Col de l'Iseran
Encyclopedia
Col de l'Iseran is the highest paved mountain pass
in the Alps
. A part of the Graian Alps
, it is situated in the department of Savoie
in France
near the border with Italy
. It is crossed by the D902.
The pass is part of the Route des Grandes Alpes
. It connects the valley of the Isère
and the valley of the Arc River
between Val-d'Isère in the north and Bonneval-sur-Arc
in the south. The north side of the pass road is well built with a number of galleries and tunnels, with a maximum grade of 12 percent.
On the north, are the popular ski resort
s of Tignes
and Val-d'Isère.
The pass is only accessible by road during the summer months. In the winter it falls within the Espace Killy
ski area and is easily accessed by a series of pistes and ski lifts.
. Starting from Bourg-Saint-Maurice
, the Col de l'Iseran is 48 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1955 m (an average percentage of 4.1%). The last part of the climb starts at Val-d'Isère: 15 km at a consistent average of 6% (climbing 895 m).
From the south, the climb starts at Lanslebourg-Mont Cenis and is 32.9 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1371 m (an average percentage of 4.2%). The final part of the climb starts at Bonneval-sur-Arc
: 13.4 km at an average of 7.3%. (climbing 977 m) with several sections in excess of 10%.
in 1938
- the first rider over the summit was Felicien Vervaecke
, but on the descent he was passed by Gino Bartali
who had taken the leader's yellow jersey
from Vervaecke the previous day and retained it all the way to the finish in Paris.
The following year, in the 1939 tour
, the first mountain time trial
was introduced to the tour, over the Col d'Iseran from Bonneval-sur-Arc
to Bourg-Saint-Maurice
, which was won by Sylvere Maes
by a margin of four minutes.
Since 1947 the pass has been used four times on the Tour de France
. It was scheduled to be used in 1996
, but was left out at the last minute due to bad weather. As a result of snow on both the Col de l'Iseran and the Col du Galibier
, the scheduled 190 km stage from Val-d'Isère to Sestriere
in Italy was truncated and reduced to a 46 km sprint from Le-Monetier-les-Bains which was claimed by Bjarne Riis
, resulting in him taking the yellow jersey which he retained to the finish in Paris.
In 2007
, Col d'Iseran was climbed on stage 9 of the Tour de France
, starting from Val-d'Isère.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. A part of the Graian Alps
Graian Alps
The Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
, it is situated in the department of Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
near the border with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is crossed by the D902.
The pass is part of the Route des Grandes Alpes
Route des Grandes Alpes
The Route des Grandes Alpes is a tourist itinerary through the French Alps between Lake Geneva and the French Riviera passing over all the high passes of the Alps within France....
. It connects the valley of the Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
and the valley of the Arc River
Arc (Savoie)
The Arc is a 128 km long river in the Savoie département of south-eastern France. It is a left tributary of the Isère River, which it joins at Chamousset, approximately 15 km downstream from Albertville. Its source is near the border with Italy, in the Graian Alps, northeast of Bonneval-sur-Arc...
between Val-d'Isère in the north and Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:*...
in the south. The north side of the pass road is well built with a number of galleries and tunnels, with a maximum grade of 12 percent.
On the north, are the popular ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s of Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
and Val-d'Isère.
The pass is only accessible by road during the summer months. In the winter it falls within the Espace Killy
Espace Killy
The Espace Killy is a ski area in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie in the French Alps, named after the skier Jean-Claude Killy. It covers the resorts of Val d'Isère and Tignes In Espace Killy there are 300 km of pistes:...
ski area and is easily accessed by a series of pistes and ski lifts.
Details of the climb
From the north the road goes up and down and through tunnels past the lake of TignesTignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
. Starting from Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice, popularly known as Bourg, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is the last large town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps.-History:...
, the Col de l'Iseran is 48 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1955 m (an average percentage of 4.1%). The last part of the climb starts at Val-d'Isère: 15 km at a consistent average of 6% (climbing 895 m).
From the south, the climb starts at Lanslebourg-Mont Cenis and is 32.9 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1371 m (an average percentage of 4.2%). The final part of the climb starts at Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:*...
: 13.4 km at an average of 7.3%. (climbing 977 m) with several sections in excess of 10%.
The Tour de France
The Col d'Iseran was first used in the Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
in 1938
1938 Tour de France
The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h...
- the first rider over the summit was Felicien Vervaecke
Félicien Vervaecke
Félicien Vervaecke was a Belgian professional cyclist from 1930 to 1939. In the Tour de France he showed good results, finishing three times on the podium...
, but on the descent he was passed by Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
who had taken the leader's yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
from Vervaecke the previous day and retained it all the way to the finish in Paris.
The following year, in the 1939 tour
1939 Tour de France
The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h....
, the first mountain time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
was introduced to the tour, over the Col d'Iseran from Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc
Bonneval-sur-Arc is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:*...
to Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice, popularly known as Bourg, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is the last large town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps.-History:...
, which was won by Sylvere Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...
by a margin of four minutes.
Since 1947 the pass has been used four times on the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. It was scheduled to be used in 1996
1996 Tour de France
The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
, but was left out at the last minute due to bad weather. As a result of snow on both the Col de l'Iseran and the Col du Galibier
Col du Galibier
Col du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the ninth highest paved road in the Alps and the sixth highest mountain pass. It is often the highest point of the Tour de France....
, the scheduled 190 km stage from Val-d'Isère to Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
in Italy was truncated and reduced to a 46 km sprint from Le-Monetier-les-Bains which was claimed by Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis , nicknamed The Eagle from Herning , is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team Saxo Bank Sungard...
, resulting in him taking the yellow jersey which he retained to the finish in Paris.
In 2007
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
, Col d'Iseran was climbed on stage 9 of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, starting from Val-d'Isère.
Appearances in Tour de France
| Year | Stage | Category | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
9 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Yaroslav Popovych Yaroslav Popovych Yaroslav Popovych is a Ukrainian cyclist with the UCI ProTour team . He was born in Drohobych, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. Under-23 road race champion in 2001, Popovych turned professional in 2002 with , where he performed particularly strongly in the Giro d'Italia, finishing third in 2003... |
| 1992 1992 Tour de France The 1992 Tour de France was the 79th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 26, 1992. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3983 km, with riders averaging 39.504 km/h... |
13 | HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... |
Claudio Chiappucci Claudio Chiappucci Claudio Chiappucci is a retired Italian professional cyclist. He was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification - second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 1992.-Career:... |
| 1963 1963 Tour de France The 1963 Tour de France was the 50th Tour de France, taking place June 23 to July 14, 1963. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4137 km, with riders averaging 37.092 km/h... |
16 | 1 | Fernando Manzaneque Fernando Manzaneque Fernando Manzaneque Sánchez was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist born in Campo de Criptana. Fernando was the older brother of Jesús Manzaneque.-Major Results:19551957... |
| 1959 1959 Tour de France The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 18 July 1959. The race featured 120 riders, of which 65 finished. The Tour included 22 stages over 4,391 km, and the winner had an average speed of 35.474 km/h.... |
18 | 1 | Adolf Christian Adolf Christian Adolf Christian was an Austrian professional road bicycle racer. In 1957, Christian finished 3rd place in the general classification of the Tour de France, and he was the only Austrian to reach the podium until 2008, when Bernhard Kohl also reached the 3rd position.- Palmarès :1954... |
| 1949 1949 Tour de France The 1949 Tour de France was the 36th Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 24 July 1949. It consisted of 21 stages over 4808 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.121 km/h.... |
17 | 1 | Joseph Tacca |
| 1939 1939 Tour de France The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h.... |
16b | ITT Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
Sylvere Maes Sylvère Maes Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932... |
| 1938 1938 Tour de France The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h... |
14 | Felicien Vervaecke Félicien Vervaecke Félicien Vervaecke was a Belgian professional cyclist from 1930 to 1939. In the Tour de France he showed good results, finishing three times on the podium... |