Col d'Izoard () is a mountain pass in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

in the department of Hautes-Alpes in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It is accessible in summer via the D902 road, connecting Briançon on the north and the valley of the Guil in

Queyras The Queyras ( oc, Cairàs) is a valley located in the French Hautes-Alpes, of which the geographical extent is the basin of the river Guil, a tributary of the Durance. The Queyras is one of the oldest mountain ranges of the Alps, and it was one ...

, which ends at Guillestre in the south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes with protruding pinnacles of weathered rock on the upper south side. Known as the Casse Déserte, this area has formed a dramatic backdrop to some key moments in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

, and often featured in iconic 1950s black-and-white photos of the race.

Cycle racing

Details of the climb

From the south, the climb starts at Guillestre from where it is in length, at an average gradient of 4.8%. The climb proper starts at the junction with the D947, near Chateau Queyras from where the ascent is long. Over this distance, the climb gains at an average of 6.9% and a maximum sustained gradient of 10%. The climb from Briançon, to the north-west, via Cervières to the col is in length, climbing at an average gradient of 5.8% and a maximum gradient of 8.9%. On both sides mountain pass cycling milestones are placed every kilometre. They indicate the current height, the height of the summit, the distance to the summit, as well as the average slope in the following kilometre. In general, the col is closed from October to early June.

Tour de France

The Col d'Izoard is frequently on the route of the

, where it is frequently classified as an

Hors Categorie Khors, Хорсъ is a Slavic god of uncertain functions mentioned since the 12th century. Generally interpreted as a sun god, sometimes as a moon god. The meaning of the theonym is also unknown: most often his name has been combined with th ...

climb. Warren Barguil won the 2017 Tour de France's Stage 18, becoming the first cyclist to win a Tour de France stage that finished on the Col d'Izoard - it has been on the route 34 times previously in the Tour de France since 1922 but never before had a stage finished there. Several of the Tour de France's more memorable moments have occurred on the Col d'Izoard, particularly the exploits of Fausto Coppi, Bernard Thévenet and Louison Bobet. A small cycling museum is at the summit, along with a memorial to Coppi and Bobet. View from Col d'Izoard

Appearances in the Tour de France

References

External links

Col d'Izoard on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)Cycling up to the Col d'Izoard: data, profile, map, photos and description
Col-d'Izoard-Queyras-DSC 0130