In 2021, together with the Mountain High Chasers Erwin and Erwin, we started creating beautiful stories. Stories that mainly include Classic Rides, such as the Angliru or the Col du Grand Saint Bernard. They also went on a trip with us in the beautiful Valais-Wallis region, for a adventure in Anzere. So, let’s enjoy it. We’re going to continue creating beautiful stories, about classic climbs or beautiful areas, from which you can draw beautiful route and cycling inspiration. This time we’ve landed in France, in Alsace. The three balloons of the Vogezen. Who hasn’t driven one of these? We’ll cover them in three bite-sized chunks. Today we’re focusing on the Ballon d’Alsace

By Erwin & Erwin – Mountainhighchasers

One balloon or three

In 2014 I bought my first bike. Before that, I didn’t really care for bicycles; I hardly looked at them and I had absolutely no idea about all the unwritten rules. So until 2014. In that same year I fell in love with bicycles and everything that has to do with them. Partly thanks to a classic trip through the French Vosges.

The Vogezen

Before I went there in 2014, to be honest, I had never heard of the Vogezen I’ve heard that. And that’s while you drive past it every year on your way to the Alps. The Vogezen It is a medium-high mountain range and at 600 kilometers from Utrecht it is an ideal location for a long weekend away. If you have never cycled in the mountains before, this is an excellent destination. There are gentle climbs, beautiful descents, and the road surface is generally good.

A well-known cycling event in the Vosges is the Three Balloons. I don't want to discuss it here directly. Granfondo “Les 3 Ballons” (although I can recommend everyone to add this to their bucket list), but about the amazing climbs in this region. In a series of three posts, we present the three ‘big’ balloons of the Vosges.

• Ballon d’Alsace
• Le Petit Ballon
• Grand Ballon

Each climb has its own beautiful aspects. That is why we discuss them in this first article. Ballon d’Alsace. Because cycling in Alsace and especially in the Ballon d’Alsace deserves the proper attention.

Back in time

Every climb does its best to get a place on the list of the race of races, the Tour de France. And not entirely without reason, so does the Ballon d’Alsace Here’s to that. In 1905, this was climbed by the peloton for the first time, making it the first ascent of the Tour de France in the books. Subtle mention of this is made at the top of the Ballon d’Alsace by a modest memorial stone to the first ‘king of the mountain’ of the Tour: René Pottier. 

That there were still many passages after 1905 should therefore be no surprise. In modern cycling, the Ballon d’Alsace They will no longer be called ‘the greatest climber of the Tour’, but they will never take the title of ‘first climber of the Tour’ again.

Multiple routes to the top

Saint Maurice sur Moselle

A top is always beautiful, especially when you can enjoy it three times! The classic, historic climb starts in Saint Maurice sur Moselle and is nine kilometers long. From the main road N66, you turn up the climb in one go and immediately start with some hairpin bends. Because you are still driving through a kind of residential area, you don’t immediately have the feeling of being tackling a classic climb, but it is really starting to happen.

With an average of almost 7%, it’s not the most strenuous and, frankly, it’s not the most beautiful part either. The road runs fairly steadily up and therefore climbs very nicely for the real ‘stayers’. Thoughts of reaching the top are endless and the steps are numerous. Because this side is the most frequently accessed by the Tour, this route may appeal the most to the imagination. But our advice is: climb the other two routes to the top as well.

Sewen

The most beautiful part, in our opinion, starts in Sewen. From here, you can climb a whopping 12.9 kilometers at an average of 5.2%. Very manageable, but don’t underestimate the middle section where the odometer will regularly reach over 10%. When you allow yourself to stop along the way for a photo, the two lakes you encounter along the way are ideal. Lac de Sewen and Lac d’Alfeld make for a climb like this should be. 

After the lakes, the path winds gently through the forest up along the slopes of the Alsace to reach the summit after climbing for over 670 meters. As is the case with all routes, the summit is a classic Vogez summit and the name Ballon truly lives up to it. The reason why many climbs here are called ‘balloons’ has to do with the rounded peaks. The climb around the summit is slow and ends atop a balloon-shaped mountain. This is particularly visible from the Alsace because you can see the summit almost immediately from the forest.

Giromagny

The last of the three possibilities to get out of the situation starts in Giromagny. This is by far the longest route, but it also has the friendliest percentages. With a distance of 16.5 kilometers, you quickly think of the high mountains. However, the average increase reveals that this is not the case, because with an average of 4.2%, you still won't get higher than the 1173m of the previous two routes.

The characteristic feature of this side is the enormously long stretch from Giromagny, where the road winds up gently along a babbling stream. Only after 8 kilometers do the legs really wake up from the higher gradient and, something we always happily talk about, the many hairpin bends leading up to the top. 

Enough balloons

Here we leave the first balloon on the ground to get you excited about this green environment. Cycling in the Alsace over the Ballon d’Alsace That should already be reason enough to leave.

In addition to the Ballon d’Alsace There is plenty to do, both on and off the bike. Second article We’d be happy to tell you more about it; we’ll keep you posted!

Routes

Bike hotels in the Vosges

Below you will find a list and map of bike hotels in the Vosges, ideal if you are exploring the ‘ballons’ of Alsace.