Semnoz () is a mountain of

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It lies in the

Bauges The Bauges Mountains (, ) are a mountain range in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Eastern France, stretching from the city of Annecy, Haute-Savoie to the city of Chambéry, Savoie, which is part of the French Prealps. Major peaks The Bauges have fourt ...

range. It has an altitude of above sea level. The mountain is crossed by the D41/D110 road near to the Crêt de Chatillon at an altitude of .

Tour de France

The penultimate stage of the

2013 Tour de France The 2013 Tour de France was the 100th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started on the island of Corsica on 29 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 21 July. The Tour consisted ...

(Stage 20) saw a summit finish on Semnoz, after departing from

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

. The mountain has featured in the Tour previously, but this was during a neutralized stage in the wake of the 1998 Festina affair.

Details of the climb

The Crêt de Chatillon can be reached by road from three directions. From the south, the climb via the D110 commences at the village of

Leschaux Leschaux (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Savoie department The following is a list of the 279 Communes of France, communes of the Fr ...

from where the ascent is long climbing at an average gradient of 5.7% with a maximum gradient of 10.2%. From the north, the climb via the D41 commences in

, from where the road is long climbing with an average gradient of 7%. From the west, the climb commences at

Quintal The quintal or centner is a historical unit of mass in many countries that is usually defined as 100 base units, such as pounds or kilograms. It is a traditional unit of weight in France, Portugal, and Spain and their former colonies. It is com ...

and uses the D241 before reaching the D41 after . The total climb is long gaining in height at an average gradient of 8.2%. This is the route used on Stage 20 of the

and is ranked as an

Hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is th ...

climb. The route to the summit from the start at Annecy crosses the Col de Leschaux () after before descending to

Saint-Jean-d'Arvey Saint-Jean-d'Arvey (; Arpitan: ''Sant-Jian-d'Arvê'') is a commune in the Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located ...

References

Cycling Le Semnoz Map, Profiles, Photos
{{commonscat Mountains of Haute-Savoie Mountains of the Alps