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Region: French Alps
Climbing effort: 675 cep
Elevation meters: 801
Steepest kilometer: 13.2%

Steepest 250 m: 15%
Foot: 522 m    Top: 1306 m
Mean slope: 7.5%
Length: 10.4 km

From: Hermillon
Road conditions (2025): average
Other race bikers: 1-5 per hour
Motor vehicles: <10 per hour
Scenery and road: (3/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: no

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Other climbs French Alps

There are two ways to ride up to the so-called “Col du Sapey”, although this generally used designation is actually not correct. A col (French for mountain pass) is the lowest point of a ridge where a road or path crosses the crest. The “Col du Sapey”, however, does not lie on a ridge. It is nothing more than the highest point of the road. The alternative name “Montée du Sapey” (French for ascent) would therefore be more accurate.

Both climbs to the Sapey start in the Arve valley. The route described here begins in Hermillon and gains about 800 metres of elevation. During the ascent I encountered only a handful of cars, which makes the climb a paradise for cyclists seeking peace and quiet. The road runs almost entirely through forest, so the number of views during the ride is limited. Some of these appear in the first kilometres after Montandrey, a village reached after 5 kilometres. Here the road winds uphill through fields and small patches of woodland. This is the most beautiful section of the ride. Up to its end the climb is not particularly steep (mostly 7 or 8%), but the final kilometre and a half is tough, including two sections of 250 metres at 15%. From the “col”, the view is magnificent.