In our Classic Rides section, we visit well-known, classic routes and climbs. Our guest bloggers Erwin and Erwin, known from the Mountain High Chasers, go through the most beautiful cycling destinations for us. The result: enough inspiration for you to plan your next cycling holiday. This time Erwin (without Erwin) was in France. Anyone who goes cycling in France cannot avoid the Alps TO. One of the most famous, but also infamous, climbs is that of the Col du Galibier. The tour has gone over the mountain many times, but few as the arrival point. With a summit at 2640 metres, that's no mean feat either. Back to the now. Because you know what makes this report extra beautiful? Erwin was on this mythical col.... in the snow! And those turned out to be beautiful pictures! Are you enjoying our Classic Ride: Col du Galibier with us?
(c) Mountain High Chasers
Heart of winter
The year is not even a day old and I can count myself lucky, I am on my way to a real alpine giant. Now I must say right away that at this time of year it is impossible to get to the summit by bike or by car, but to be here again is fantastic. It's the middle of winter and the flanks are full of snow, allowing the area to show its were beauty. Driving up, in the car this time, the memories of five years earlier come flooding back as if it were yesterday and again it is fantastic.
Hiding behind 'collen'
At 2642m, it can rightly be called a giant, yet the Galibier manages to hide well behind other climbs. You can get to the summit from two sides, but from either side you have to conquer another col first before being allowed to start the Galibier. This fact ansich you can approach from two sides. You think, bonus! I get to climb two cols for the price of one, or you sit down and see if you can conquer the Galibier's little brothers in a different way.
Col du Lautaret
The long brother of the Galibier is the Lautaret. From the well-known town of Briançon, you can click in to begin a ride of no less than 27.8 kilometres. This sounds heftier than it is, as the road gradually slopes up to the summit. With an average of 3.8%, it's a fine warm-up, although...you are warming up for 27.8 kilometres. Something to bear in mind, especially if you get to visit the big farmer after the long brother. From the top of the Col du Lautaret, you turn onto the D902 towards the summit of the Galibier. As I wrote earlier, the summit is not accessible in winter; indeed, it is advisable to inform yourself well whether the summit is open. Between June and October you can be pretty sure of an open summit, but should you want to weigh an attempt earlier in spring, ask.
Col du Télégraphe
It's a fun topic for discussion, but if you ask us you have the 'real' Galibier experience when you start from Saint Michel de Maurienne. A very ordinary French village at the foot of the climb. In the middle of the village, you cross the D902 on a bridge that also immediately announces the start of a tough climb. With a length of 11.8 kilometres and an average gradient of 7.3%, you can call this a serious climb.
We start this climb with the idea that we 'have' to continue to the top of the Galibier in one go, then you come to a total of 35.3 kilometres of climbing so we decide to take it easy. We may want to, but the mountain is always in control. The first stretch is the toughest and after a while meandering between trees and some houses, the climb flattens out a bit, allowing you to mentally prepare for the big brother. In the last kilometre we decide to throw out a sprint for the mountain points at the top, something I later regretted a lot....
The big brother
After the Télégraphe, you get a good two kilometres to keep your legs still for a while, as you get to descend a bit before starting the Galibier. The start of the climb is in the picturesque village of Valloire. Definitely worth enjoying the French Alpine atmosphere here. Highly recommended in both winter and summer!
We have set ourselves the goal of getting to the top of every climb without a foot on the ground so unfortunately, for now, we have to pass up Valloire (we went back later for a delicious cup of coffee, a coke and a pasta) and drive through the village. At the end of Valloire there is a roundabout which clearly shows where the summit is. After all, you have no idea at that point, because even now it manages to hide well. At this point we are as towards 2000m and the trees have given way to meadows and immense rock formations. As you often see on cols of this size, you can look far ahead and see the road running up between the mountains. I see other Erwin riding in the distance and decide to ride fully my own pace (that sprint from an hour ago....).
Best for last
From Plan Lachat, a car park where many walks also start from, the sheer beauty begins. The road does get harder uphill here, but the scenery is truly stunning. We are even welcomed by several marmots who cheerfully sing to us. Instead of long straight stretches of road, the route now winds gracefully up towards the summit. Here and there we can still see remnants of winter, but we enjoy the sun on our helmets. Once we reach the summit, you can only see what height you have reached. The views are phenomenal and you can clearly see the road you came from. After these 35 kilometres, big brother has saved the best for last!
A giant of a classic
The Col du Galibier is a real classic ride. This is not even so much because of the cycling history written here (the Tour has only ventured up it twice as a finish), but mainly because of its height. Its height puts the Galibier in the top 10 highest cols in Europe. The fact that you have to (or may) cross another col first makes it leaden. For enthusiasts, it is of course possible to do the first col by car so you can fully enjoy all that the Galibier has to offer.
