Col du Lautaret and Col du Galibier (East side)

Col du Lautaret and Col du Galibier (East side)

The Col du Galibier connects Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to the north with Briançon to the south by traversing the Col du Télégraphe and the Col du Lautaret. Positioned in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps, this mountain pass sits between the Massif d’Arvan-Villards to the northwest and the Massif des Cerces to the southeast. At its upper section, a single-lane tunnel originally served as the sole point of passage until it closed for restoration in 1976. A summit road was subsequently constructed over the top of the pass, and the tunnel reopened in 2002 with a traffic light system that operates at one of the highest elevations in Europe.

The climb forms a high-altitude cycling test, transitioning through the Col du Lautaret before ascending the slopes of the Col du Galibier. The pass has been featured in the Tour de France since its debut in 1911, when the terrain proved so severe that only one rider, Émile Georget, successfully crested the summit without dismounting to walk. Henri Desgrange, the event’s first director, favored the pass for its physical demands, and a dedicated monument stands near the south portal of the summit tunnel, alongside the recurring awarding of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange cash prize to the first rider over the peak. The pass holds the distinction of hosting the highest stage finish ever recorded in the event during the 2011 centennial edition, and was the site of Marco Pantani’s decisive solo attack in the rain and cold during the 1998 race to capture the overall lead.