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Region: French Alps
Climbing effort: 804 cep
Elevation meters: 1114
Steepest kilometer: 9.8%

Steepest 250 m: 11%
Foot: 549 m    Top: 1638 m
Mean slope: 6.3%
Length: 17.4 km

From: St-Jean-de-Maurienne
Road conditions (2018): moderate
Other race bikers: 5-10 per hour
Motor vehicles: 30-60 per hour
Scenery and road: (2/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: no

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Other climbs French Alps

If you think that the direct ascent from St-Jean-de-Maurienne to the Croix de Fer is not hard enough, you can first make the climb of the current webpage, that is bike up to the Col du Mollard, and then descend on the southwestern side of this pass (a loss of 411 elevation meters) to get back on the direct ascent to the Croix de Fer, which may then be completed. However, the Mollard itself is quite a challenge due its 1114 elevation meters. The ride begins in St-Jean-de-Maurienne on the bridge over the Arvan. In the village, first follow the signs to the Croix de Fer and later those to the Col du Mollard. After leaving St-Jean, the next five kilometers take place on an almost straight road. Here cycling is still easy thanks to a slope of mostly 4-5%. Then the road winds itself much steeper upwards through a large number of hairpin bends. The first four kilometers after the almost straight passage are the steepest of the climb (8-10%). Here the road leads through the forest. After these four kilometers, past Le Collet d'en bas, there are more views of the surrounding mountains. Also, the slope tends to be somewhat less steep. Typically, it is 7-8% on the remaining six and a half kilometers to the pass. The pass itself lies between two villages and is not really spectacular.