Next month, we’ll be heading for Colmar, the self-proclaimed capital of Alsatian wine.
While I’m sure that this title alone will make some of my readers go wild, I’m actually just going there because it’s an excellent place to start cycling trips through the Vosges mountains.
Gérardmer – or La Bresse – is probably the more popular choice among cyclists to set up their base camp, but I also want to squeeze in some rides in the Black Forest on the other side of the border, which makes Colmar the better choice.
The Vosges mountain area can be divided in three areas: the High, Middle and Lower Vosges, basically corresponding to the height of the summits in each area.
As the Vosges are rated ‘low mountains’, they do not rise above 1,500 meters. The highest summits are the Grand Ballon (1,424 m), the Storkenkopf (1,366 m) and Hohneck (1,364 m).
Some of these – like the Storkenkopf – cannot be cycled at all, or not with a normal road/race bike, but between the over 60 that can, and their various starting points, I’m certain that the midweek we’ve booked will not be enough to climb them all.
The Grand Ballon for instance, has no less than six alternatives, although there is some overlap: the climbs from Moosch and Saint Amarin join at Geishouse and the ones from Willer, Cernay, Soultz and Wattwiller join at the Col Amic, near Goldbach.
These are all approaching from the south (-east/-west) – if you want to reach the Grand Ballon from the north, you’ll have to get up le Markstein first – either from Oderen or via the Platzerwasel from Munster/Sondernach – and ride the plateau for some kilometers to reach the final towards the summit of the Grand Ballon.
Interesting organized challenges are the ‘Les 3 Ballons’ or the ‘Gran Fondo Vosges’: they are considered the ‘ideal preparation for the Marmotte Gran Fondo‘.
While I will certainly not be riding anything even close to 200 kilometers, I will construct a stage that may have a harder elevation profile – Planche des Belles Filles is no longer part of the official ‘Les 3 Ballons’ course, but I’m going to try and include it anyway 🙂
Name | Altitude | Start | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Ballon d’Alsace | 1,171 m | Malvaux | Info |
Saint Maurice sur Moselle | Info | ||
Sewen | Info | ||
Ballon de Servance | 1,158 m | Col des Croix | Info |
Le Thillot | Info | ||
Plancher Bas | Info | ||
Servance | Info | ||
Col d’Oderen | 884 m | Cornimont | Info |
Kruth | Info | ||
Col de Boenlesgrab | 865 m | Buhl | Info |
Col de Bonne Fontaine | 676 m | Le Tholy | Info |
Tendon | Info | ||
Col de Bramont | 956 m | La Bresse | Info |
Wildenstein | Info | ||
Col de Bussang | 727 m | Le Thillot | Info |
Urbes | Info | ||
Col de Chenau | 533 m | Dommartin Les Remiremont | Info |
Vagney | Info | ||
Col de Firstplan | 722 m | D40 / D5 | Info |
Hattstatt | Info | ||
722 m | Wihr au Val | Info | |
Col de Fouchy | 608 m | Fouchy | Info |
Lièpvre | Info | ||
Col de Freland | 830 m | Beblenheim | Info |
Hachimette | Info | ||
Ribeauvillé | Info | ||
Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info | ||
Col de Grosse Pierre | 954 m | Gerardmer | Info |
La Bresse | Info | ||
Col de Hundsrucken | 748 m | Masevaux | Info |
Sentheim | Info | ||
Thann | Info | ||
Col de Kreuzweg | 766 m | Saint Martin | Info |
Saint Pierre | Info | ||
Col de la Burotte | 791 m | Saulxures sur moselotte | Info |
Vagney | Info | ||
Col de la Charbonnière | 961 m | Col de Steige | Info |
Fouday | Info | ||
Saint Martin | Info | ||
Saint Pierre | Info | ||
Col de la Chevestraye | 611 m | Belonchamp | Info |
Plancher Bas | Info | ||
Col de la Croix des Moinats | 890 m | Cornimont | Info |
La Bresse | Info | ||
Vagney | Info | ||
Col de la Schlucht | 1,139 m | Fraize | Info |
La Bresse | Info | ||
Le Kertoff | Info | ||
Munster | Info | ||
Xonrupt | Info | ||
Col de la Vierge | 1,067 m | Cornimont | Info |
Kruth | Info | ||
La Bresse | Info | ||
Col de Lauvy | 893 m | Cornimont | Info |
Col de Mandray | 694 m | Fraize | Info |
Col de Morbieux | 791 m | Ramonchamp | Info |
Saulxures sur moselotte | Info | ||
Col de Platzerwasel | 1,183 m | Munster | Info |
Col de Sainte Marie | 772 m | Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info |
Col de Sapois | 834 m | Gerardmer | Info |
Vagney | Info | ||
Col de Saverne | 413 m | Saverne | Info |
Col de Steige | 537 m | Saint Martin | Info |
Col des Bagenelles | 903 m | Hachimette | Info |
Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info | ||
Col des Chevrères | 916 m | Plancher Bas | Info |
Servance | Info | ||
Col des Croix | 679 m | Le Thillot | Info |
Servance | Info | ||
Col des Feignes sous Vologne | 954 m | Gerardmer | Info |
La Bresse | Info | ||
La Bresse | Info | ||
Col des Hayes | 887 m | Saulxures sur moselotte | Info |
Vagney | Info | ||
Col du Bonhomme | 949 m | Ammerschwihr | Info |
Plainfaing | Info | ||
Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info | ||
Saulcy | Info | ||
Col du Brabant | 878 m | Cornimont | Info |
La Bresse | Info | ||
Col du Calvaire | 1,144 m | Hachimette | Info |
Orbey | Info | ||
Col du Donon | 727 m | Abreschwiller | Info |
Luvigny | Info | ||
Moussey | Info | ||
Saint Quirin | Info | ||
Schirmeck | Info | ||
Col du Haut de Fouchure | 798 m | Gerbamont | Info |
Vagney | Info | ||
Col du Mont de Fourche | 620 m | Faucogney | Info |
Rupt sur Moselle | Info | ||
Saulx | Info | ||
Col du Page | 957 m | Bussang | Info |
Les Baranges | Info | ||
Col du Petit Drumond | 1,150 m | Bussang | Info |
Fellering | Info | ||
Col du Praye | 785 m | Moussey | Info |
Col du Pré de Raves | 1,005 m | Fraize | Info |
Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info | ||
Col du Wettstein | 882 m | Munster | Info |
Orbey | Info | ||
Col Haut de Ribeauvillé | 742 m | Ribeauvillé | Info |
Sainte Marie aux Mines | Info | ||
Collet du Linge | 987 m | Munster | Info |
Turckheim | Info | ||
Weier | Info | ||
Grand Ballon | 1,343 m | Cernay | Info |
Moosch | Info | ||
Saint Amarin | Info | ||
Soultz | Info | ||
Wattwiller | Info | ||
Willer sur Thur | Info | ||
Grand Ventron | 1,148 m | Cornimont | Info |
Les Baranges | Info | ||
Grand Wintersberg | 581 m | Leitzelthal – N62 | Info |
Niederbronn les Bains | Info | ||
Haut du Tot | 868 m | Crémanvillers | Info |
Le Tholy | Info | ||
Sapois | Info | ||
Vagney | Info | ||
Haut Koenigsbourg | 707 m | Kintzheim | Info |
Lièpvre | Info | ||
Saint Hippolyte | Info | ||
Lachtelweiher | 755 m | Kirchberg | Info |
Le Collet | 1,110 m | Plainfaing | Info |
Xonrupt | Info | ||
Xonrupt (via le lac de Retournemer) | Info | ||
Le Markstein | 1,184 m | Buhl | Info |
Oderen | Info | ||
Le salbert | 651 m | Cravanche | Info |
Mont Sainte Odile | 761 m | Barr | Info |
Ottrott | Info | ||
Ottrott (via Saint Nabor) | Info | ||
Petit Ballon | 1,163 m | Metzeral | Info |
Munster | Info | ||
Wihr au Val | Info | ||
Station de Champ du feu | 1,099 m | Fouday | Info |
Obernai | Info | ||
Saint Pierre | Info | ||
Schirmeck | Info | ||
Ville | Info | ||
Station de la Planche des Belles Filles | 1,148 m | Plancher les mines | Info |
Station du Gaschney | 985 m | Muhlbach | Info |
Station du Rouge Gazon | 1,105 m | Saint Maurice sur Moselle | Info |
Vieil Armand | 906 m | Cernay | Info |
Wattwiller | Info |