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In a nutshell
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Start
and finish
Country
Stages
Rest days
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Obernai, France
(near Strasbourg)
France
34
6 days : Brioude, Pau, Oust,
Malaucène,
Briançon, Sainte Claude |
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Total distance
Average distance
Total climbing
Average climbing
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4.176 km
123 km
75.000 meters
2.200 meters
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2.610 miles
77 miles
246.000 feet
7.200 feet
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Regions
Road condition
Period
Accommodation
Price ( full tour )
Discount
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Beaujolais, Massif Central, Pyrenees,
Cevennes, Provence, Alps, Jura, Vosges
100% paved
Saturday May 28th, 2022
Wednesday July 6th, 2022
Campings and 4 hotel nights
€ 4.495,-
€ 200,- for early registration
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Description
Every keen cyclist can name several legendary cols
of the Tour de France. You know the famous climbs in the
Alps, the Pyrenees and the Mont Ventoux, the giant of
the Provence. Perhaps you have already done them. But
sometimes when you watch the Tour on television, you
think : "Where is that col?". "I don't know that climb".
France has much more to offer, than only the "big"
well-known names. A large part of the country is
rolling, hilly or mountainous. Cols and côtes
everywhere.
A Dutch foundation started in 1979 an initiative to link
a large number of climbs in France together and called
it : "The 100 Cols Tour".
The route has undergone several changes over the years
to make the tour more attractive and more challenging.
The foundation uses two captions in their description of
the tour "it's the toughest bicycle tour in the world"
and "it's also the most beautiful bicycle tour in the
world".
The route is a succession
of wonderful landscapes, quiet nature parks, little
picturesque villages, stunning views, and of course
countless little côtes and challenging cols.
We start our tour near
Strasbourg,
in the north western point of the loop. We climb some
little cols in the
Vosges
before we make a diagonal crossing through France. Via
the Beaujolais region and the Massif Central
we end up in the Basque provinces near the Spanish
border. All major Pyrenees cols are
waiting.
The highest of the Cevennes, Mont
Aigoual, and the highest of the Provence,
the Mont Ventoux, are of course part of the tour. It are
not only the highest cols which we pass, also many
other, less known, cols are included throughout the
entire tour.
The famous cols in the Alps bring us to
altitudes far above 2.000 meter which guarantees
splendid views. We head further north through the
Jura including the wonderful hairpin
climb of the Grand Colombier. And the tour isn't
complete before we have done the Grand Ballon and the
Ballon d'Ascase in the Vosges. Not one
single flat boring stage.
The 2nd edition of the "100 Cols" starts
Saturday May 28th, 2022
near Strasbourg. The finish is 40 days later and after
4.200 challenging kilometres at the same location. A
real "Tour de France". The whole tour has been divided
into three main sections, so that you can choose to
cycle all cols in (1) the Beaujolais and Massif Central,
(2) the Pyrenees and Cevennes, or (3) the Provence,
Alps, Jura and Vosges.
The whole route follows good paved and quiet back roads.
The course rolls everywhere. From little hills in the
centre of France, to long, steep climbs in the Pyrenees
and the Alps. You are rewarded each time with a fabulous
descent, before the next climb is coming up. The tour is
held in the beginning of summer, which means that we
expect warm, beautiful sunny days, but keep in mind :
rain is always possible and the weather conditions can
become heroic if we reach altitudes above 2.000 metres.
The "100 Cols" is the ultimate challenge in a country
which is made for cycling. Next time when you watch the
Tour de France, you can say : "Done that", "I've been
there", "Yes, that one also". No blank spots anymore.
After the tour you have done most of the cols of the
Tour de France, and most likely, many more...
If you want them all, you can get them all.
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The "100 Cols Tour" is created by Honderd Cols
Tocht, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring
people to cycle through all great mountain areas of
France. For more information, please visit their website
"De Honderd Cols Tocht". |
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