Col du Galibier, FRA

2,642 metres. One of the highest paved passes in the Alps. The Col du Galibier separates the Maurienne valley from the Briançonnais and has been a fixture of the Tour de France for over a hundred years. At the summit stands a monument to Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour. It could not be more fitting.

The Col du Galibier at a glance

The classic ascent starts in Valloire. 17.6 kilometres, 1,220 metres of climbing, 6.9 percent on average, around eleven percent at its steepest. That sounds manageable, but the altitude makes the difference. Up at 2,642 metres the air thins out and the last kilometres drag. The summit tunnel at 2,556 metres is closed to cyclists, so the pass road runs over the old route above the tunnel to the actual top.

The climb from Valloire

The first kilometres out of Valloire are moderate, four to six percent, almost a warm-up. From Plan Lachat, about halfway up, it gets serious. The road crosses the stream, bends away and pulls the gradient up to eight to nine percent, and there it stays.

The last two kilometres below the summit tunnel are the hardest. Exposed, often windy, repeatedly over ten percent. Then the top, and on a clear day a view that reaches all the way to Mont Blanc. Take in the Col du Télégraphe as well, twelve kilometres earlier at 1,566 metres, and you string together 34 kilometres and more than 2,000 metres of climbing in one go. Valloire in between is the short breather.

History and racing

The Galibier has been part of the Tour de France since 1911. That year the Tour first crossed the pass, and Émile Georget was one of only three riders who did not get off and walk. The mountain has featured over sixty times since, usually as the decisive pass before a big summit finish. At the south portal of the summit tunnel a monument has stood since 1949 to Henri Desgrange, founder and first director of the Tour. The Souvenir Henri Desgrange is named after him, the prize for the first rider over the highest point of each Tour.

The Galibier wrote its biggest moments in the rain and at altitude. In 1998 Marco Pantani attacked here in foul weather on the way to Les Deux Alpes, rode Jan Ullrich into the ground and took the yellow jersey he would carry all the way to Paris. In 2011, on the hundredth anniversary of that first crossing, a Tour stage finished on the Galibier itself for the first time. Desgrange once called it the most sublime of all passes, and at 2,642 metres with Mont Blanc on the horizon, you are not inclined to argue.

Practical tips

The pass road is open from June to October, with July or September the best time. Even in high summer it gets cold up top, five to eight degrees is normal. A wind vest and arm warmers belong in your jersey pocket, no way around it.

There is water in Valloire, the last village, and at the Col du Télégraphe, and nothing after that until the summit. For the descent towards Briançon or Lautaret pack a warm layer, seventeen kilometres downhill in cold and headwind chill you fast. The Télégraphe plus Galibier combo is one of the best training days in the Alps, and if you want even more, add the descent to Bourg-d’Oisans and the climb to Alpe d’Huez.

How does the Galibier stack up?

The Galibier is no monster of steepness, its currency is altitude. It climbs higher than almost any other Tour pass and tests the legs in thin air. The Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees is its western counterpart, similarly long, similarly legendary, only lower. It shares the character of bare, high country more with the nearby Col d’Izoard. Three passes, three Tour myths, and the Galibier is the highest of them.

Our own experience

We were lucky enough to ride over the Galibier on one of the two car-free days of the year. Just bikes and the climb. Quite surprising that even on a day like that no insane crowds drag themselves over this famous summit. We rode from Le Monêtier-les-Bains up to Valloire and the Col du Télégraphe. And back again.

For us the Galibier is one of those climbs you have to ride once. If you want it on your wall, you will find it on our 100 Climbs posters, with the Top 50 edition also available in a more compact format.

How high is the Col du Galibier?

The pass tops out at 2,642 metres, measured over the summit above the tunnel. That makes the Galibier one of the highest paved passes in the Alps, and at the Tour de France it is regularly the highest point of the whole race.

Can you ride through the Galibier tunnel?

For cyclists the tunnel at 2,556 metres is closed. The pass road runs over the old route above the tunnel to the actual summit at 2,642 metres. Those final metres are the steepest of the whole climb.

When is the Col du Galibier open?

Usually from June to October, depending on snow. The best time to visit is July or September. It stays cool up top even in high summer, so warm clothing for the summit and the descent is a must.