bottom to summit, rising from 794 m to 1616 m. The headline number is the 3.93% average gradient, but that does not mean the climb is effortless. Over this distance, the real challenge is not one violent section. It is the accumulation of 822 m of net elevation gain, with 838 m of total ascent, and the need to stay disciplined for the full length.
How the gradient unfolds
The profile reads like a steady endurance climb rather than a pure high gradient test. An average of 3.93% across 20.9 km suggests a road that rewards rhythm, aerobic control, and patience. The difference between the 838 m of total ascent and 822 m of net gain points to only minor irregularity overall, so riders should expect the climb to trend consistently upward rather than repeatedly giving back large chunks of height.
The key tactical detail is the 8.13% maximum gradient. That ceiling is not extreme, but it is steep enough to punish poor pacing if it arrives when fatigue has already built. On a climb this long, short steeper ramps can feel much harder than their number suggests because they interrupt the sustainable tempo set by the lower average gradient.
Pacing and gearing notes
Ride this as a controlled aerobic climb first, not as a series of attacks against the gradient. The danger is being lulled by the moderate average early on, then carrying too much intensity into the later kilometers. If using power, anchor the effort around a sustainable climbing output rather than chasing speed when the road eases. For pacing concepts, see /glossary/ftp.
Gearing should be chosen for cadence preservation, not just survival. The climb averages below 4%, but the 8.13% maximum means a bailout gear is still useful, especially for riders who prefer to stay seated or who are carrying fatigue. A setup that lets you keep pressure smooth over the steeper pitches will be faster than grinding through them and paying for it afterward.
Bottom line
Paso de las Maravillas is the kind of climb where restraint is a performance tool. Its 20.9 km length makes it long enough for small pacing errors to compound, while the moderate 3.93% average keeps the effort mostly steady. Treat the steeper sections as interruptions to manage, not moments to prove form, and the climb becomes a sustained test of efficiency rather than brute force.