View source for Col de l'Iseran

{{Short description|Mountain pass in the French Alps}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Col de l'Iseran
| photo = Col de l'Iseran 2.jpg
| photo_caption = Signpost at the Col de l'Iseran in 2006
| elevation_m = 2764
| elevation_ref = 
| traversed = D 902 road
| map = Alps
| map_caption = Location of Col de l'Iseran
| map_size = 
| label = Col de l'Iseran
| coords = {{coord|45|25|1|N|07|01|51|E|type:pass_region:FR|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Savoie]], [[France]]
| range = [[Graian Alps]]
| topo = 
}}

'''Col de l'Iseran''' (el. {{convert|2764|m|0}}) is a [[mountain pass]] in [[France]], the [[List of highest paved roads in the Alps|highest paved]] pass in the [[Alps]]. A part of the [[Graian Alps]], it is in the department of [[Savoie]], near the border with [[Italy]], and is crossed by the D902 roadway.

The pass is part of the [[Route des Grandes Alpes]]. It connects the valley of the [[Isère]] (''[[Tarentaise Valley|Tarentaise]]'') and the valley of the [[Arc (Savoie)|Arc River]] (''[[Maurienne]]'') between [[Val-d'Isère]] in the north and [[Bonneval-sur-Arc]] in the south.

On the northern side is the popular [[Tignes – Val d'Isère]] [[ski resort]]. The pass is only accessible by road during the summer months. In the winter it can only be accessed by a series of [[piste]]s and ski lifts.

The Col is also accessible by off-road mountain paths and is the highest point both of the Alpine [[GR 5]], a long-distance trail from [[Lake Geneva]] to [[Nice]], and of the similar [[Grande Traversée des Alpes]]. The steep descent to the south, notable for its waterfalls, enters the [[Vanoise National Park]] here.

==Details of the climb==

From the north the road goes up and down through short tunnels and avalanche galleries past the Lac du Chevril near [[Tignes]]. Starting from [[Bourg-Saint-Maurice]], the climb to Col de l'Iseran is {{convert|48|km|abbr=on}}. Over this distance, the road (D 902) ascends {{convert|1955|m|abbr=on}}, at an average grade of 4.1%. The last {{convert|15|km|0|abbr=on}} starts at [[Val-d'Isère]] and climbs {{convert|895|m|abbr=on}} at a consistent average of 6%.{{CN|date=April 2023}}

From the south, the climb starts at [[Lanslebourg-Mont Cenis]] and is {{convert|32.9|km|abbr=on}} in length, ascending {{convert|1371|m|abbr=on}} at an average grade of 4.2%.{{CN|date=April 2023}} The final {{convert|13.4|km|abbr=on}} starts at [[Bonneval-sur-Arc]] and rises {{convert|977|m|abbr=on}} at an average gradient of 7.3%, with several sections in excess of 10%.{{CN|date=April 2023}}

On both sides of the Col de l'Iseran, [[mountain pass cycling milestones]] mark the distance to the summit, the current altitude, and the average slope in the following kilometre.

{{wide image|File:Panoramic view near the Col de l'Iseran (21291685102).jpg|1000px|Panorama of the Col de l'Iseran}}

==The Tour de France==

[[File:ColDeLIseran.jpg|thumb|250px|Wind-whipped flags at the summit in 2005]]
The Col d'Iseran was first used in the [[Tour de France]] bicycle race in [[1938 Tour de France|1938]]. The first rider over the summit was [[Felicien Vervaecke]]<ref>{{cite book| title= The Yellow Jersey Companion to the Tour de France|last= Woodland|first= Les| publisher= Yellow Jersey Press| year=2003 | isbn=0-224-06318-9|page=263}}</ref> but on the descent he was passed by [[Gino Bartali]]. Bartali had taken the leader's [[yellow jersey]] from Vervaecke the previous day and retained it to the finish in Paris.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27333310 BBC Magazine]</ref>

The first mountain [[Individual time trial|time trial]] was introduced to the Tour in [[1939 Tour de France|1939]]. It went over the Col d'Iseran from [[Bonneval-sur-Arc]] to [[Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] and was won by [[Sylvere Maes]] by four minutes.<ref name =Woodland188>{{cite book| title= The Yellow Jersey Companion to the Tour de France|last= Woodland|first= Les| publisher= Yellow Jersey Press| year=2003 | isbn=0-224-06318-9|page=188}}</ref>

The pass has been used five times on the Tour de France since 1947. It was scheduled to be used in [[1996 Tour de France|1996]] but was left out at the last minute due to bad weather. As a result of snow on both the Col de l'Iseran and the [[Col du Galibier]] the scheduled {{convert|190|km|0|abbr=on}} stage from [[Val-d'Isère]] to [[Sestriere]] in Italy was truncated to a {{convert|46|km|abbr=on}} sprint from [[Le-Monetier-les-Bains]].<ref name=ledicodutour>{{cite web|title=Le col de l'Iseran dans le Tour de France depuis 1947|url=http://ledicodutour.perso.sfr.fr/montagnes/cols__i/iseran.htm|publisher=ledicodutour|accessdate=17 July 2014|language=French}}</ref> [[Bjarne Riis]] claimed the sprint,<ref name =Woodland188/> resulting in him taking the yellow jersey which he retained to the finish in Paris.

[[File:Tour 2007 - 09.PNG|200px|right|thumb|[[2007 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10#Stage 9|stage 9 in 2007]]]]
Col de l'Iseran was crossed in [[2007 Tour de France|2007]] in [[2007 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10#Stage 9|stage 9]], which started from Val-d'Isère and went {{convert|159.5|km|0|abbr=on}} to [[Briançon]] on 17 July.<ref name=ledicodutour/> The Tour crossed the climb once again in the [[2019 Tour de France|2019]] edition, in [[2019 Tour de France#Route and stages|Stage 19]] to [[Tignes]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-2019-route-revealed/|title=Tour de France 2019 route revealed {{!}} Cyclingnews.com|work=Cyclingnews.com|access-date=2018-10-25|language=en-gb}}</ref> However, due to adverse weather conditions on the ascent to Tignes, the stage was truncated with times for the general classification being taken at the summit of the Col de l'Iseran.<ref name="CN1" />

=== Appearances in Tour de France ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Stage
!Category
!Start
!Finish
!Leader at the summit
|-
|[[2019 Tour de France|2019]]
|[[2019 Tour de France, Stage 12 to Stage 21#Stage 19|19]]
|[[Hors Categorie|HC]], [[Souvenir Henri Desgrange|SHD]]
|[[Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne]]
|<s>[[Tignes]]</s> Col de l'Iseran<ref name="CN1">{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-19/results/|title=Tour de France: Bernal awarded win on truncated stage 19|work=Cycling News|date=26 July 2019|accessdate=26 July 2019}}</ref>
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Egan Bernal]]|COL}}
|-
|[[2007 Tour de France|2007]]
|[[2007 Tour de France, Prologue to Stage 10#Stage 9|9]]
|[[Hors Categorie|HC]]
|[[Val-d'Isère]]
|[[Briançon]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Yaroslav Popovych]]|UKR}}
|-
|[[1992 Tour de France|1992]]
|13
|[[Hors Categorie|HC]]
|[[Saint-Gervais-les-Bains|Saint-Gervais]]
|[[Sestriere]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Claudio Chiappucci]]|ITA}}
|-
|[[1963 Tour de France|1963]]
|16
|1
|[[Grenoble]]
|[[Val-d'Isère]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Fernando Manzaneque]]|ESP}}
|-
|[[1959 Tour de France|1959]]
|18
|1
|[[Col du Lautaret|Le Lautaret]]
|[[Saint-Vincent, Aosta Valley|Saint-Vincent]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Adolf Christian]]|AUT}}
|-
|[[1949 Tour de France|1949]]
|17
|1
|[[Briançon]]
|[[Aosta]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Giuseppe Tacca]]|FRA}}
|-
|[[1939 Tour de France|1939]]
|16b
|[[Individual time trial|ITT]]
|[[Bonneval, Savoie|Bonneval]]
|[[Bourg-Saint-Maurice]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Sylvère Maes]]|BEL}}
|-
|[[1938 Tour de France|1938]]
|15
|  
|[[Briançon]]
|[[Aix-les-Bains]]
|align=left|{{Flagathlete|[[Félicien Vervaecke]]|BEL}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.cycling-challenge.com/col-de-liseran-south-side/ Profile from Bonneval sur Arc - Elevation profile, Photos, Map, Route description] 
* [https://archive.today/20131012081321/http://goo.gl/maps/KzFEf Col de l'Iseran on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)]

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Mountain passes of the Alps]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
[[Category:Mountains of Savoie]]