Super Planche des Belles Filles, FRA

The Super Planche des Belles Filles is the mountain of destiny of the modern Tour de France. A former ski slope in the Vosges, only on the route since 2012, and since then more Tours have been decided here than on most alpine passes. Short, brutally steep, and with a gravel finale that exists nowhere else.

The Super Planche des Belles Filles at a glance

From Plancher-les-Mines it is 8.3 kilometres and 614 metres of climbing, 7.4 percent on average. The number is deceptive: the climb comes in waves, with kilometres around ten percent and a final wall that rears up to 25 percent. The summit of the Super variant sits at 1,148 metres, and the last stretch is gravel.

The route

The start in Plancher-les-Mines can still be paced, with the first kilometre and a half rolling in at around six percent. From kilometre three it gets serious: nine percent, then eight, then close to ten. The hardest kilometre works out at eleven percent on average, the steepest 500-metre stretch at 12.6.

The mountain then grants a short breather before the road kicks up again towards the classic ski station. If you used to finish there, you are not done today: the Super extension adds just under a kilometre, partly unpaved, with the notorious final ramp of up to 25 percent. Those last metres decide whether your gearing was enough.

History and racing

The name probably derives from “belles fahys”, beautiful beech trees, documented in the 16th century. The better story is the legend: young women from Plancher-les-Mines are said to have thrown themselves into a lake during the Thirty Years’ War while fleeing Swedish mercenaries, and a soldier carved their epitaph into a wooden board, a planche. A wooden statue on the mountain remembers them.

The Tour first arrived in 2012, Chris Froome won, and Bradley Wiggins took yellow. After that it came thick and fast: Vincenzo Nibali in 2014, Fabio Aru in 2017, and in 2019 the Super variant with its gravel section was raced for the first time, with Dylan Teuns winning. The great drama followed in 2020: in the mountain time trial on the penultimate stage, Tadej Pogačar took 1:56 out of Primož Roglič and overturned the entire Tour from 57 seconds down. In 2022 Pogačar then beat Jonas Vingegaard in a sprint on the final metres of the Super Planche. The same year, Annemiek van Vleuten sealed the finale of the first Tour de France Femmes here.

In July 2026 the Tour returns to the Planche with a summit finish in the second week. Six summit finishes, six chapters of Tour history, and counting.

Practical tips

Gearing matters more than form here: for the final ramp you want at least a 32-tooth sprocket, ideally more. The gravel section of the Super variant is rideable on a road bike, and noticeably more relaxed on 28 mm tyres than on 25s. The season runs roughly April to October, and the Vosges hold less snow than their reputation suggests. Start and resupply in Plancher-les-Mines, with food available at the ski station in season. If you want more: the Vosges around the Ballon d’Alsace offer enough material for a full day.

How does the Planche compare?

The Planche is the Vosges counterpart to the Col de la Loze: both young, both built for cycling rather than discovered by it, both with ramps that take pros apart. And the final wall plays in the league of the Muro di Sormano, except that here the sprint happens on gravel. Not a long pass, but a short, honest slugfest.

First-hand experience

I rode the Planche in July 2024, and for me it is an absolute must-ride in France away from the big alpine passes. A great, compact climb in the middle of the Vosges, charged with the legendary Tour finishes of recent years. And when the “Super Planche” lettering appears on the road, you know: the finale starts now, and it gets seriously steep one more time.

The Planche is part of our 100 climbs, in print on the 100 Climbs posters.

How steep is the Planche des Belles Filles?

7.4 percent on average over 8.3 kilometres, but unevenly spread: the hardest kilometre sits at eleven percent, and the final ramp of the Super variant reaches up to 25 percent.

Can you ride the Super Planche on a road bike?

Yes. The classic climb is fully paved, only the Super extension has a short gravel section. It is rideable on a road bike, and wider tyres make it considerably more pleasant.

When does the Tour de France return to the Planche des Belles Filles?

In July 2026, with a summit finish in the second week. It will be the seventh Tour visit after 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2022.