Region: Vosges
Climbing effort: 670 cep
Elevation meters: 861
Steepest kilometer: 11.1%

Steepest 250 m: 13%
Foot: 310 m    Top: 1163 m
Mean slope: 5.9%
Length: 14.4 km

From: Soultzbach-les-Bains
Road conditions (2014): good
Other race bikers: 0-1 per hour
Motor vehicles: 10-30 per hour
Scenery and road: (5/5)
Restaurant or bar near top: no

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Other climbs Vosges

This is one my preferred climbs in the Vosges. It offers both interesting scenic and hard parts and it is variable. After entering the D43 near Soultzbach-les-Bains, the first 6 kilometers in the valley of the Krebsbach are easy with a slope of 2-5%. In the village of Wasserbourg keep to the right and follow the signs to Le Petit Ballon and Ried. Here the party begins with a steep stretch at the end of the village. The next four kilometers are cycled on a narrow, winding and very well paved road. It contains the steepest kilometer (11.1%) that I have found so far (July 2014) in the Vosges. It is followed by a short descent (8 m) to the hamlet of Ried. From there the climb takes a wider but still quiet road, first through forests but the final 2 kilometers of the trip take place in the typical open landscape of the highest parts of the Vosges. Steepness is variable here with slopes up to 10%. From the highest point of the road (at 1163 m), a short walk of another 100 elevation meters leads to the summit of Le Petit Ballon.