Funny, I remember a certain Spaniard using a triple in the Dauphine. No one ridiculed him for it.

It's frankly irrelevant what gearing any professional chooses to use. It's certainly nothing to do with a lack of intellect. Guaranteed the OP would have his backside handed to him by even a lowly Continental rider. God help him if he encountered a Pro Conti or Pro Tour rider!

I'd use that, and can climb @ 1300-1400 VAM on short climbs without too much problem.

There's some seriously steep stuff out here. In the Spring Classics ride, I was limited by my 34/27 on the opening climb and a friend was up the road with his, IIRC, 32-tooth ring. Others who were stuck with bigger gears than mine walked.

In any case, I don't think anyone's said what pro riders were using on the climb, yet. Nibali 36/29, right?

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Fuji SL/1
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If that link is accurate the average gradient of the 4k steep section is 11.9%

Don't get me wrong, that's pretty damn hardcore - but rounding it up to 15% is a bit of a stretch...

I only posted a link that was requested....

It is steep, but that climbbybike graph just shows 10+ % for the last few kms.
There's enough 10 and 15+ %ers around here, and I can assure its closer to 15...
Ask ricco; I think he was the last to win up there

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Official cafe stop tester

Exactly.

It looks a tough climb no doubt. But a world of difference between 11.9% and 15%

And (re airwise) no one who's raced over 220km and five passes would call the climbs in something like the GF Sportful comfortable. Cumulative fatigue is the killer in such events. Tre Cime fresh - easy, blast up it. Tre Cime after 200km, snow above 2000m and 35oC in the valleys ... whole different ballgame.