Col d'Izoard

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Col d'Izoard
Memorial col de l'Izoard.jpg
Memorial at the top of Col d'Izoard
Elevation 2,360 m (7,743 ft) [1]
Traversed byD902
Location Hautes-Alpes, France
Range Alps
Coordinates 44°49′11″N06°44′06″E / 44.81972°N 6.73500°E / 44.81972; 6.73500
Alps location map.png
Red pog.svg
Col d'Izoard
Location of Col d'Izoard

Col d'Izoard (2,360 m (7,743 ft)) is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France.

Contents

It is accessible in summer via the D902 road, connecting Briançon on the north and the valley of the Guil in Queyras, which ends at Guillestre in the south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes with protruding pinnacles of weathered rock on the upper south side. Known as the Casse Déserte, this area has formed a dramatic backdrop to some key moments in the Tour de France and at times in the Giro d'Italia, and often featured in iconic 1950s black-and-white photos of the race. [2] [3]

Cycle racing

Details of the climb

Altimetry of the climb. Col d'Izoard - Altimetry of the climb.jpg
Altimetry of the climb.

From the south, the climb starts at Guillestre from where it is 31.5 km (19.6 mi) in length, at an average gradient of 4.8%. The climb proper starts at the junction with the D947, near Chateau Queyras from where the ascent is 15.9 km (9.9 mi) long. [2] Over this distance, the climb gains 1,095 m (3,593 ft) at an average of 6.9% and a maximum sustained gradient of 10%. [4]

The climb from Briançon, to the north-west, via Cervières to the col is 19 km (11.8 mi) in length, climbing 1,105 m (3,625 ft) at an average gradient of 5.8% and a maximum gradient of 8.9%. [5]

On both sides mountain pass cycling milestones are placed every kilometre. They indicate the current height, the height of the summit, the distance to the summit, as well as the average slope in the following kilometre.

In general, the col is closed from October to early June.

Tour de France

The Col d'Izoard is frequently on the route of the Tour de France, where it is frequently classified as an Hors Categorie climb. [6] [7] Warren Barguil won the 2017 Tour de France's Stage 18, becoming the first cyclist to win a Tour de France stage that finished on the Col d'Izoard – it has been on the route 34 times previously in the Tour de France since 1922 but never before had a stage finished there. [8]

Several of the Tour de France's more memorable moments have occurred on the Col d'Izoard, particularly the exploits of Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet and Bernard Thévenet. A small cycling museum is at the summit, along with a memorial to Coppi and Bobet.

Panoramic view from the summit View from Col d'Izoard.jpg
Panoramic view from the summit
One of the mountain pass cycling milestones placed along the climb from Guillestre 2014 Mountain pass cycling milestone - Col d'Izoard Guillestre.jpg
One of the mountain pass cycling milestones placed along the climb from Guillestre

Appearances in the Tour de France

YearStageCategoryStartFinishLeader at the summit
2019 18 H Embrun Valloire Flag of Italy.svg  Damiano Caruso  (ITA)
2017 18 H Briançon Col d'IzoardFlag of France.svg  Warren Barguil  (FRA)
2014 14 H Grenoble Risoul Flag of Spain.svg  Joaquim Rodríguez  (ESP)
2011 18 H Pinerolo Galibier/Serre-Chevalier Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Maxim Iglinsky  (KAZ)
2006 15 H Gap Alpe d'Huez Flag of Italy.svg  Stefano Garzelli  (ITA)
2003 9 H Bourg-d'Oisans Gap Flag of Spain.svg  Aitor Garmendia  (ESP)
2000 14 H Draguignan Briançon Flag of Colombia.svg  Santiago Botero  (COL)
1993 111 Serre-Chevalier Isola 2000 Flag of Italy.svg  Claudio Chiappucci  (ITA)
1989 16 H Gap Briançon Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Pascal Richard  (SUI)
1986 17 H Gap Serre-Chevalier Flag of Spain.svg  Eduardo Chozas  (ESP)
1976 101 Bourg-d'Oisans Montgenèvre Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Lucien Van Impe  (BEL)
1975 161 Barcelonnette Serre-Chevalier Flag of France.svg  Bernard Thévenet  (FRA)
1973 81 Moûtiers Les Orres Flag of Spain.svg  José Manuel Fuente  (ESP)
1972 131 Orcières-Merlette Briançon Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Eddy Merckx  (BEL)
1965 161 Gap Briançon Flag of Spain.svg  Joaquim Galera  (ESP)
1962 181 Antibes/Juan-les-Pins Briançon Flag of Spain.svg  Federico Bahamontes  (ESP)
1960 161 Gap Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Imerio Massignan  (ITA)
1958 201 Gap Briançon Flag of Spain.svg  Federico Bahamontes  (ESP)
1956 171 Gap Turin Flag of France.svg  Valentin Huot  (FRA)
1954 181 Grenoble Briançon Flag of France.svg  Louison Bobet  (FRA)
1953 181 Gap Briançon Flag of France.svg  Louison Bobet  (FRA)
1951 201 Gap Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Fausto Coppi  (ITA)
1950 181 Gap Briançon Flag of France.svg  Louison Bobet  (FRA)
1949 161 Cannes Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Fausto Coppi  (ITA)
1948 131 Cannes Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Gino Bartali  (ITA)
1947 91 Briançon Digne Flag of France.svg  Jean Robic  (FRA)
1939 15 Digne Briançon Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Sylvère Maes  (BEL)
1938 14 Digne Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Gino Bartali  (ITA)
1937 9 Briançon Digne Flag of Spain.svg  Julian Berrendero  (ESP)
1936 9 Briançon Digne Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Sylvère Maes  (BEL)
1927 16 Nice Briançon Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Nicolas Frantz  (LUX)
1926 14 Nice Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Bartolomeo Aymo  (ITA)
1925 13 Nice Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Bartolomeo Aymo  (ITA)
1924 10 Nice Briançon Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Nicolas Frantz  (LUX)
1923 10 Nice Briançon Flag of France.svg  Henri Pélissier  (FRA)
1922 10 Nice Briançon Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Philippe Thijs  (BEL)

Giro d'Italia

The Col d'Izoard was 7 times on the route of the Giro d'Italia. [9] The most famous passage over the Col was in 1949, when Coppi beat Bartali in the memorable stage from Cuneo to Pinerolo, taking the pink jersey.

Appearances in the Giro d'Italia

YearStageStartFinishLeader at the summit
2007 12 Scalenghe Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Danilo Di Luca  (ITA)
2000 19 Saluzzo Briançon Flag of Italy.svg  Francesco Casagrande  (ITA)
1996 14 Santuario di Vicoforte Briançon Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Pascal Richard  (SUI)
1994 20 Cuneo Les Deux Alpes Flag of Italy.svg  Marco Pantani  (ITA)
1982 21 Cuneo Pinerolo Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Lucien Van Impe  (BEL)
1964 20 Cuneo Pinerolo Flag of Italy.svg  Franco Bitossi  (ITA)
1949 17 Cuneo Pinerolo Flag of Italy.svg  Fausto Coppi  (ITA)

See also

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References

  1. IGN map
  2. 1 2 "Col d'Izoard – 2360 metres". Grenoble Cycling. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. Université Libre de Bruxelles
  4. "Col de l'Izoard: Guillestre". www.climbbybike.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  5. "Col de l'Izoard: Briançon". www.climbbybike.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  6. "Le col d'Izoard dans le Tour de France depuis 1947" (in French). ledicodutour. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. "Complete list of crossings". Le Col d'Izoard. www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. "Tour de France 2017: Chris Froome in control, Warren Barguil wins stage 18". BBC. 20 July 2017.
  9. "Salite da scoprire: Col de l'Izoard" (in Italian). Sport Folks. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2023.

Further reading

View from the top Col-d'Izoard-Queyras-DSC 0130.jpg
View from the top