Col du Glandon from La Chambre Savoie
Col du Glandon is in the Savoie area of the Alps at an altitude of 1924m, and connects Bourg d’Oisans with La Chambre.
Despite being the shorter side to climb, this is by far the harder route, with the gradients getting steeper and steeper the higher you climb. The road gently snakes up the mountain, through beautiful alpine meadows at first.
You get some respite at the village of St Colomban des Villards, pretty much at the halfway point – you need it in order to tackle the last very challenging 8km.
The col has been crossed by the Tour de France 13 times since 1947, though often in conjuction with the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Length: 21.3km
Height at start: 452m
Height at finish: 1924m
Average gradient: 6.9%
Maximum gradient: 12%