This is actually a fairly easy ascent but this is not true for someone who is already really tired at the foot of the climb, like me in 2015. The ride can be divided into two sections. For the first nine kilometers the more or less straight road heads northward through the valley of the Malsanne and has a small gradient (mostly 3%). Then a gradual transition takes place to somewhat more serious climbing in the last three or four kilometers, which run up to the pass in some big zigzags. This part looks less steep than it really is because the open landscape offers little reference. Meanwhile, the slope secretly reaches 7 to 8%.