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Region: French Alps
Climbing effort: 1315 cep
Elevation meters: 1546
Steepest kilometer: 10.7%

Steepest 250 m: 13%
Foot: 450 m    Top: 1993 m
Mean slope: 7.6%
Length: 20.4 km

From: La_Chambre
Road conditions (2025): average
Other race bikers: 10-25 per hour
Motor vehicles: 10-30 per hour
Scenery and road: (3/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: yes

PHOTOS    
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Other climbs French Alps

From the Arc valley there are two ways to ride up to the Col de la Madeleine: either via the D213 (the southern ascent to the Col de la Madeleine) or via Montgellafrey taking the D76. The latter climb joins the D213 in Saint-François-Longchamp, from where both approaches share the final 5 kilometres. The variant via Montgellafrey is described here and is clearly my preferred option. The road is narrower and there is much less traffic than in the other option. A delight for real climbers is the four-kilometre section starting at the last houses of Notre-Dame-du-Cruet (after 3.5 kilometres of cycling) and ending just before Montgellafrey. In this section 410 metres of elevation are gained, corresponding to an average gradient of 10.3%. After that, there are still 8 kilometres to go before reaching the D213 in Saint-François-Longchamp, in which the gradient varies greatly (3–11% with an average of 7.5%). Most of the time the road runs through forest, so there are hardly any views. This changes on the final 5 kilometres along the D213 to the pass. Here the landscape is open and offers wide views. From a sporting standpoint, however, this section is somewhat monotonous, as the gradient is almost constantly 8%. Once the climb is completed, one can relax on a terrace at the top. That is well deserved, because this ascent is almost as demanding as the hardest variants of Mont Ventoux.

This route is also regularly used by the Tour de France. I was here on a day in 2025 when a stage of the Tour de France Femmes finished with this climb to the Madeleine. Before the race, an organised road cycling tour took place. Many of my photos show participants in this tour.