Portezuelo Sajalla is a climb of 152.3 kilometers (hors catégorie). Portezuelo Sajalla tops out at 4,253 m above sea level. It is located in Huara, Región de Tarapacá, Chile. The average gradient is 3.0% with a maximum of 16%. The climb has 4630 meters of elevation gain.
Difficulty analysis: With 4,630m of elevation gain over 152.3km, this HC climb is extremely long, but its average gradient of 3% is moderate. The difficulty lies in its irregular profile: plenty of flat sections and descents (km 30-31 at -6%, km 56-59 down to -6%) break your rhythm, while the steeper stretches pack most of the climbing (km 48-51 at 7-9%, km 70-76 at 6-11%, km 85-92 at 7-9%).
Tips for managing the effort:
1. Ride in blocks: Alternate between moderate effort on the flat and descending parts (≤2%) and digging in on the steep sections (>7%) to save energy over the long haul.
2. Manage your pace on the key sections: The steepest stretches (like km 70-76) require tight control over your power to avoid blowing up, especially as they're followed by technical descents (km 77-78 at -6%).
3. Anticipate the changes in rhythm: The final part of the climb (km 150-152.3 at 7%) demands that you keep something in the tank. Use the intermediate descents to recover actively without killing your momentum.
152.3 km • 4630 m D+
VAM: average climbing speed, based on elevation gain
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