20.2
PDI
6.2 mi
DISTANCE
2,786 ft
GAINED
8.4 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
Puerto San Lorenzo is one of the toughest passes in Asturias, and the Somiedo side from La Riera is a 10.0 km (6.2 mi) test: 849 m (2,786 ft) of gain at an 8.4% average, from 506 m (1,660 ft) to 1,344 m (4,409 ft). The pass divides the councils of Somiedo and Teverga and is crossed by the Camín Real de la Mesa, a historic route of pre-Roman origin.
The road, the AS-265, starts in Somiedo Natural Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2000 and a stronghold of the Cantabrian brown bear. It climbs hard from the start: the steepest kilometer averages 12.4%, and the steepest 91 m (100 yd) reaches 16.9%. From the top you look across Valdecarzana and the Sobia and La Mesa ranges.
The Vuelta a España has used San Lorenzo several times, including in 2014 and 2020, where the race climbed it from the Teverga side and then dropped into Somiedo toward Farrapona. Coming up from La Riera means riding that same road in the opposite direction.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Puerto San Lorenzo from La Riera climbs 849 m (2,786 ft) over 10.0 km (6.2 mi) for an 8.4% average, with virtually no relief (37 ft / 11 m of descent). The steepest 0.4 km (0.25 mi) averages 14.2%, the steepest 0.8 km (0.5 mi) 12.7%, and the steepest kilometer (0.6 mi) 12.4%. The steepest 2 km (1.2 mi) average 11.2% and the steepest 5 km (3.1 mi) 9.4%, so there is almost no stretch where you can sit back.
The steepest 91 m (100 yd) reaches 16.9%. Because the average is already so high, the best approach is to settle into a low gear early and hold it, since there is little room to recover once the steep sections start.
Roadway: The AS-265 is paved all the way from La Riera to the pass, and it is a road professional racers have used repeatedly. It is a mountain road with steep ramps, so expect to be out of the saddle on the harder sections. Like other Asturian passes at this height, it can see snow and fog in winter, so late spring through early autumn is the reliable season.
Traffic: Traffic is light. The road links two lightly populated councils, and La Riera parish has only a little over a hundred residents. Summer weekends bring more visitors to Somiedo, but you can still expect long stretches with few vehicles.
Parking: La Riera is a tiny parish, so parking at the start is limited to wherever you can leave a car without blocking a farm track. A more practical base is Pola de Somiedo, the municipal capital and park headquarters, a few kilometers up the AS-227 from La Riera, with more services; riding down the valley from Pola makes an easy warm-up. There is a small parking area at the pass itself.
Bring plenty of water: there are no services on the climb. Fill up in Pola de Somiedo or La Riera before you start.
With a steepest kilometer of 12.4% and an 8.4% average over 10.0 km (6.2 mi), choose gearing well below a standard setup: a 34-tooth chainring with a 30-34 tooth cassette is common here. Asturian mountain weather changes quickly, so carry a rain jacket and a warm layer for the pass and the descent.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Somiedo Natural Park is a good reason to stay a few days. Pola de Somiedo is the park headquarters and the municipal capital, with an interpretation center about brown bears (Somiedo y el Oso) and a Museum of Ethnology on the road to Urria, and the park's high summer pastures, or brañas, are reached by roads and trails nearby. The Lagos de Somiedo and the Farrapona climb are the other big attractions for cyclists.
If you want to ride both sides of the pass, the Teverga side starts near La Plaza and San Martín, and the Three Nature Parks route (101 km, about 2,740 m of climbing from San Martín in Teverga) uses San Lorenzo as its last climb.
Before you go, check conditions at the pass with our Weather tool, since the weather on the pass can differ sharply from the valley.
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