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Côte de la Rançonnière

8 reviews | Elevation profile | 4 photos

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

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Statistics

Difficulty points	196
Length	3.6 km
Average gradient	6.4%
Steepest 100 metres	17.3%
Total ascent	229 m

Short recap

Hidden gem

#7 toughest climb of Armorican Massif

#17 most elevation gain of Armorican Massif

#55 longest climb of Normandy

#91 average steepest climb of Calvados

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Côte de la Rançonnière is a climb in the region Calvados. It is 3.6 km long and bridges 229 m of vertical ascent with an average gradient of 6.4%, resulting in a difficulty score of 196. The top of the ascent is located at 270 m above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 8 reviews of this climb and uploaded 4 photos.

Road names: Route de Saint Laurent & D 133a

4.0 by Gerard1998

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch.
Nice climb with a really tough middle section, with new asphalt since the TdF passage of 10 July 2025. The first section has not been resurfaced and while this is not a problem during the climb, it bounces quite a bit when descending.... read more

Photos (4)

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

Côte de la Rançonnière

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Reviews (8)

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

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Gerard1998 ^premium

10 Mo 4.0 via the Climbfinder app

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch. Show original

Nice climb with a really tough middle section, with new asphalt since the TdF passage of 10 July 2025. The first section has not been resurfaced and while this is not a problem during the climb, it bounces quite a bit when descending.

1 y 4.0 via the Climbfinder app

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Also known as the Côte de la Ranconnière, the steep gradients in the middle make it a choice climb in the sector! Once you've completed this section, everything seems easier...

PvsNP ^premium

1 y 3.0

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Suisse Normande is a very good region for cycling: there's a cycle path, beautiful scenery and interesting climbs. This one has a fairly difficult kilometre: from the start you have to push quite a bit to reach the village of Haut Vey, and then you arrive in the forest where there's the passage that would be at 15％. Unfortunately for me, at this point I came across the roadworks that were repairing the road and that made my ascent very painful...

lauden ^premium

1 y 4.0 00:22:42 (9.4 km/h)

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Very beautiful coast to make if you are in the corners

1 y 5.0 00:25:00 (8.5 km/h)

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

Long, steep climb starting from bas du vey

2 y 4.0

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

The Saint Clécy Saint Clair can be climbed from 3 different starting points (St Clécy, Le Bo, Le bas de Cossesseville). The one in St Clécy is the hardest with high percentages. With 1km at an average of over 10％, this climb is an excellent way to train for climbing passes in the Pyrenees.

3 y 4.0

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: French. Show original

The profile proposed is very faithful to the reality of this beautiful and hard coast. It is one of the hardest and longest in Normandy. In the immediate vicinity of this climb is the climb from Saint-Christophe to Saint-Clair. It is much less steep but about 6 km long and very regular (between 4 and 7 ％). In this region homogeneous hills of more than 3 km are the exception. The Suisse Normande is in any case very interesting for cycling with short but demanding climbs. And the landscape is very beautiful. In the same area, the Col de Berjou and the climb to Mont Pinçon from Clécy are worth doing.

Walter024 ^premium

3 y 3.0

This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Dutch. Show original

Suisse Normande is a beautiful region for cycling. Extensive, quiet and especially the by-roads are beautiful with many climbs. This one is the most difficult according to climbfinder. It is relatively long for the area: most are 800 to 2000 metres long. This one is doable, beautiful and a lot of fun. The reinforcement in the middle is hard to swallow, but then you keep going... At one point, you think you've arrived, but that is a short piece of false flat.

Climbing times

7 km/h	00:30:28
11 km/h	00:19:23
15 km/h	00:14:13
19 km/h	00:11:13

Road surface condition

100% 0% 0%

Based on 9 votes

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Traffic

89% 11% 0%

Based on 9 votes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Côte de la Rançonnière is a challenging ascent. For this type of climbing, we recommend mountain gearing, specifically a compact system. This means a small front chainring of 34 teeth, combined with a rear cassette where, depending on your level, strength, and experience, you choose a sprocket with 30, 32, or even 34 teeth. Remember that a smooth cadence is always more efficient!

Côte de la Rançonnière is a 3rd-category climb. Almost anyone can handle this climb, as long as you have a bike with climbing gears. If you have little training, you will probably need to shift down significantly. For experienced riders, Côte de la Rançonnière is not a problem.

Côte de la Rançonnière is 3.6 km long.

The average gradient of Côte de la Rançonnière is 6.4%.

Côte de la Rançonnière has a steepest segment with an average gradient of 17.3%.

The summit of Côte de la Rançonnière is at 270 m.

At a slow pace of 7 km/h, it takes about 00:30:28 to climb Côte de la Rançonnière. At 11 km/h the time is 00:19:23, and at 15 km/h 00:14:13. For the fastest cyclists, 00:11:13 is an achievable time.

Côte de la Rançonnière is located in the region Calvados in France.

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