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.
|
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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Passes in Europe
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