Col du Galibier – Itinéraires pour vélo de route en Maurienne

The end of May usually marks the start of the summer cycling season and the opening of the alpine “grand cols”. Once again, my sights were firmly set on climbing the most majestic of all northern alpine cols: the Galibier, all 2,642 metres of it. Despite the heavy snowfalls that winter, I had high hopes of reaching the summit of this mythical climb of the Maurienne valley. The first section, up to the Col du Télégraphe, is a good warmup for what comes next. The road then gently descends into Valloire, a mountain resort renowned for its elite athletes and slopes... and for being the gateway to the grandest of the “grand cols”. A straight section of road alongside the altiport takes you to the bottom of the valley, at Plan Lachat, where the climbing starts for real as you enter the high mountains. A right turn after crossing the Plan Lachat bridge leads you to a series of switchbacks in a rocky environment. The road was still covered with the last remnants of winter and marmots scurried over mounds of rocks alongside the road. These animals, the true kings and queens of the mountains, were enjoying the sun and the warmth of the asphalt. Before long I had reached Les Roches, a small village that serves as a base for the snowploughs. On this late May day, the drivers were celebrating the completion of their snow-clearing work. At this section, there was very little snow around. It was not until 2 km further on, during the final approach to the col and 3 km away from the tunnel, that I noticed the first walls of snow building up, with a few drifts covering the road. The temperature suddenly dropped and the light intensity changed abruptly past 2,500 meters. This time around, I had to settle for the tunnel that leads to the High Alps, because the final section was still blocked by thick and compacted snow. I started to plan my return. I'll be back, soon. Photos : @maxime.visuals

August 9th, rest day at the Marintan campsite in St Michel de Maurienne, hearty breakfast at the campsite hotel. August 10th, climb to Galibier via Télégraphe and Valloire. Below Télégraphe, it's steep and forested, a bit like the Ventoux, with a 9% gradient, also on the way out of Valloire. After Plan Lachat, it's a steep climb with an 11% gradient. The last 2 km are impressive but manageable, and it's the end of the climb. Superb scenery. A must-do. Early to avoid the heat.

Today we climbed the Col du Galibier (2,650m). A climb of 17.5 km with an average gradient of 7%. This pass is the most frequented alpine pass in the Tour de France, which has been held since 1903. This is where the winner is often decided. From here you had a fantastic view of the nearly 4,000m high Meije Glacier! Afterwards we went up the Col du Télégraphe 🇫🇷

The mountain almost all to ourselves. Arrived yesterday evening, and off we went around 7am to tackle a legendary pass "le galibier", what a blast!

Ascent of the quiet Lautaret side while chatting with another cyclist, and always magnificent views! Then the storm caught up with me at the Telegraph for the entire descent of the small slope. Completely soaked and no visibility, but great exit!