Region: French Alps
Climbing effort: 828 cep
Elevation meters: 974
Steepest kilometer: 11.2%

Steepest 250 m: 13%
Foot: 1790 m    Top: 2764 m
Mean slope: 7.4%
Length: 13.1 km

From: Bonneval-sur Arc
Road conditions (2018): average
Other race bikers: 10-25 per hour
Motor vehicles: 60-180 per hour
Scenery and road: (5/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: yes

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Other climbs French Alps

I had been looking forward to this pass for a long time because it is the highest (2764 m) in Europe. That is not the only reason to climb it from the south. The mountain landscape around the road is impressive, partly due to the glaciers lying in a southerly direction around the L'Albaron (3637 m). The street is fairly quiet in terms of cars and motorbikes and there are many cyclists. The trip begins on the main street in Bonneval-sur-Arc (D902) at the parking lot of the Hotel Le Glacier des Évettes. A wide turn to the left soon follows in the village and the road becomes pleasantly steep (8-9%). This is then setting the tone for the rest of the climb. It gets a little steeper twice. First there is, after a hairpin turn to the right, after 7 kilometers of cycling, a 500 meter interval of 11%. Secondly, the steepest kilometer (11.2%) of the tour is encountered after the Pont de la Neige, two kilometers before the pass. This is just after the last of two easy sections, which divide the ascent into three parts. Before tackling this climb to the Col de l'Iseran, many cyclists will first bike from Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis to Bonneval, through the valley of the Arc and across the Col de la Madeleine.