Col du Glandon
Mountain pass in Savoie, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Col du Glandon (1,924 m (6,312 ft)) is a high mountain pass in the Dauphiné Alps in Savoie, France, linking Le Bourg-d'Oisans to La Chambre. It is situated between the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arvan-Villards mountain ranges, west of the Col de la Croix de Fer. The road over the Col du Glandon was opened in 1898, although it was not linked to the Col de la Croix de Fer until 1912.
| Col du Glandon | |
|---|---|
| |
  Col du Glandon Location within Alps | |
| Elevation | 1,924 m (6,312 ft) |
| Traversed by | D927 road |
| Location | |
| Location | Savoie, France |
| Range | Dauphiné Alps |
| Coordinates | 45°14′22″N 6°10′32″E |
The pass is normally closed from the beginning of November to mid May.[1] It is sometimes used by the Tour de France cycle race, including on the 2013 Tour. The climb was also featured in Stage 18 of the 2025 Tour de France.
Details of the climb
From La Chambre (north-east) the climb follows the D927. The ascent is 21.3 km (13.2 mi) long, climbing 1,472 m (4,829 ft) at an average gradient of 6.9%. The gradient increases as the road approaches the summit, with the last two kilometres exceeding 10% with stretches at 12%.[1]
From Le Bourg-d'Oisans the route follows the D1091 through the Romanche valley before joining the D526 after 8 km (5 mi). The climb starts at the Barrage du Verney from where there is a further 24.1 km (15.0 mi) to the summit, which is reached shortly after the junction with the route to Col de la Croix de Fer. Over this distance, the height gained is 1,152 m (3,780 ft); the average gradient is thus 4.8%, although there are some downhill sections en route and a maximum uphill gradient of 11.1%.[2]
In the climb from La Chambre mountain pass cycling milestones are placed every kilometre. They indicate the distance to the summit, the current height, and the average slope in the following kilometre. Such signposting for cyclists has become common in most major mountain passes in the French Pyrenees and Alps.
Tour de France
The Col du Glandon was first crossed in the Tour de France in 1947 in conjunction with the Col de la Croix de Fer when the first rider over the summit was Edward Klabiński.[3] The pass is often used in conjunction with the Col de la Croix de Fer when it is not categorized for the King of the Mountains competition.
Categorized appearances in Tour de France
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | HC | Vif | Col de la Loze |  Lenny Martinez (FRA) |
| 2015 | 18 | HC | Gap | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne | Romain Bardet (FRA) |
| 2013 | 19 | HC | Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Le Grand-Bornand |  Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) |
| 2004 | 17 | 1 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Le Grand-Bornand |  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) |
| 2001 | 10 | HC | Aix-les-Bains | Alpe d'Huez | Laurent Roux (FRA) |
| 1997 | 14 | 1 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Courchevel | Richard Virenque (FRA) |
| 1994 | 17 | 1 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Val Thorens | Richard Virenque (FRA) |
| 1993 | 10 | 1 | Villard-de-Lans | Serre-Chevalier | Stefano Colagè (ITA) |
| 1990 | 11 | 1 | Saint-Gervais-les-Bains | Alpe d'Huez | Thierry Claveyrolat (FRA) |
| 1988 | 12 | HC | Morzine | Alpe d'Huez |  Steven Rooks (NED) |
| 1983 | 18 | 1 | Le Bourg-d'Oisans | Morzine |  Serge Demierre (SUI) |
| 1983 | 17 | 1 | La Tour-du-Pin | Alpe d'Huez |  Lucien Van Impe (BEL) |
| 1981 | 19 | HC | Morzine | Alpe d'Huez | Lucien Van Impe (BEL) |
| 1977 | 17 | 1 | Chamonix | Alpe d'Huez | Lucien Van Impe (BEL) |
Tour de France Femmes
The Col du Glandon was crossed on Stage 8 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.[4]
| Year | Stage | Category | Start | Finish | Leader at the summit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | HC | Le Grand-Bornand | Alpe d'Huez | Demi Vollering (NED) |
