Col of the Day... the Col de la Madeleine

Introducing the Col de la Madeleine, it's not too far away from us here in Tignes and can be accessed from the Tarentaise valley between Moutiers and Albertville.
The col connects the valleys of the Tarentaise and the Maurienne, while the northern ascent is longer (28.3km at 5.4 per cent), the southern approach is steeper (19km at eight per cent). Either way, the road tops out at 1,995m, though the summit sign rounds this up to 2,000m.

The Col de la Madeleine is one of the most famous climbs in the history of the Tour de France and has been tackled 25 times, for me it is definitely one of the most memorable cols I have ever seen on the tour with it's spectacular climb into the mountains (as seen in the picture above).

Cycling facts;
Length- 19km
Average gradient- eight per cent
Start elevation- 479m
End elevation- 1,995m

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