This climbs first to La Toussuire ski station then descends to join the main blue route from St-Jean-de-Maurienne. It’s marked as light blue on the map above. So I climbed back to Mollard but descended via the crazy hairpin route. It is in the middle of one of the best cycling regions in France linking the Oisans (eg. Col du Glandon is on the shoulder of the Croix de Fer route. Boucle Prabert - Col de la Mine de Fer - Coche Traces GPS
I climbed back up to Croix de Fer.
Again, at Col du Mollard there is a 7 kilometre descent and the route joins the classic Croix de Fer road at Belleville.In the following link, after Mollard, instead of linking up with Croix de Fer I climbed higher on a little known steep road that heads well above Chalmieu. In the 3d video, just try and count all the hairpins in the final descent (detailed map at bottom). Over this distance, you climb 1522 heightmeters. Het spreekt voor zicht dat de conditie erg goed moet zijn voor deze tocht, maar je wordt beloond met prachtige beklimmingen en uitzichten. The first 10 or so kilometres was through the woods and had roughly 40 … After a short 200 metre descent, the road joins the west side of Croix de Fer for the final 2.5 kilometres. The north-eastern approach to Col de la Croix de Fer is anything, but a steady climb. It then climbs out of the valley on some great hairpins. In the following link, after Mollard, instead of linking up with Croix de Fer I climbed higher on a little known steep road that heads well above Chalmieu.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Just look at the map down below: the lower half of Mollard has It’s tough to get a good photo of the hairpins as the route is lightly forested. The final 6 kilometres are on a narrower road that hairpins up and over the mountain.
Une belle virée dans la vallée de l'Eau dOlle qui vous emmènera aux frontières de l'Oisans côté Savoie.
Just after the three tunnels is a right turn signed as “St-Sorlin-d’Arves & Panoramique” that passes above the main route. Starting from Saint Jean de Maurienne, the Col de la Croix de Fer ascent is 30 km long.
Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. The base of the monument was on its side, and the cross itself nowhere in sight.
After descending from Col du Mollard and rejoining the main road, it’s easy for a while and then this side of Col de la Croix de Fer really shines for the last 5 truly beautiful kilometres above Saint-Sorlin d’Arves. Croix de Fer is a beautiful climb, but more interesting if you get there via Col du Mollard.
La pente est soutenue jusqu'au lac de Grand Maison. Been on a cycling holiday or a training camp? Alpe d’Huez) with the Maurienne Valley (eg. It gets easier near the top as the route passes the beautiful Lac de Grand Maison.
If you’ve never climbed Croix de Fer via Mollard, I’d actually recommend the other option described in the above link – I would descend it at the end of this loop.
From the start to the top of Croix de Fer was about 41 kms with just under 2000 metres climb – and a 6 kilometre descent in the middle. Woohooo, few things make me happier than when the big passes start to open. After first being introduced in 1947, Col de la Croix de Fer regularly appears on the Tour de France route and, most recently, in the 2012 and 2015 Etape de Tour. It is a 19.9 kilometre climb to Glandon. The route starts down low in the valley between the two cols.