| Col de la Croix de Fer | |
|---|---|
 The cross at Col de la Croix de Fer. | |
| Elevation | 2,067 m (6,781 ft) |
| Traversed by | D 926 |
| Location | Savoie, France |
| Range | Dauphiné Alps |
| Coordinates | 45°13′39″N06°12′12″E / 45.22750°N 6.20333°E |
  Col de la Croix de Fer Col de la Croix de Fer | |
Col de la Croix de Fer (English: Pass of the Iron Cross) (el. 2067 m.) is a high mountain pass in the French Alps linking Le Bourg-d'Oisans and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
The approach from the northeast from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is 29.5 km at an average gradient of 5.5% with some sections at 9.5%, and the one from the southwest from Rochetaillée 31.5 km at an average gradient of 5.75% with short sections in excess of 11%. When coming from Rochetaillée, the road forks 2.5 km before the summit, leading to the Col du Glandon. There is also an approach from the north from La Chambre via Col du Glandon which is the hardest: 22.7 km at an average gradient of 7.0% (this is the route used for the 2012 Tour de France).
The pass has featured in the Tour de France twenty one times since it was first passed in the 1947 tour when the race was led over the summit by Fermo Camellini. It was crossed on Stage 11 of the 2012 race, between Albertville and La Toussuire-Les Sybelles. [1] In the 2015 race it was passed twice in the two finale mountain stages stage 19 between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire – Les Sybelles, and from the other side in stage 20 between Modane to Alpe d'Huez. The route for stage 20 was changed in June 2015 caused by a landslide in April so Col de la Croix de Fer substitutes both Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier. [2] [3] [4]
The Col du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the highest point of the Tour de France.
L'Étape du Tour de France is an organised mass participation cyclosportive that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), it takes place each July, normally on a Tour rest day.
Le Bourg-d'Oisans is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France.
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is a subprefecture of the Savoie department, in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in southeastern France.
Maurienne is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
Col du Glandon 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.
La Marmotte is an annual, one-day cyclosportive event in France for amateur cyclists. It is named after the large ground squirrel that is known to inhabit the slopes of the final climb to the finish in Alpe d'Huez. The first event held in 1982 makes it one of the oldest cyclosportive events of its kind and in France it is often called La Doyenne, borrowing the nickname given to the professional road race Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The Marmotte remains one of the most popular cyclosportive events today in Europe, with interest in participation exceeding the 7000 places available.
La Toussuire is a ski resort in the Maurienne Valley, located in the commune of Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire, in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is a part of Les Sybelles, one of the biggest ski areas in France and Europe.
Col d'Ornon is a mountain pass through the Dauphiné Alps in the department of Isère in France which connects the communities of Le Bourg-d'Oisans and La Mure. The climb is used occasionally in the Tour de France cycle race, including on the "Queen stage" on 18 July 2013 which finishes with two ascents to Alpe d'Huez.
Stage 11 of the 2012 Tour de France was contested on 12 July and the race concluded with Stage 20 on 22 July. The second half of the race was situated entirely within France; starting with a mountain stage from Albertville to La Toussuire-Les Sybelles – incorporating two hors catégorie climbs during the stage – before the customary race-concluding stage finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Col du Grand Cucheron, at an elevation of 1,188 metres (3,898 ft), is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Savoie in France. The pass crosses the northern end of the Belledonne massif, connecting the Maurienne and Isère valleys. The climb to the col was used on Stage 12 of the 2012 Tour de France.
Col de Sarenne is a mountain pass located in the Grandes Rousses massif, approximately 9 km (6 mi) east of Alpe d'Huez in the Isère department of France. The pass connects Alpe d'Huez with the villages of Mizoën and Le Freney-d'Oisans in the Romanche valley. The road over the pass was used on Stage 18 of the 2013 Tour de France bicycle race as this loops round to enable the cyclists to climb the Alpe d'Huez twice in the same stage.
The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 3,360.3 km (2,088 mi)-long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 4 July in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and concluding on 26 July with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris. A total of 198 riders from 22 teams entered the race. The overall general classification was won by Chris Froome of Team Sky, with the second and third places taken by Movistar Team riders Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, respectively.
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The 2015 Critérium du Dauphiné was the 67th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné cycling stage race. The eight-stage race in France began in Ugine on 7 June and concluded in Modane Valfréjus on 14 June, and was the sixteenth of the twenty-eight races in the 2015 UCI World Tour season. The Dauphiné was viewed as a preview for July's Tour de France and a number of the contenders for the general classification of the Tour participated in the race.
The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour started in Utrecht, Netherlands on 4 July and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 26 July. On 21 July, between stages 16 and 17 there was a rest day in Gap.
The 2016 Tour de France was the 103rd edition of the cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. On 24 November 2014 Amaury Sport Organisation announced that the race will depart, on 2 July 2016, from the French department of Manche, for the first time in the history of the Tour de France. The race had a stage finish in Andorra. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July.
The 2017 Tour de France is the 104th edition of the cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race started in Düsseldorf, Germany on 1 July, with stage 12 occurring on 13 July with a stage departing from Pau. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 23 July.
The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île with flat stage on 7 July, and Stage 12 occurred on 19 July with a mountainous stage from Bourg-Saint-Maurice. The race finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 29 July.
