- Ascent
- 1273 hm
- Distance Ascent
- 18.3 km
- max. gradient
- 12 %
- ø gradient
- 7 %
The Col du Grand Colombier from Culoz is an HC climb of 18.3 km with 1,273 m of elevation gain at an average of 7 %, peaking at 12 %. The road climbs out of the Rhône valley into the southern Jura to 1,501 m and drops on the far side to Lochieu. The steep ramps come in the lower and middle part, the top is calmer.
The Col du Grand Colombier climbs from the Rhône valley into the southern Jura and is the only Jura climb in our list. From Culoz it is 18.3 kilometres and 1,273 metres of climbing up to 1,501 metres. Because the start is so low, the climb has a lot of elevation gain for its modest finishing height. The steep ramps come in the lower two thirds, the top is calmer.
The Col du Grand Colombier at a glance
The key figures from Culoz: category HC, 18.3 km, 1,273 m of climbing, 7 % on average and 12 % at its steepest. The road leaves Culoz in the Rhône valley and climbs into the southern Jura to the pass at 1,501 m. On the far side it drops down to Lochieu. In our list the Grand Colombier is the only climb in the Jura region.
The climb from Culoz
The lower part is already demanding: several kilometres in a row sit at around 8 %, and then two kilometres go above 10 %. After this first block there is a short breather with two clearly easier kilometres. Then the road picks up again right away. These first two thirds are where the Grand Colombier is decided.
About six to eight kilometres below the top comes the second steep block, again with a kilometre above 10 %. After that the climb eases noticeably: the last four kilometres average only around 5 %, with one almost flat kilometre in between. The final kilometre is a little steeper again. So the top is the easiest part of the whole climb.
How it compares to our 100 climbs
At 1,501 m the Grand Colombier finishes low, only twelve climbs in the list end lower. With 1,273 m of climbing, on the other hand, it is in the upper middle, only 36 have more. The 7 % average puts it in the middle, 48 climbs are steeper. The Kühtaisattel has a similar format with 17.5 km and 1,240 m of climbing at 7.1 %, but ends more than 500 metres higher.
Practical tips
For the steep ramps in the lower part a compact gearing with a large sprocket makes sense. Save something for the second steep block, after that the climb gets easier. At 1,501 m the top is only moderately high, a windproof layer for the descent is usually enough. Heading on you drop to Lochieu, the way back to Culoz is the same road.
