Col du Galibier from Valloire (North side)
When the Tour de France first crossed the Col du Galibier, in 1911, Émile Georget was the only rider who did not get off and walk through the snow. At 2,642 metres the pass links Valloire and the Maurienne with the Col du Lautaret and Briançon, in south-eastern France. It is traditionally the dividing line between the northern and southern French Alps. A monument to the Tour’s founder, Henri Desgrange, stands at the southern tunnel entrance, and since 1965 the Souvenir Henri Desgrange has gone to the first rider over the top whenever the race crosses it. The tunnel, opened in 1891, was the only way through until 1976, when the road over the summit was built.
This ride is the north side from Valloire, the harder way up. The first part follows the valley to Plan Lachat, at almost 2,000 metres, where the real climb begins. Near the summit the road passes gypsum outcrops whose sinkholes are often mistaken for shell craters. The pass is buried under snow for more than half the year, and the road usually opens only in late May or June. It was on this side, in freezing rain in 1998, that Marco Pantani attacked about 5 km from the top and rode alone to victory at Les Deux Alpes, taking the yellow jersey from Jan Ullrich on the way to winning the Tour.
Region: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
City: Valloire
Distance: 16.66 km
Elevation Gain: 1132 m
Elevation Loss: 0 m
Difficulty: 924 (Hard)
FIETS Index: 7.3 FIETS
Avg Grade: 6.62 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 1488 m
Max elevation: 2620 m
Ride Category: Climb