Col du Festre-north
CyclingUp: Col du Festre-north
Region: French Alps
Climbing effort: 258 cep
Elevation meters: 514
Steepest kilometer: 7.2%
Steepest 250 m: 8%
Foot: 930 m Top: 1440 m
Mean slope: 4.2%
Length: 12.1 km
From: Défilé de la Souloise
Road conditions (2018): good
Other race bikers: 1-5 per hour
Motor vehicles: 30-60 per hour
Scenerie and road:
(3/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: yes
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This pass is located a little west of the most popular part of the French Alps. That's why there are far fewer tourists and cars here than a little further east while the landscape is impressive here too. The climb to the Col du Festre from the north starts on the D937 at the Pont de la Baume. First the road leads through a gorge (Défilé de la Souloise). After St-Disdier, keep right and follow the quiet D317, to reach the wide D17 about 7 kilometers further on. From here to the pass about two kilometers remain. I suffered somewhat during this last part probably because of the heat and the wide, pretty busy street while the slope was, like in the other sections of this climb, nothing special. The steepest kilometer has a gradient of 7.2%.
Rijdt deze zomer de unieke en klassieke 8-daagse wielrentocht van Noord-Italië naar Zuid-Nederland voor Artsen zonder Grenzen!