Sitting close to its neighbour the Col du Glandon the Col de la Croix de Fer has a rich history in the Tour de France. The climbs summit is approximately 40 KM from Bourg d’Oisans. From the south the road up to the Col passes the largest dam in Europe ‘Grand Maison’ as it snakes its way up through the mountains.

Description

At 2067 metres above sea level this sits 143 metres higher than its nearby cousin the Col du Glandon. The great thing about this Col is that it is only a distance of 2.5km from the Col du Glandon and so is an optional extra for the day – and at only 5km to the top and back to the Col du Glandon a worthy detour.

The Col opened in 1912 and was first used in the Tour de France in 1947. Since then it has featured many times.

Profile

From Bourg d’Oisans – south – [Average gradient: 4.8% – Maximum gradient : 11.2% – Distance 27.5km – Height gain 1293m]

From St Jean de Maurienne – north – [Average gradient: 5.1% – Maximum gradient : 9.6% – Distance 30.0km – Height gain 1522m]