Alto de la Ermita del Alba
Alto de la Ermita del Alba is a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.150m (3,772ft) above the sea level, located in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. The climb is brutal with ramps well into the 20% range and the last 2kms are incredibly steep.
The road to the summit is asphalted, but the last part is concrete. It’s pretty narrow and really steep. The climb is brutal, with sections up to 21,67%. During 6.8 kilometres the road goes by a 11 grade, but that’s not all. The steepest part – 21.67%! – is after 4 kilometres, while the kilometres to come offer average grades of 13%, 8% and almost 10% and they come with steepest sectors of 15.6% and 14.75%.
At the summit there’s a small church called Santuario de la Virgen de Alba. The climb has been used in the Spanish Vuelta race. Chechu Rubiera, a Spanish former cyclist, said about the climb it was ‘smilar to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, but no so hard as the Angliru. This is a hard climb but there are a couple of sections to breath. Angliru is brutal even training’.
Pic&more info: https://www.marchasyrutas.es/blog/alto-de-la-ermita-del-alba-caracteres-y-altimetria/