Les cols mythiques
Presentation
Col du Glandon
The Col du Glandon road was opened in 1898 and was only connected to the Col de la Croix-de-Fer road in 1912, allowing direct access to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
It is only open from June to October.
In July and August 1944, as the Provence landings were being prepared, the mobile group n°5 of the Oisans maquis temporarily repelled a German attack near the pass; a memorial at the top of the pass recalls this.
The Col du Glandon is undoubtedly one of the hardest passes in the Maurienne. Don't be fooled by its average slope of 7.2%, which hides 3 km of flat terrain at the level of the Saint-Colomban-des-Villards resort and 3 km at more than 10% on the last ramps of the pass... The road, crossed 13 times by the Tour, was built in 1898.
The ascent evolves between the Belledonne mountain range to the west and the summits of the Sybelles ski area (310 km of slopes) to the east. At the pass, the view opens up towards the Olle valley, which flows towards the Grand'Maison dam and the Oisans valley. Then, 3 km to the East, the Col de la Croix de Fer appears, topped by the Etendard peak (3464 m) and its eternal snow.
The Col du Glandon has been crossed a total of 15 times by the Tour de France.
The Col de la Croix de Fer (2067 m) - Alps
The Col de la Croix de Fer is also a classic of the Tour de France: 20 passes since 1947. Much more than its average slope (27.53 km at 4.7% on the Isère side; 30 km at 5.07% from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, on the Savoie side), it is the irregularity of its ascent, combined with its length, that makes the Croix-de-Fer so difficult to climb. The game is worth the candle because you will be rewarded by a parade of splendid landscapes: waterfalls which plunge towards the valley, the Grand-Maison dam, the Aiguilles de l'Argentière on the Isère side or the Aiguilles d'Arves and the Belledonne chain from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
A few kilometers before the Croix de Fer summit, take the small fork on the left. A few hundred more meters will allow you to reach the top of the Col du Glandon and to kill two birds with one stone (if of course you don't forget to turn around to finish the Croix de Fer ;).
In short, a lot of fun for the eyes !