Port Vieux de Barroude

Overview

Port Vieux de Barroude is a hors catégorie (HC) climb in Spain, running 5.7 km from a start elevation of 1,362 m to a summit at 2,144 m. Over that distance it delivers a net elevation gain of 782 m at an average gradient of 13.62% — figures that put it firmly among the hardest sustained efforts you can ride. The average alone tells you the road rarely relents; there is very little of this climb where the gradient sits at anything a rider would call easy.

The gap between the numbers is where the real story lives. Net elevation gain is 782 m, but total ascent is 1,077 m — a difference of 295 m. That means the climb throws in roughly 295 m of descending along the way, and every metre you drop is a metre you have to reclaim on top of the net figure. The road undulates rather than climbing cleanly, so your legs pay for terrain that the net gain never shows.

How the Gradient Unfolds

A 13.62% average across 5.7 km hides its own texture. Because total ascent runs 295 m above net gain, the profile is broken by dips and false flats that let the gradient spike well beyond the mean on the pitches between them. Steep ramps come stacked against short recoveries rather than one clean wall, so the effort arrives in repeated hits.

• Short descents and flatter recovery sections that briefly drop the gradient — and force you to re-climb what you lose
• Repeated steep pitches well above the 13.62% average, separated by those dips
• The steepest ramps landing after a recovery, when the legs are least ready for them

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-effort beats even-speed every time. Chasing a constant speed forces you to surge on the steepest pitches and bleeds you dry before the summit. Instead, anchor your effort to a sustainable power output and hold it steady, letting your speed rise on the flatter sections and fall on the ramps.

The 295 m of extra ascent means the recoveries are real — use the dips to spin and settle your breathing rather than pressing on. Know your ceiling before you start; the FTP estimator gives you a target to ride to instead of guessing on the road.

Gearing

With sustained pitches this steep, gearing is not optional. Run a compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 — so you can keep a workable cadence when the gradient sits deep in the teens. Undergearing here means grinding at low cadence, which burns your legs long before the summit. Check your setup before the ride: confirm the cassette, derailleur capacity, and chain length can actually deliver your lowest gear.

Summary

• Length: 5.7 km
• Average gradient: 13.62%
• Net elevation gain: 782 m
• Total ascent: 1,077 m
• Category: HC

Port Vieux de Barroude is a short climb by distance but a severe one by every other measure. Respect the undulation, gear low, ride to your power, and the 782 m to the summit becomes a challenge you can manage rather than one that breaks you.