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Col du Béal from Vertolaye

4.3
8 reviews | Elevation profile | 6 photos
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Elevation profile Col du Béal from Vertolaye

Statistics

Difficulty points 655
Length 13.7 km
Average gradient 6.5%
Steepest 100 meters 14.6%
Total ascent 893m

Short recap

Famous climb
Beautiful scenery
4 hairpin turns
#12 toughest climb of Massif Central
#30 most elevation gain of Massif Central
#20 longest climb of Auvergne
#75 average steepest climb of Monts du Forez
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Col du Béal from Vertolaye is a climb in the region Monts du Forez. It is 13.7km long and bridges 893 vertical meters with an average gradient of 6.5%, resulting in a difficulty score of 655. The top of the ascent is located at 1390 meters above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 8 reviews of this climb and uploaded 6 photos.

Road names: D28A, D268 & D40

Photos (6)

Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye
Col du Béal from Vertolaye

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Reviews (8)

5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
gtarrit2024
1 Mo 3.0 00:50:00 (16.4km/h)
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

My favourite pass. At the top of the pass, you can go up to Pierre-sur-Haute, a military station. Pedestrian and cycle access only. Some difficult ramps. If the weather is clear, you can see the Alps on one side and the Chaîne des Puys on the other.
I recommend this climb, but you need to be really good at it as it's the 2nd most difficult pass in the Auvergne region. Beautiful scenery

Mon col préféré. Au sommet du col, on peut monter à Pierre-sur-Haute, station militaire. Accès uniquement aux piétons et aux vélos. Quelques rampes difficiles. Si le temps est dégagé on voit les Alpes d'un côté et la chaîne des Puys de l'autre.
Je recommande cette montée, mais il faut être vraiment entraîné car c'est le 2ème col le plus difficile de la région d'Auvergne. Jolis paysages

Dashboard
Nico51
5 Mo 5.0
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Very nice climb, perfect road and very little traffic. The little bonus is the road up to the ski resort at the top of the pass (about 4km).

Très belle ascension, route parfaite et peu de circulation. Le petit bonus est la route qui monte en haut de la station de ski en haut du col (environ 4km).

Dashboard
pierre81
5 Mo 5.0 01:04:33 (12.7km/h)
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

In my opinion, here are the things you need to know before going up:
- the climb is a bit long but there are only 4 really difficult km: the 2 before the village of Saint-Pierre and the last 2
- it's easy to find your way around, with signs all along the ascent indicating the distance remaining
- the surface is excellent, with relatively little traffic
- magnificent scenery, with some fine viewpoints on the way up

Voici, selon moi, les points à savoir avant de monter :
• l'ascension est un peu longue mais il n'y a que 4 km vraiment difficiles : les 2 avant le village de Saint-Pierre et les 2 derniers
• il est facile de se repérer avec les panneaux tout au long de l'ascension qui vous indiquent la distance restante
• le revêtement est excellent, assez peu de circulation
• paysages magnifiques, quelques beaux points de vue pendant l'ascension

Dashboard
Grim
6 Mo 5.0
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Definitely the best option for climbing the Col du Béal in my opinion.
The road is fine, there's very little traffic and the magnificent scenery makes you forget how difficult the climb is.

Définitivement la meilleure option pour grimper au col du Béal à mon avis.
La route est correcte, très peu de circulation et les paysages magnifiques vous font oublier la difficulté de la montée.

Dashboard
Loulouch
2 y 4.0 01:02:00 (13.2km/h)
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

A nice, fairly uneven climb. The little traffic and the signs indicating the progress make the climb pleasant.

Belle ascension assez irrégulière. Le peu de circulation et les panneaux indiquant l'avancement rendent la montée agréable.

Dashboard
Thibault4242
2 y 4.0
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Very nice climb.

Ascension très sympa.

Dashboard
Titouan-GBN
2 y 4.0 00:42:33 (19.3km/h)
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

An irregular ascent but with a beautiful view of the Forez. Once at the top, turn right towards Pierre sur Haute and stop at the Col de la Chamboite 1487m to admire (if there are no clouds) the magnificent Mont Blanc, its massif and, a little further south, the Massif des Ecrins!

Ascension irrégulière mais offrant une belle vue sur le Forez. Une fois au sommet prendre à droite en direction de pierre sur haute et faire une halte au col de la Chamboite 1487m pour admirer (s'il n'y a pas de nuage) le magnifique mont blanc, son massif ainsi qu'un peu plus au sud le massif des écrins !

Dashboard
Henk_Jan
3 y 4.0 01:19:50 (10.3km/h)
This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch. Show original

Nice climb. Asphalt is good. Although it is not a super famous climb, there is a sign every kilometer (from vertolaye) how far you are and what the gradient is. I went in the middle of the high season in the afternoon and it was quiet. Very few cyclists. Some cars and motorcycles. The route to the Col is well marked with signs from Vertolaye. Beautiful views. At the top were some tourists who mostly with the car were and there is also a restaurant.

Leuke klim. Asfalt is goed. Ondanks dat het geen superberoemde klim is, staat er elke kilometer (vanaf vertolaye) een bordje met hoe ver je bent en wat het hellingspercentage is. Ik ging midden in het hoogseizoen in de namiddag en het was rustig. Erg weinig wielrenners. Wel wat auto's en motors. De route naar de Col is goed aangegeven met bordjes vanaf vertolaye. Mooi uitzichten. Op de top waren wel wat toeristen die veelal met de auto daar waren en daar is ook een restaurant.

Dashboard

Climbing times

7 km/h 01:57:04
11 km/h 01:14:30
15 km/h 00:54:38
19 km/h 00:43:08

Road surface condition

100% 0% 0%
Based on 6 votes
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Traffic

86% 0% 14%
Based on 7 votes
Your experience counts. How much traffic did you encounter during the climb?