A brutally steep (28%) road to Cuitu Negru in Spain

Cuitu Negru is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 1.848m (6,062ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary of Asturias and Castile and Leon, in Spain. The wild, remote and steep road to the summit was paved in 2012 to be a final stage of Vuelta a España race.

Is the road to Cuitu Negru in Spain paved?

Set high in the Cantabrian Mountains, the road to the summit, also known as Cuetu Negro and Cuitu Nigru, is fully paved. It used to be gravel, but was paved for the 2012 Vuelta a España race.

How long is Cuitu Negru?

Starting at the paved N-630, to the south of the iconic Puerto de Pajares, the ascent is 5.1km (3.16 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 487 meters. The average gradient is 9.54%. It is a brutal climb in anyone’s book

Is the road to Cuitu Negru in Spain steep?

Tucked away on the northern part of the country, this is a real monster climb hitting a 28% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. The first meters on this wild pass have slopes between 24% and 25% and the last 500m are higher than 17%. It’s so steep that the top 2.5 kilometres were only a goat track and have had a concrete surface laid just for the Vuelta.
Pic: Andres Corsino