Col du Granon (el. ) is a high
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
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,22 ...
in France. A narrow tarmac road winds steeply up the southern approach. Gravel roads continue beyond the pass, in a military training zone.
It hosted the highest ever mountain-top stage finish 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 ...
—once only—in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
, until the
2011 Tour de France
The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 21 stages over 23 days, covering a distance of . The route en ...
, that had a finish in the
Col du Galibier
The Col du Galibier (el. ) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the highest point of the Tour de France.
It connects Saint-M ...
, at of altitude.
Eduardo Chozas
Eduardo Chozas Olmo (born 5 July 1960 in Madrid) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. He won four stages at the Tour de France and three in the Giro d'Italia. He was also chosen as the Combativity award, most combative rider of 1 ...
of Spain won the stage after a long lone breakaway.
During the
2022 Tour de France
The 2022 Tour de France was the 109th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July 2022 and ended with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, Paris on 24 July 2022. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard () won the general clas ...
Team Jumbo-Visma launched a relentless attack against two-time defending champion
Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar (; born 21 September 1998) is a Slovenian cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Tour de France, winning three different jerseys during each Tour, a feat unseen in nearly four deca ...
, using
Wout van Aert
Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He joined in M ...
,
Christophe Laporte
Christophe Laporte (born 11 December 1992 in La Seyne-sur-Mer) is a French cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Laporte was a member of from 2014 to 2021.
He was named in the Team Cofidis start list for the Tour de France for seven co ...
and
Primož Roglič
Primož Roglič (; born 29 October 1989) is a Slovenian racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He started as a ski jumper and switched to cycling several years after an accident suffered at Planica.
At the 2017 Tour de France, Roglič bec ...
, which allowed
Jonas Vingegaard
Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen (; born 10 December 1996) is a Danish cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the 2022 edition of the Tour de France.
Vingegaard started as a youth rider for various Danish teams, making his breakthrough as a seni ...
to seize the yellow jersey. Like LeMond in 1986, Vingegaard would defend his lead for the rest of the race.
Description
Two roads lead to the pass at . The D234T climbs with a 9% average gradient from
Saint-Chaffrey
Saint-Chaffrey (; oc, Sant Chafrei) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 1,567. An alpine commune, Saint-Chaffrey is located in the Valley ...
at an altitude of . From the east a dirt road to the military pass at Val-des-Prés climbs at almost 7% gradient.
Tour de France – stage finishes
See also
*
List of highest paved roads in Europe
This is a list of the highest paved roads in Europe. It includes roads that are over long and whose culminating point is at least above sea level. This height approximately corresponds to that of the highest settlements in Europe and to the t ...
*
List of mountain passes
This is a list of mountain passes.
Africa
Egypt
* Halfaya Pass (near Libya)
Lesotho
* Moteng Pass
* Mahlasela pass
* Sani Pass
Morocco
* Tizi n'Tichka
South Africa
* Eastern Cape Passes
* Western Cape Passes
* Northern Cape Passes
* Kwa ...
*
Ouvrage Col du Granon
Ouvrage Col du Granon is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one observation block covering the Col du Granon as part of the de ...
, part of the
Alpine Line
The Alpine Line (french: Ligne Alpine) or Little Maginot Line (French: ''Petite Ligne Maginot'') was the component of the Maginot Line that defended the southeastern portion of France. In contrast to the main line in the northeastern portion of Fr ...
fortifications of southeastern France
References
External links
Cycling Col du Granon - Elevation Profile, Map, Photos
Mountain passes of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Mountain passes of the Alps
Landforms of Hautes-Alpes
Transport in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
{{HautesAlpes-geo-stub