Rat Penat is a brutal road with ramps up to 23% in Barcelona
Rat Penat is a mountain peak at an elevation of 593m (1,945ft) above the sea level, located in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. The road to the summit is very steep, hitting a 23% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps.
Where is Rat Penat?
Set high in the Garraf Massif, mountain range of the Catalan Coastal Range, to the southwest of Barcelona, the curvy road to the summit is totally paved. It is one of the most iconic climbs for cyclists in southern Barcelona.
Is the road to Rat Penat challenging?
Set high on the northern part of the country, the road is quite difficult to drive and becomes deadly when it is dark or wet. The summit hosts a radar dome and weather stations. Starting from level 0, next to the sea on the Garraf coast, along the way you’ll be very exposed to the sun, so be careful with the high temperatures in summer. The road becomes especially dangerous to control the speed on the tight hairpins on the way back down. To reach the summit, you have to walk the last 2km as cars are forbidden there. This is a very hard climb, with irregular incline with very few breaks. The climb allows marvelous sights on the coast as it is close to the sea, between Castelldefels and Sitges. Near the summit is Palau Novella, the first Buddhist monastery of Catalonia.
How long is the road to Rat Penat?
The road to the summit (also called Turó del’Alzina Freda) is very steep, hitting a 23% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved C-31 road (Les Botigues de Sitges), the ascent is 6.2 km (3.8 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 569 meters. The average gradient is 9.17%. Tucked away in the Parc Natural del Garraf, and surrounded by a fairly barren landscape, the summit has been featured on the Vuelta a España race. Known as the local Mortirolo, for professionals like Juan-Antonio Flecha this is an opportunity to do some serious interval training in preparation for the Spring Classics like the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.