Col de la Madeleine
There are two big,
famous, relentless (add you favorite superlative
to this list) cycling passes, that connect the
valleys of the Maurienne with the valley of the
Tarentainse, the Col
d'Isere and the Col de la Madeleine. You
might expect that both of these passes would be
favorites on the Tour de France, not only because
of the cycling and the scenery, but also the
presence of large, developed ski towns which can
accommodate all the race caravans.
Actually the Col de la Madeleine has been on the
route 26 times, while the Col de l'iseran has only
been on the route 4 times (up to 2012). Maybe the
reason are the nearby Col du Glandon
combined with the Col de la Croix
de Fere. One after the other makes for a
really massive climbing race.
The really unforgettable thing about this pass, at
least during good weather, is a great far view of
Mont Blanc. Seen from this vantage point, this is
about as much vertical relief, as you can find on
any mountain vista in the alps.
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1.(00.0km,449m)
START-END SOUTH: la Chambre on river Arc
2.(05.5km,830m) road on right goes to La
Pallud, Montaimont and Col de Chaussy
3.(15.0km,1612m) Longchamp and first jct
with D76 back down to la Chambre
4.(20.2km,1993m) TOP: Col de la Madeleine
5.(30.1km,1360m) Cellieres Dessus
6.(31.3km,1194m) la Thuile
7.(37.5km,933m) Bonnelval
8.(45.5km,433m) START-END NORTH: la
Coulee: jct with N90 |
Approaches
From South. When leaving la Chambre,
there is a road cut visible on the opposite
mountain to the north, that you can't help but
notice. That's an alternate lower approach to this
pass, the Montvernier Road, contains a short
distance of unpaved road. But this profile takes
the more direct route on the main road, and it
will take a long hard climb to reach the altitude,
that the other road across the valley has reached
already. This side of the pass can be a fairly
busy road. Not until the climb passes through the
condominium towers of the ski area (and has merged
with the alternate approach), does traffic quiet
down a little bit. Now there is more peace to
enjoy the far view of the les Aigles s'Arves,
three horns that stick out of the landscape like
horns on rhinoceros. These would be the greatest
view to remember, if it were not for another scene
that emerges at the top, the view of Mont Blanc.
The view is so overwhelming, it's easy to see why
you could overlook the Col de la Madeleine sign -
or the fact that it reads "altitude: 2000m". It
seems somebody decided to round up this figure
from the official 1993m. 2000 meters is often used
as an arbitrary cutoff point for the really big
passes. Big or not big - it's a great ride.
From North. (described downwards). This
side seems to be a lot quieter, as far as traffic
is concerned, and the road shows no signs of
becoming busier as it approaches the valley.
Further up two picturesque old villages,
containing only very few modern buildings, line
the hillside. Finally the road traverses down the
wooded slopes of the Chaine de la Lauziere to meet
the river Eau Rousse.
Mont Blanc from Col de Madeleine - telephoto view
A few historical notes
Like with all major passes in the alps, early
history is a little fuzzy, except for on thing,
these routes have been used for a very long time.
Already in the 18th century, the pass was a
destination for what you might call religious
tourism ( there is a word for that - pilgrimage)
They came here to visit a chapel, dedicated to
Sainte Madaleine.
The road across the pass has a much more recent
history, especially compared with nearby passes -
and it's still a long history in a way. Between
the decision to build a road across the pass and
the actual completion, 20 years passed: 1949 to
1969.
History-Cycling: Right from its very
beginning the history of the road is tied up with
the history of the Tour de France. In road was
inaugurated by a stage of the 56th running of the
famous race on a stage between Chamonix and
Briancon. Between then and 2012 this stage route
was never repeated. In fact the race seems to find
a new route for the day containing the pass, more
often than not. That first year the tour was won
by Eddy Merckx, but the leader at the time this
pass was crossed was the Spaniard Andre Gandarias.
This section of the race quickly got the
reputation as one of the hardest mountain
sections, in combination with adjacent stages over
Col de Telegraphe and Col du Galibier. In 2005 the
Tour de France crossed Col de Madeleine for the
25th time.
A day on an
extended tour:
(<Col du Glandon|Cormet de Roselend>)
Col de la Madeleine: St Alban des Villards > St
Etienne de Cunes > Col de la Madeleine >
Moutiers > Aime 55.3miles with 6300ft of
climbing in 5:50hrs (VDO MC1.0 m4:12.6.16)
Notes: tire
problems during the last 5 km. I walked the last
km
top left:
section between ski town and top of Col de
Madeleine
bottom left: climbing above la Chambre on
east side |
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top right:
les Aigles d'Arves from near summit
bottom right: village la Thuile, descending
north side |
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