Where is Col de Joux Plane?
France, europe
23.7 km
N/A
hard
Year-round
Col de Joux Plane, sitting pretty at a lofty elevation in the Haute-Savoie department of France, is a cycling legend. Seriously, this climb is up there with the toughest in the French Alps!
You'll find it nestled in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, close to the Swiss border and chilling at the southern end of the Chablais Alps.
What awaits at the summit? A welcome sight: Le Relais des Vallées bar! Keep going north, and you can actually climb a bit higher to the true summit. The views overlooking Mont Blanc are totally worth it.
Heads up: the road is paved, but it's narrow—sometimes just a single lane—and seriously steep. Some sections hit a brutal gradient! If you're tackling this climb in summer, start early. The whole slope faces south, making it a scorcher.
The road stretches for 23.7 km (14.72 miles), connecting Morzine and Samoëns. From Morzine, it's 12.2 km with a 825m elevation gain and 6.7% average gradient. Samoëns gives you 11.7km, a 851m gain, and a slightly steeper 7.3% average.
Considered a Tour de France beast, expect some seriously tough climbing, especially from Samoëns. It might not be super long, but it is relentless. Forget the famous climbs, this one's just a brutal challenge.
Road Details
- Country
- France
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 23.7 km
- Difficulty
- hard
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