| 10 hairpin turns |
| #50 toughest climb of France |
| #20 most elevation gain of France |
| #50 longest climb of France |
| #80 average steepest climb of La Maurienne |
Col de la Croix de Fer is a climb in the region Bourg d'Oisans. It is 27.6km long and bridges 1547 vertical meters with an average gradient of 5.6%, resulting in a difficulty score of 1162. The top of the ascent is located at 2066 meters above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 3 reviews of this climb and uploaded 7 photos.
Road names: D 110, Route des Arves (Route nationale numéro 526) & D 926
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Fabulous climb but not to be underestimated as it is a tough gradient from the start. Great road surface and less traffic once you turn off the main roads into the alpine villages. Road does get narrow near the summit so be careful of descending rides and cars. If you are lucky enough to experience it on a sunny day it will be one of your top climbs ever. Certainly in my top 3.
Taking the Route Panoramique to the top of the Croix de Fer, you won't regret it. Where the normal route is surrounded by trees and you find yourself on a busy road, this 8km provides beautiful views. You cycle leisurely through a few mountain villages. You descend towards the main route for the last 8km of the climb, which means you make slightly more altimeters in total. More than true as far as I'm concerned.
De Route Panoramique nemen naar de top van de Croix de Fer, daar ga je geen spijt van krijgen. Waar de normale route omringd is door bomen en je je op een drukke weg bevindt, zorgt deze 8km voor mooie uitzichten. Je fietst rustig door een paar bergdorpjes heen. Je daalt af richting de hoofdroute voor de laatste 8km van de klim, wat betekent dat je in totaal iets meer hoogtemeters maakt. Meer dan waar wat mij betreft.
I am genuinely surprised this alternative did not have a review yet (as of 27-07-2024)...
This end of the Ceroix de Fer is tougher than the other end, although either is do-able - it's the sheer length that makes cols like this hard. And the usual "We ran out of space, let's make the final steeper"...
I've done the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne end several times, including this "Route Panoramique" which is worth doing as well, although it's slightly more demanding.
The views at some parts of this alternative as well as at the summit, particularly looking back to this end, are amazing.
| 7 km/h | 03:56:41 |
| 11 km/h | 02:30:37 |
| 15 km/h | 01:50:27 |
| 19 km/h | 01:27:12 |
