Thore pass

Thore pass cycling climb profile

Thore pass is a long, high-value climbing effort rather than a pure gradient fight. The climb runs for 40.6 km, rising from 61 m to 1668 m, with 1607 m of net elevation gain. That combination tells you the main story before the road even tilts up: this is a Category 1 climb built around duration, patience, and energy control.

The average gradient of 3.96% can look manageable in isolation, but over this distance it becomes a sustained aerobic load. The key mistake would be treating the early kilometres like a rolling approach road. With more than forty kilometres to climb, every small overreach compounds. The numbers suggest a pass where the legs are not broken by one single wall, but gradually taxed by the time spent climbing.

How the gradient rides

The maximum gradient is 8.91%, so Thore pass does not appear to be defined by extreme pitches. Instead, the profile is likely to feel like a long tempo climb interrupted by firmer ramps. Because the average sits just under 4%, any sections near the maximum will be balanced by easier gradients elsewhere, which means rhythm matters more than brute-force climbing.

From bottom to summit, think of it as a climb that asks for restraint first and strength later. Starting at 61 m, the road has a large vertical job to do before reaching 1668 m, but it spreads that work across enough distance that the gradient rarely needs to become savage. The harder moments should be treated as pressure points, not invitations to surge.

Pacing and gearing

Ride Thore pass from the bottom as if the final third will decide the quality of the whole ascent. On a climb this long, the best pacing strategy is to stay comfortably below threshold early, settle into a repeatable cadence, and avoid chasing speed on the gentler sections. If you are using power, anchor the effort around sustainable climbing intensity rather than short-term pace. For reference, see /glossary/ftp.

Gearing should prioritise cadence preservation. The max gradient of 8.91% is not extreme, but after a long accumulation of climbing, even moderate ramps can feel costly if you are over-geared. Choose a setup that lets you stay seated and smooth when the road firms up, rather than one that forces low-cadence torque every time the slope approaches its steepest points.

The practical read is simple: Thore pass rewards riders who manage the climb as one continuous endurance effort. Keep the first half controlled, let the easier gradients come to you, and save enough to ride the upper slopes with form rather than survival.