In 2021, we teamed up with Mountain High Chasers Erwin and Erwin to create great stories. Stories that mainly include Classic Rides, such as the Angliru Whether the Col du Grand Saint Bernard. They were also out with us in beautiful Valais-Wallis, for a adventure in Anzere. Enjoy, then. We’ll continue to create great stories, about classic climbs or beautiful areas, from which you can get route and cycling inspiration. This time, we've landed in France, in Alsace. The Three Ballons of the Vosges. Who wouldn't want to drive that? We'll break them down into three bite-sized chunks. Today, we're focusing on the Ballon d'Alsace

By Erwin & Erwin - Mountainhighchasers

A balloon or three

In 2014, I bought my first bicycle. Before then, I had no particular interest in cycling; I hardly noticed them and had no knowledge of all the unwritten rules. Until 2014, that is. In that same year, I fell in love with cycling and everything associated with it. Partly due to a classic tour through the French Vosges.

The Vosges mountains

Before I went here in 2014, I had honestly never heard of the Vosges heard. And that' Vosges is a mid-height mountain range and, at 600 kilometres from Utrecht, is an ideal location for a long weekend away. If you've never cycled in the mountains before, this is an excellent destination. There are gentle climbs, beautiful descents, and the road surface is generally good.

Grote Prijs van de Vogezen Three Balloons. I don't want to talk about it directly here Granfondo “The 3 Balloons” (although I can recommend everyone to put this on their bucket list), but about the great climbs in this region. In a series of three, we will serve you the three ‘big’ balloons of the Vosges.

• Ballon d'Alsace
• Le Petit Ballon
• Grand Ballon

Every climb has its own beautiful points. That's why in this first article we discuss the Ballon d'Alsace. Do you want to cycle in Alsace and definitely the Ballon d'Alsace deserves the right attention.

Back in time

Every climb does its best to earn a place on the roll of honour of the race of races, the Tour de France. And not entirely without reason, the Ballon d'Alsace This in 1905 this was first climbed by the peloton and is thus recorded as the first ascent of the Tour de France. At the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace, this is subtly commemorated by a modest memorial stone to the first ‘King of the Mountains’ of the Tour: René Pottier. 

That there were many passages after 1905 should therefore also come as no surprise. In modern-day cycling the Ballon d'Alsace no longer be the executioner, but they will never take away the title of ‘first Tour climber’ from this balloon.

Multiple roads 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 It's nine kilometres long. From the main road N66, you turn straight onto the climb, immediately starting with a few hairpin bends. As you're still passing through a kind of residential area, you don't immediately get the feeling you're tackling a classic climb, but it has well and truly begun.

With an average of almost 7%, it is not the toughest and, to be honest, it is not the prettiest side either. The road goes up fairly evenly and therefore climbs quite nicely for the real 'stayers'. Mind on infinity and pedal away. Because this side is visited most often by the Tour, this route probably appeals most to the imagination. But our advice is: definitely climb the other two routes to the top as well.

Sewen

The most beautiful lace, in our opinion, starts in Sewen. From here, you’ll be climbing no less than 12.9 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.2%. That’s quite manageable, but don’t underestimate the middle section, where the gradient will regularly exceed 10%. If you allow yourself to stop briefly along the way for a photo, the two lakes you’ll come across are ideal spots. Lac de Sewen and Lac d’Alfeld make this the sort of climb it should be. 

After the lakes, the road winds gently up through the forest along the Alsace slopes to arrive at the summit after more than 670 metres of ascent. What of course applies to all routes, the summit is a classic Vosges summit and therefore truly lives up to the name Ballon. The reason many climbs here are called 'balloons' has to do with the rounded peaks. This is because the climb slowly rounds off and ends on top of a balloon-shaped mountain. This is nicely visible on top of Alsace as you can see the summit almost straight out of the forest.

Giromagny

The last of three options for getting upstairs starts in Giromagny. This is by far the longest route, but it also has the gentlest gradients. With a distance of 16.5 kilometres, you might easily think of high mountains. However, the average gradient reveals that this is not the case, as even with an average of 4.2%, you still won’t reach a higher altitude than the 1,173 metres of the previous two routes.

The distinctive feature of this side is the hugely long run-out from Giromagny where the road meanders kindly upwards along a babbling brook. It is only after 8 kilometres that the legs are really shaken up by the higher gradients and, something that always makes us happy, the many hairpin turns up to the summit. 

Balloons enough

This is our way of letting the first balloon go to get you excited about this green environment. Cycling in Alsace on the Ballon d'Alsace There should be a reason to go.

Apart from the Ballon d'Alsace is there enough to do, both on and off the bike. In the second article We'd be happy to tell you more about it, to be continued!

Routes

Cycle hotels in the Vosges

Below you will find a list and map of cycle-friendly hotels in the Vosges, ideal if you are going to explore the ‘Ballons’ of Alsace.